karim hajizadeh

To convey the content of Lime stuccowork carvings, artists have used encryption and symbolism and designed the carvings in a symbolic and stylized way, transmitting their message to the audience with the simplest design. The research method is descriptive, historical-comparative, which has been done through field investigation and library studies. Research questions are as following: 1. What motifs do the Lime stuccowork decorative elements include and what is the relationship between the motifs and the founders of the bathhouses? 2. From which sources the decorative arrays of the bathhouses are adapted? The results of the research show the employed decorative patterns consist of geometric, arabesque, vegetal, flower and vase, and animal and bird motifs. These decorative elements drew inspirations from nature, ancient beliefs, and archaism. Lime stuccowork has an important place among the decorative arrays of bathhouses. Due to the easy hammering of lime and its use as a resistant building material, it has been used in hot and humid areas of the bathhouse. The peak of this decorative art is related to the Qajar period. The use of plant, geometric and animal motifs, especially the image of birds such as peacocks and birds of paradise, has been used to decorate the main space of the Qajar bathhouses. What can be seen in the decorations of the Qajar era bathhouses is the evolved stage of the Lime stuccowork motifs and decorations of the Safavid and Zandiya periods. Some of the later motifs, such as arabesque and toranj, have evolved, but many others, such as Cedar motifs, lotus flowers, khatai, six feathers, and geometric motifs have their original shape. In addition to the decorative aspect, plant motifs in Qajar period arts are a symbol of omen, blessing, benevolence, fertility, immortality, and permanence of the kingdom. In the Qajar period, we see the growth and spread of images with literary and mythological themes that started from the Zandiyeh period. The presence of elaborate decorations in different spaces of the bathhouse shows the importance and status of the mansion owners. Mythological and symbolic animal motifs have been noticed in the decoration of the bathhouse walls. The use of a peacock in the Moshir Diwan and Sheikh al-Islam baths shows fertility and beauty, and the character of a goat shows being a leader. According to the social status of local judges, the lion is a symbol of power, and the sword in the hands of the lion and the talons of the eagle represent the administration of justice. The role of the lion, sun and sword in the decoration of these baths, as well as the use of balance and symmetry in most of its motifs, is probably related to the position of the builders of the buildings.

The location of Fardaghan historical village is in the northwest of Farahan Ccounty, in Markazi province. In this village, there are architectural remains of a castle and a four- Arches dome. Some texts have discussed some historical events related to this monument. In these sources, the castle and fire temple of Fardaghan, the transfer of the golden door of the fire temple to the Kaaba during the time of Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf, and its capture and destruction by the commander of Qom in 288 A.H. are mentioned. This research is based on the study of historical texts and archaeological excavation in the form of one season of trenching and one season of excavation. In this research, by examining and studying historical texts and architectural remains in the context of archaeological data, we attempted to determine whether the remains of the building obtained from the excavations of Fardaghan are the same fire temple of the Sassanid era that is mentioned in historical sources or not? During the field research conducted by the author, in addition to determining the area and proposing the boundaries of the square dome building and the castle, the main building (four-Arches dome) has also been pursued and explored. The architectural data indicates the existence of a square four-roomed building with a side of 17 meters with four Turkish brick columns, of which two columns of the southern half have been obtained so far. The resulting quadrangle has a circular corridor with stone walls 1.5 meters thick, which is plastered from the inside. The building has one entrance in the center of the east and west sides and three entrances in the south side. The wall on the north side of the building is currently buried under the clay texture from the Qajar period. A comparative study of historical texts and field research shows that this building is the same fire temple that is mentioned in these sources. Following the above research, a complete excavation and the identification of the general structure of the building, as well as more archaeological data, will determine the additional typological studies of this building with the other four-arch domes of the Sassanid period.

The city is the most important area of human life and the largest cell of civilization, and the study of the impact and impression of this area has a special place. The present article aims to investigate and analyze the impact of the European-style defensive fortifications known as Vauban as an effective component in the shaping and spatial organization of the city of Khoi during the Qajar period. The purpose of this research is to explain and analyze why and how European knowledge of urban planning and defensive architecture penetrated in the city of Khoi during the Qajar period and to examine the architectural plan and structure of this castle-city and its impact on the spatial and physical organization of the primary core of Khoi city. In terms of the nature and method of research, the present research is historical-analytical and the method of data collection is library and text mining of historical documents. The research findings indicate that following the developments resulting from modernity and military technology, Iran's military elites realized the necessity of adapting defense fortifications to the needs of the day, i.e. adapting to firearms, including cannons and artillery. Therefore, they started to build European-style defense fortifications equipped with artillery and called "Vauban", one of the prominent examples of which is the tower and rampart of Khoi city in the Qajar period.

