Uncovering the Islamic Governmental Citadel of Shahdezh in Isfahan, Iran

IF 0.7 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Journal of Islamic Archaeology Pub Date : 2021-11-02 DOI:10.1558/jia.21166

H. Karimian, A. Ahmadi

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

The magnificent architectural complex known as Shahdezh Citadel is a defensive compound with an area of over 15 ha, sitting atop Soffeh Mountain, close to the city of Isfahan, Iran. It is a unique historical complex due to its majesty, impregnability, and strategic significance, however, studies on the Citadel are limited to a few historical documents and reports on its visible relics. It is for this reason that the present authors began archaeological investigations at this site in the summer of 2004. The main aim of the research was to determine the distribution and function of the architectural remains, as well as the construction and usage periods of the huge complex. To this end, topographic maps were prepared, followed by systematic surface survey and excavation of parts of the castle that were deemed most important. The findings of this research strongly suggest that the Shahdezh Castle was originally constructed in the Sassanid era (224–651 AD) and was later restored and reused by Saljuq rulers (1037–1194 AD) in the Islamic period. Its existence as a governmental citadel located near the Saljuq capital of Isfahan strengthens the authors’ proposition that Saljuq kings settled the royal family at the Shahdezh Citadel and ruled over the country from there.

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在伊朗伊斯法罕的Shahdezh伊斯兰政府城堡

这座宏伟的建筑群被称为Shahdezh城堡，是一座面积超过15公顷的防御建筑群，坐落在伊朗伊斯法罕市附近的Soffeh山上。由于其雄伟，坚不可摧和战略意义，它是一个独特的历史建筑群，然而，对城堡的研究仅限于一些历史文献和对其可见遗迹的报道。正是出于这个原因，本文作者于2004年夏天开始对该遗址进行考古调查。研究的主要目的是确定建筑遗迹的分布和功能，以及大型建筑群的建造和使用时期。为此，他们制作了地形图，然后对城堡最重要的部分进行了系统的地面调查和挖掘。这项研究的结果有力地表明，沙赫德兹城堡最初建于萨珊时代(公元224-651年)，后来在伊斯兰时期被萨尔柱统治者(公元1037-1194年)修复和再利用。它作为一个政府城堡的存在，位于Saljuq首都伊斯法罕附近，这加强了作者的主张，即Saljuq国王将王室定居在Shahdezh城堡，并从那里统治国家。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Islamic Archaeology ARCHAEOLOGY-

CiteScore

0.70

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Islamic Archaeology is the only journal today devoted to the field of Islamic archaeology on a global scale. In the context of this journal, “Islamic archaeology” refers neither to a specific time period, nor to a particular geographical region, as Islam is global and the center of the “Islamic world” has shifted many times over the centuries. Likewise, it is not defined by a single methodology or theoretical construct (for example; it is not the “Islamic” equivalent of “Biblical archaeology”, with an emphasis on the study of places and peoples mentioned in religious texts). The term refers to the archaeological study of Islamic societies, polities, and communities, wherever they are found. It may be considered a type of “historical” archaeology, in which the study of historically (textually) known societies can be studied through a combination of “texts and tell”.