One of the shortcomings of this field is the study of architectural remains individually and without considering the text layers and textural changes affecting it. This study described intertextuality connections of architectural and urbanization collections of Tabriz during the Il-khanate period in two levels: micro (Tabriz city) and macro (regional and international) through discourse analysis and using historical and archaeological data in order to reveal the evolutions and implicit semantics of text layers (architectural and urbanization collections). It is question that how intertextuality connections of the mentioned remains from point of view layer semiology have been and how have manifested semiotic systems. In this study in order to understand data is used qualitative method in the form of descriptive-analytical. Findings show that the use of intertextuality reading of layered semiology leads to the understanding of hidden layers of meaning in architectural remains and involves the effect of broader paradigms in study. In the intertextuality connections of different layers of architecture and urban planning of Tabriz in the Il-khanate era at micro and macro levels, codes such as the main elements of government, including political power, cultural-religious power and economic power, the layers (temporal, spatial, cultural-social) are entered into a syntagmatic and paradigmatic connections and have become a semiotics.

Khaneqah Cemetery, located in Gilavan village in Khalkhal County of Ardabil Province, is one of the most unique cemeteries in the country. Based on burial findings, this cemetery is one of the most significant cemeteries in northwestern Iran, because it presents graves from the three cultural periods of the Middle Bronze Age, Iron Age and Parthian period. Four-season scientific excavations have been carried out in Gilvan cemetery. In the present study, the graves excavated in the third season have been studied. During this season, four ancient graves have been excavated and identified by numbers 30, 33, 34 and 35. Graves 30 and 33 has been dated to the Middle Bronze Age and graves 34 and 35 has been dated to the Iron Age I. The graves of this cemetery are of the type of pit graves in which burials have been done as single and double person in grave pit. The present study has been studied qualitatively in a descriptive-analytical manner and with a comparative approach, and has been compared with the works of other simultaneous sites in the north and northwest of Iran in terms of burial data. The results indicate the cultural relationship with the sites of Middle and New Bronze Age and Iron Age I and II. There is a lot of evidence to date the tombs of Khaneqah Cemetery. The burial method, shape and structure of the graves and the typology of the pottery and objects obtained indicate that this cemetery belongs to the Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age I and II.

Tombstones in cemeteries are perhaps one of the most semantically complex human works of art. Tombstones deal with the most important and most painful event in human life, namely death and the hereafter. Tombstones exhibit great variety, both in general form and in their decorative motifs. Studying the morphology of the gravestones and exploring the human, animal, vegetal, geometric and other images, together they provide valuable information on Iranian-Islamic religious beliefs and historical sociology. Tombstones vary signficantly according to the religious beliefs and the culture and geography of each region. In the group of tombstones analyzed in this paper the most important,  from the point of view of visual semantics and mythological beliefs, are rams and stone lions. This group of tombstones are generally found in the western half of Iran, especially in the northwest and west of Iran. This paper is a descriptive-analytical study of field and library studies, seeking to discover the congruence between tombstone form and motifs and ornaments, i.e., the relationship between meanings and patterns in gravestones and lion-like stones found in cemeteries of the era of Islam in Iran. Studies show that the ram and lion tombstones themselves are symbols of greatness, bravery, heroism, greatness and courage, and all the sub-motifs on the body of these works also somehow reflect these traits and meanings, and they are completely dependent on the volume or morphology of the tombstones. Finally, it can be concluded that the stone carving artist has chosen these motifs with full knowledge of the meanings of the shape of the tombstones as well as the motifs placed on them. Therefore, he has been looking for the connection and dependence between form and image in his artwork.

Khānqah-E Gilvan cemetery is located on the western skirt of the MT. Talesh approximately 60 km southeast Khalkhal. The cemetery lies between the villages of Gilvan and Khānqah, and is part of the administrative district of Khalkhal in Ardabil province.The cemetery was discovered in 2006 during the road construction project in village of Khānqah. It has been in use from Middle Bronze Age to Iron Age I, II and Parthian Period after a centuries of gap; it is not still clear whether the cemetery was used during the Late Bronze Age or not, but the funerary practices in the Iron Age I, II were continued. Pottery similarities with ceramics from the Middle Bronze Age allows us to suggest that the initial using phase of the cemetery can be attributed back to the last quarter of the 3rd millennium BC(Zabanband et al., 2021: forthcoming) In this research, our focus is mainly on the graves related to initial phase of cemetery. During the Middle Bronze Age of Khānqah-e Gilvan, a variety of funerary practices along with types of tombs such as kurgan, pit grave, etc. unknown in other Iranian northwestern sites such as Geoy Tepe, Dinkhah Tepe, can be seen. The funerary practices of the tombs discovered in the cemetery are more or less homogeneous. It is probable to reconstruct funerary behavior of these populations.The diameter of the 7 kurgans excavated at the Gilavan burial site varies roughly 2 to 5 m. circle stone alignment is a common feature these burials, that is carefully laid out, heaps of stone (pebble/slab…)covered the pit burials. In addition to a detailed description of the graves, we will also try to point out some of the hierarchical features of the cemetery according to structure and grave association of the tombs,

The application of semiotic approaches in the study of the themes of coins, considering the written-visual feature of the visual elements of coins, can reveal their hidden and implicit meanings than other artistic texts. Relying on semiotic approaches (especially its poststructuralist concepts), this study has considered the themes in the visual elements of the Ilkhanids coins and in this way has used the theory of legitimacy of power of David Bettham. The main question of the research is “what is the interaction and semantic relations of the codes of the Ilkhanid coins?”; and “how are the symbolic systems manifested in them?” The data was collected using library resources and implementing an analytical-historical approach. The results reveal that using this method involves broader paradigms and leads to a better understanding of connotations in coin themes. The meanings of visual elements in coins of Hulagu Khan reign until the middle of Abaqa Khan rule indicate the Khans' efforts to gain the first level of legitimacy and the elements in coins near the end of Abaqa Khan rule to Gaykhatu Khan indicate the Khans’ failure to promote their justification goals and lack of common beliefs (the second level of legitimacy) by minting coins with Christian, Jewish (Star of David) and even Shiite themes. After Ghazan Khan until the extinction of the Ilkhanate dynasty, the coexistence of Islamic, Uyghur and Iranian codes in the coin themes occurs simultaneously with the third level of legitimacy in the society. In this period, the symbols of the main pillars of power (political, religious and economic) coexist harmonically in the coin themes and are a reflection of the power network. In this period, the meanings of coins had become a kind of semiosis through the expansion of intertextual connections with other areas.

Interpretation of human’s old behaviors in the past and paying attention to complex and interactive processes between humans and the environment to be understood in terms of their dependence on the components of the natural and ecological environment is the center of modern archaeology’s attention.  Archaeological surveys and analysis of settlement patterns are considered well-known methods in archaeology to help identify these interactive processes.With the studies of the Archaeological Board of the University of Pennsylvania on Hasanlu Hill and the Sandus Plain, the southern basin of Lake Urmia became one of the most important archaeological sites and a basis for chronology in northwestern Iran. Meanwhile, Piranshahr plain on one hand due to its proximity toHasanlu area in the north and Rabat area in the south and on the other hand due to the neighborhood of this area with great powers such as Assyria, Urartu and Mana in the first half of the first millennium BC, Is one of the important areas in terms of archaeological studies of the Iron Age in northwestern Iran. This study examined the Piranshahr plain, assuming that the Iron Age settlements of the Piranshahr plain follow a specific settlement pattern. In this research, using field and library studies and geographical analysis models, a methodical and appropriate interpretation of the distribution of Iron Age areas and the first millennium BCPiranshahr plain was presented. Studies have shown that the Iron Age settlements in the region are most affected by two geographical factors, altitude from sea surface and access to rivers, and this has led to the creation of linear networks in the course of rivers resulting to a suitable choice of height relating to the plain. It was also found that the Iron Age settlements of this plain, following the shape of the roughness and natural geography of the region in the first half of the first millennium BC, by creating a specific settlement hierarchy, tended to form an independent local political unit. The existence of this political unit in modern Assyrian writings as Xubuskie could be identified.

Farahan plain is a wide and flat plain with suitable agricultural land located in the middle of central province. This region is geographically important due to its proximity to the center of the Iranian plateau from the north and northeast and central Zagros from the west and southwest. Archaeological investigations in this plain have led to the identification of settlements from the Late Stone Age to the contemporary ages, especially the historical period. In the meantime, two Kura araxes sites with gray-black pottery were identified for this culture. These settlements are located to the south of Farahan Plain and along the southern shore of Lake Meyghan to the center and south of Farahan Plain. These settlements are located on the runoff of the water flowing from the Haftad qolleh Mountains. The question that arises here is from what direction or paths did the Kura-Araxes communities enter the west and center of the central province, and essentially what factors or factors contributed to their presence in the region. It seems that the Yanik communities enter the Central Province through either the Malayer to the south or the Famenin Plain route to the Central Province, crossing the eastern margin of the Central Zagros Mountains and settling in the midwestern valleys of the western province and the middle of the Farahan plain. The presence of the Gharey Chay River in the west of the Central Province, as well as the seasonal rivers that flowed in the Lake Meyghan basin, may be the major contributors to their presence in the region. The range of these populations extending eastward into the Iranian plateau is one of the other questions raised in this study. In this study, while studying the environmental conditions of the area, the causes and how these settlements were established in the area during the old Bronze Age and how to enter them.

According to religious beliefs, cultures and geographies of each region of Iran, different gravestones have been used in various shapes and sizes during different Islamic times. These include standing tombstone, altar tombstone, simple standing tombstone, masonry tombstone, cradle tombstone, ram-shaped tombstone, rock valves, horse-shaped tombstone and others. The stone rams are The most important of these types of gravestones in terms of their semantics and mythical beliefs that are commonly found in the western half of Iran and especially in northwest and western Iran. Studying this group of tombstones can lead to the revelation and discovery of the concepts of these valuable works in Iranian-Islamic art and ultimately to the achievement of the following goals and Questions:Goals:1. Study of the stone rams of the cemeteries of Iran
2. Symbolology and study of the archeology of the stone rams
3. Study of the designs and motifs on the stone rams

Questions:
 In which Geographical area and which period of time stone rams were used?
What is the relationship between popular belief in stone rams and understanding and symbolism before Islam?
The current research is conducted using library research method and field studies as well as analytical-comparative method to trace semantics, ancient archetypes, as well as the etymology of belief in the design of the ram in Islamic gravestones of Iran, through following it up in prehistoric and historical periods, and seeks a rational answer to the above-mentioned questions.
The prior Studies show that stone rams are mostly found in the western Iran and most of them belong to the ninth and tenth centuries AH, except for a few. The ram in ancient Iran has been a symbol of fertility, and a sign of a lord in connection with the god of victory, Bahram. Placing the design of a ram, in the form of a tombstone on Islamic-era graves, means arriving at the wisdom and symbolizing the transformation of the deceased. According to the beliefs of the people, the presence of stone rams in the cemeteries prevented demons from entering, and using them as abstract appearances, symbolized the valor and bravery of the Iranian brave men as well as indicating their masculinity, power and courage. The design of ram or rock ram, in turn, is rooted in ancient patterns, beliefs and old ideas. It should be noted that the insights, that have been used in the use of the design of the ram or other creatures in the gravestones and other arts of this period, have been based on a transcendental vision, thought and belief, that sometimes in accordance with the same thoughts and sometimes going on with symbolism and new meanings, have been reused by Islamic artists. Therefore, design of each ram and stone ram placed on the graves of the Islamic era, had a meaning behind them that relates to the beliefs and religious imaginations or culture of the peoples of the region. The use of stone rams in cemeteries and religious sites is actually a revival of beliefs that existed in the past, but in the Islamic era, according to the Islamic vision, some of their meanings have been forgotten. Others have been accepted along with new symbols and beliefs. The stone rams are a symbol of masonry art and very artistic stone carving of various Islamic eras, most of which have been identified in the Qaraqoyunlu and Agh Qiyunluo-ruled territories. Surveys show that, the ram-shaped gravestone was present in the times before these two governments and afterwards, and used in cemeteries and on graves. So the idea of using stone rams on the graves of the dead is rooted in ancient times.  According to studies, stone rams are mostly used in cemeteries in the northwest and west of Iran, and generally in the western part of Iran. These works, while there are few specimens of which left from an older era, have been used extensively in the 9th and 10th centuries. These rams are usually placed on the tombs of heroes and alongside religious sites, which imply meanings that the most functional and symbolic of this category of works have been greatness, power, boldness, bravery and even theology. Naming the ram for the champions is still common in Azerbaijan, such as Quch Ali, Quchi Nabi, Quch Qur Gogli, and so on. One of the oldest ceremonies in the region has been the fight against the rams, and they believe that the rams are a symbol of struggle and heroism. Nowadays, horns are also seen on the gates of some urban homes, especially in Iranian villages in other parts of the country, including Gorgan, Yazd, Khoy and Ilam. They use it to prevent evil eye (scar or saline eye) and as a sign of strength and wealth.

On hundreds of tombstones found in the eastern Mokrian area, which are constantly lined up in the cemeteries of the Qajar era, and like a thick book, tell the history of the dusty people sleeping under a pile of dirt; There are motifs that have doubled the beauty and importance of these works. What is certain is that these motifs are not only engraved for decoration, but can also express the interests and attachments of the deceased and survivors, beliefs, location and time and a manifestation of the culture of the society or a symbol and concept of myths and deep thoughts of the past. To be. The present study is of descriptive-analytical and historical type and its findings have been collected based on field studies and document studies; Seeks to study and analyze the tombstones of the cemeteries of the Qajar era of Eastern Mokrian and the designs placed on them and in this regard pursues the following objectives: 1- What are the cemeteries of the Qajar era in the geographical area of Eastern Mokrian and including What are the designs? 2- To what extent have the motifs depicted on the tombstones of the Qajar era of Eastern Mokrian been influenced by the beliefs and customs and cultural traditions of the society? Studies show that these tombstones contain various designs of human, animal, plant, geometric and inscriptions. In general, most of these motifs, while having special meanings and symbols, are influenced by the culture of the region, beliefs and their temporal and spatial position. On the other hand, Shiite and Sunni religions, in addition to the form of tombstones, have also had the greatest impact on the type of motifs of these works.

Wrestling has been popular since ancient times and it has been associated with many aspects of Iranian culture. In this regard, wrestling has been a physical ritual, and today it is performed at the national, indigenous, and local levels. This study focuses on the myths behind this ritual movement. It is aimed to explain the myths that have been the reason for the meaning, continuity, and the value of this movement as a ritual in Iranian folk culture throughout history via the analytical method. In ancient culture, a person who fought with the destructive forces of nature became the heroic archetype who created livelihood and security in a society and was respected by the people. This challenge with the antagonist also entered the arena of the enemies of Iran, and wrestling was a symbol of the action of the heroes who fought a duel to protect his land and its values; but what was suggested in Iranian culture was that these heroes, whose actions establish the security and order of the society, first, must clear their background as an antagonist, and voluntarily go into the battle with shadows. In Iranian society, this became a value and moral foundation for the heroic archetype and remained in the collective subconscious of the Iranian society, and in the festivals of folk culture where wrestling is held, all these values are projected on the wrestler character. This forms the kind of social identity and cohesion through which viewers receive love and self-fulfillment.

Most of socio-cultural and even political concepts and meanings in historical monuments have formed after the creation of them and in the process of audience communication with those artifacts, influenced and hide in many cases. Therefore, in order to study the process of semantics in Alisha Ark of Tabriz from the time of its construction in the Il-khanate period to the present time has been used descriptive-analytical approach and semiotic methods. The question is how the meanings of Ark have transformed based on surrounding context and elements of the Compound Building. The results indicate that during the Il-khanate period, the Compound Building of Alishāh was a representation of the main foundations of government, including: political power (palaces), religious power (the grand mosque and monastery) and economic power (the main part of market). In the Timurid period, its semiosis criterion was modified and divided with other monuments (the Compound Building of Mozaffariyih and the Compound Building of Sāhib-Ābbād). During the Safavid period, the original context of the ark changed and the architectural elements became a virtual representation of military power. In the Qajar period, it became a symbol of national efforts and in Pahlavi period, it was a manifestation of tradition and modernity. In the period after the Islamic Revolution, the Ark has been made both recontextualization (construction of a large musallā instead of the first Il-khanate mosque in the northern part of Ark) and has found a museum and tourism function.

The present descriptive-analytical study and its findings are based on field and document studies, and examines and analyzes the tombstones of the Qajar period of Dar al-Salam Cemetery in Shiraz, and tries to study and understand the designs of the tombstones of Dar al-Salam Shiraz, their symbolic themes, and their traces of mythical and religious beliefs of each historical or cultural period. Studies on tombstones related to the Qajar era of Dar al-Salam Cemetery in Shiraz prove that these tombstones contain various designs of human, animal, plant, geometric, and inscriptions. In general, most of these motifs, while having special meanings and symbols, are influenced by the culture of the region, beliefs, and their temporal and spatial place. On the other hand, due to the predominance of nationalist thought in the Qajar period, the images of these tombstones show a continuation of the motifs of the Sassanid and Achaemenid eras, which were created with a relatively different form and content. On the other hand, due to the predominance of nationalist thought in the Qajar period, the images of these tombstones show a continuation of the motifs of the Sassanid and Achaemenid eras, which were created with a relatively different form and content.

Historical texts to narrative men of the rulers and the great men of history, often less than ordinary people, especially women, have said. In fact, women, despite being half of human society and educators of men and the next generation, have had an undeniable influence on social relations, the preservation and perpetuation of traditions, customs and even political games in historical periods. But in most cases, for cultural reasons, less mention is made of their presence in society or defined in the shadow of men. Therefore, archaeological methods and the study of cultural materials are very valuable and useful for clarifying the subject and answering the existing gaps and questions. Because archeology has been using cultural materials to rebuild communities, culture and people's roles. The present article examines the miniatures of the Tabriz school as material evidence of the Safavid period and tries to compare the image of women presented in the texts of the Safavid period with the remaining images of them in the miniatures of the Tabriz school and the contradictions and similarities between discuss the two. Here the miniatures of Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp, Khamse of Nizami and Haft Awrang of Jami showed that women in Safavid Tabriz School at the same time at least during that period, contrary to historical texts and a more active role in the community have been highlighted.

Man-made caves or troglodytic spaces are special kinds of architecture in which no materials are applied for creating the spaces and in turn they are created through decreasing the rocky mass in the ground and rock’s bed by human being. The Man-made caves or troglodytic spaces have been identified and introduced in different parts of the country so far. Maragheh County which is located in the north western part of Iran, not only owns the numerous historical monuments from different periods, but also holds a number of Troglodytic sites. According to the available evidence, exploitation of indigenous architecture based on the environmental factors in Maragheh County has long attracted the attentions of many communities in this area. Therefore based on the needs of the residents, troglodytic spaces have been created in the land and rock beds with various applications. Based on the field survey, it was found that still there have been various man-made caves or troglodytic spaces in Maragheh County which is worth considering for investigations and documentations, furthermore, the results of this study can be applied as a model for further studies of Man-made caves or troglodytic architectures in other villages located in the foothills of the Sahand Mountain. Studies show that despite the diversity and relatively large number of rocky cliff troglodytic spaces in some villages of this area, it is hard to find any complete investigations in this field. Therefore, the troglodytic spaces of this region are less known and null action has been taken to register these magnificent works in the list of national works of the country. Due to this fact, in this research, by taking the advantages of the archeological and architectural studies, an attempt has been made to introduce the troglodytic spaces of Maragheh and then describe the formation factor, the general characteristics of the spaces and the period of its use. This research seeks to answer these fundamental questions: in which field the typology and architectural classification of the troglodytic spaces in Maragheh County are classified? What are the general characteristics of Troglodytic spaces in Maragheh County? The present survey aims to study and analyze the typology and classification of the mentioned Man-made caves or troglodytic spaces. Accordingly, while identifying, introducing and explaining the characteristics of the troglodytic spaces of this region, the research has also dealt with the formation factors of these architectural spaces. Besides, implementing the field method for recording and explaining the current situation, the survey adopted documentary studies based on the descriptive - analytical method to identify the formation factor of troglodytic architecture in Maragheh County. Also the study benefited from the Geographic Information System (GIS) for identifying the distribution pattern of the Troglodytic spaces in Maragheh villages.The results demonstrate that the troglodytic works of Maragheh villages can be categorized based on morphology in superficial and sub - surface forms. Moreover, in terms of typology and classification of usability nature, they are applied for various uses including a) residential, b) ritual-religious, c) protective and d) public benefit. Many of these troglodytic spaces are now destroyed and lost their original use; simultaneously they are mostly applied as storage and livestock spaces. Research method The present research is descriptive-analytical and data collection is done by library method based on field studies. The authors hope to provide a logical and reasoned answer to the questions raised about this kind of architecture by citing the results of field research conducted at the county level and also relying on library studies on troglodytic works.

In the tombstones of the Islamic period of Iran, many forms have been used, the most important of which are cradle tombstones. The name refers to a tombstone that looks like a cradle that consists of two parts, the lower body and the upper ridge. This type of tombstone is one of the most common types of tombstones in cemeteries of the Islamic period in Iran and neighboring areas, which can be found in many cemeteries, including in the northwest, west, central Iran and other areas. Boukan city in the south of West Azarbaijan province is one of the places where, in addition to other forms of tombstones of the Islamic period of Iran, cradle-shaped tombstones, although very rare, can be found in some of its cemeteries. This research, in a descriptive-analytical and historical manner and based on field and library studies, seeks to introduce and analyze the rocky graves of the cradle type of the mentioned region and its adaptation to other examples in other cemeteries of Iran and their dating. The authors are looking for the correct answer to the following questions: 1. What is the shape of the tombstone of the cradle type and in which of the cemeteries of the Islamic period of Iran are found? 2. The tombstones of Buokan Cradle are comparable to which of the tombstones in the cemeteries of the Islamic period of Iran and belong to which historical period? 3. What are the meanings of the rock tomb cradle study? Studies show that cradle tombstones have been identified in Grdi Qabran Cemetery and Chavarchin Cemetery (tombstones in Sardar’s tomb). These tombstones, in terms of structural features and decorative motifs, are comparable to tombstones and architectural decorations of Ilkhanid buildings in other areas, especially in the region of Azerbaijan And their general form, which is similar to a cradle; It conveys meanings such as ascension, ascension to heaven, guiding the soul, peace, liberation from the mortal world, and attaining perfection.

Archeological data has always been a suitable ground to study diverse dimensions of our predecessors’ life. Some monuments are left from the  the Achaemenian Empire that were mostly tools known by political institutions as media for representing and performing their own political thoughts. One of the most important concepts elaborated by Persian political thoughts in order to be shown through artistic works was the concept of power. Excavating artistic works of this period with inscription that are considered as first-hand evidence, one can easily understand on what basis the Persian kings used to establish their dynasty and represent their power. This issue was specifically successful at the time of Dariush I, as one who was very successful in organizing and handling the society. Each political institution needs authority and legitimacy to be held firmly in terms of its statehood sustainability (Heshmatzade, 2002, 57). Besides its functionality, sometimes, power has a kind of legitimatcy by its own. Therefore, after underpinning political thoughts, a political institution tries to achieve legitimate and power, showing them in different ways. The features of remaining monuments since the Persian Empire conveys power and legitimacy because they reflect their manufacturers' thought (Kalikckan, 2006, 118), and lots of their monuments and works were mostly political than functional (Bousharla, 2010, 98). Hence the question in this research is that how the power of the Achaemenian Empire has been represented according to archeological data and inscriptions? The main hypothesis stated is that power of this dynasty used to be achieved by wealth, military power and artistic works that can be inferred from archeological data and inscriptions.

In order to study the political thoughts embedded in artistic works and inscriptions, the analytical method was used and data was collected based on library studies approach .

Ruling over different and vast lands, The Achaemenids did not get themselves limited to their subjects’ obedience. They tried to change the obedience to the faith they used to present and have their dynasty legitimized (Weber, 1947, 328). Therefore through advertising tools such as architecture, inscriptions, coins and stamps and using symbols, as well as pictograms of previous civilizations, they accepted some elaborations. Using these advertising tools, they could show the king as an authorized person, who could make his wishes come true and be considered as one with legitimates. To convey the political messages, the pictures of advertising tools were shown beyond the kingdom centrality and therefore the Persian art were shown the same in various territories. Lots of these pictures indicate the conception of power. Power makes people's political interactions distinct from their other interactions. Morgenta knows politics among nations as fighting on the way of power and according to him, true recognition of fighting for power is the key of understanding political issues. Generally, power means the ability of adopting desires in spite of others objections, of course if there exists an objection. Power is to control and stall others, but effective tools for this purpose could be variant and diverse (Alem, 2013, 88-89). In the Persian dynasty, kings gained the necessary power to control governmental organizations and military force among subjects and foreign lands via making wealth. Persian kings showed both powers in their pictograms. Setting up artistic works depended on kingdom's wealth and would cost  a heavy expenditure, made hegemony of kingdom pivotal and was an effective tool for propaganda and soft power. Propaganda and soft power are two important tools to show power and legitimacy. If these tools are successful in practice, they cause increment of power and legitimacy by themselves. The Persian kingdom that used to live within tribes before constitute their kingdom, had no pictogram or propaganda tools, and therefore they had to borrow it from other nations and manipulated them according to their political thoughts. Symbols and pictograms of Persian dynasty were adopted by near east culture wherein concepts such as soft power and propaganda had a very old background. Among the advertising media, stone-made monuments that had picture of kings, gods, writings and the commands of kings on themselves were the primary advertising tools. Attendance of flags, colorful shields, the invention of titles such as four-corners king, king of countries, putting name of kings besides names of Gods and the appearance of poems, military-epic lyrics and preaching religious motivations were of the other sample to be counted for battles and after that they were proved in artistic works of predecessors. The first work one can name for advertisements was related to subjects and people living in foreign countries so that the thoughts were designed by the mag. Nation could easily gain their goals in terms of power and legitimacy by advertising. Representing power and legitimation in artistic tools was a kind of soft power. The ultimate purpose of soft power was to gain military profit without moving army. Soft power advocated government purposes and goals affecting beliefs, emotions, dependences and behavior of the enemy. Moreover representing soft power in artistic works, acts such as economic sanctions, military threats, and diplomacy improvement in that all of which indicate the importance of the propaganda are taken for granted in field of soft power. Persians had such a valuable skill in making, distributing and advertising using pictographic tools and verbally as well (Walton, 1997, 95; Kelly, 2003, 173-175). The Persian dynasty art which was their advertising tools falls within the field of political arts and kings inscriptions falls within fields of political verbal tools. they are both a reflection of political thoughts. One of the political dimensions of political thoughts among the Persian dynasty is gaining power via wealth.

Persian dynasty artistic works are definitely the media that obliviously show different dimensions of political thoughts of their manufacturers. In order to represent and perform political thoughts and the authority upon which society could be established, the Persian dynasty used to benefit from the artistic media. Lots of artistic works of the Persian kingdom mostly indicate the political dimension because of the kind of functional dimension they had. Because Persian kings ought to distribute their political thoughts throughout their kingdom territories via different methods and tools to increase provision of their power and legitimacy, their political methods and whatever was optimizing for their subjects. Therefore artistic works and inscriptions in the ancient world let the political institutions to depict what was in line with their goals on these woks. These works provided a suitable ground to analyze different dimensions of political thoughts, so that one can see in these works that basis of kings power made because of the civil taxes, military force and building palaces are analyzed through these inscriptions. Power was a necessary condition for Persian kings and reflected the existence of a well-done and mature authority of Persian kings. Because of the geographical situation of Iran, taxes had a high position as the necessary wealth for kings to handle their vast territory could be achieved and annexing a new land to the territory of the Persian kingdom was pronounced as an increment of wealth. Darioush I elaborated on unifying different scales, minting to sustain money value, help the establishment of a dynamic economy and preventing burglary on roads as well as building roads through these taxes and his announcement of receiving taxes could be seen repeatedly within inscriptions and also acknowledge it as a basis for kings’ power. The Persian army was the main factor in providing routes and cities' immunity and territory expansion as well. Due to the Iran's geographical situation that was a pass way for different tribes and a connecting way between the ancient east to the west, the military force had a valuable position in the culture of Iranians. Artistic works to which the Persian dynasty used to spend lots of money indicated the superiority and dominance of Persian kings over other rulers of governmental cities. As a matter of fact, Persian kings changed wealth into the artistic works, which were a symbol of wealth themselves and were also considered to be a kind of utopia, gave a holy aspect to the king's character and let them provide their legitimacy in this way. However, the Persian dynasty borrowed other nation’s media to represent their political thoughts, but they purified them alongside their political thoughts to handle their vast kingdom territory pertaining flamboyant tribes, and they were so successful in this respect that presented political thoughts were imitated by rulers of other government cities. So, sometimes Persian architecture was adopted regardless of the specific climate of a region. Therefore, Persian political thoughts provided their political purposes within Persian dynasty and other regions as well. 

Castle monuments are one of the settlement types whose location, formation and space distribution are strongly influenced by natural factors and communicational factors. The present study, using field and documentary data and using the Geographic Information System (GIS) and Hierarchical Analysis Process (AHP), seeks to investigate the correlation between natural factors and castle settlements in Ardabil province and ranking of natural factors influencing the spatial distribution of these settlements. Based on the data obtained from field and documentary studies, 100 castles from different prehistoric, historical and Islamic periods in the geographical area of Ardabil province, which constitute the materials and statistical population of this study, were identified and studied. To analyze the data, after compiling the database, the distribution of identified castle settlements in relation to the variables of distance from the river, land shape, elevation, slope, aspect, climate, Land use/ vegetation and soil type were studied and measured. The results of the research indicate that natural factors have played a significant role in spatial distribution, determining the type of function and the importance of castle settlements in Ardabil province. The correlation analysis between natural factors and spatial distribution of the province’s castle settlements shows that the land shape (plain and mountainous), the distance from the river and the elevation have had the greatest impact on the amount and pattern of castle distribution. Other variables, namely slope, aspect, climate, Land use/ vegetation and soil type, have also been important and effective in the spatial distribution of these castles, respectively.

Khoy Plain has attracted various tribes in terms of geographical conditions and suitable environmental capacities over the course of thousands of years, and has been the basis for establishing human settlements in different periods. The pattern of dispersion of the areas identified in this mid-range plain in the Bronze Age reveals the emergence and existence of a large center called “Dozdqi”, which in this period becomes a very important center. Dozdaqi with a height of 1200 meters above sea level is an area with more than 16 hectares and 24 meters above the surface of the surrounding area, the highest prehistoric area of the plain, which is located along the permanent river of Ghodvokh Boghan and the springs and wetlands. The existence of a salt mine as an export commodity in this area, as well as obsidian artefacts (imported goods) in 7 different colors. The percentage of the volume of distribution of pottery on the surface of the site indicates that the period of dynamism and flourishing of the site was in the Bronze Age, and it seems that during this period and for the first time in Khoy plain, there could be an over-the-center Of the 16 hectares.The existence of such a center is likely to be in the context of trans-regional trade. In this research, 20 samples of the Bronze Age pottery sherds were collected from the surface survey and speculation to determine the area and privacy of the study area and typology.

The Bronze Period is one of the least known periods in the prehistoric era of Iranian Plateau because of the presence of different cultures and the lack of systematic archeological research. One of the cultures attributed to this period is the Yanik Culture which was expanded in a vast area ranging from the northwest, west, and central parts of Iranian Plateau in the late 4th millennium BC to the late 3rd millennium BC. However, no detailed reports have been presented for this culture and its rise and fall inside the Iranian Plateau yet. Archeological investigations have confirmed the existence of such a culture in the central and western areas of the Iranian Plateau and the Central Zagros. During the archeological investigation from 2007 to 2008 in the west part of Markazi Province, nine large settlement areas related to the Yanik Culture were identified in the Qara-Chai Riverside. The vast area and high elevation of them (particularly the Aq Tappeh and the Sarsakhti Hill) can indicate the existence of settlement layers and dense architecture of this period. On the other hand, the investigation of the settlement areas’ location shows that, out of nine studied areas, three hills are located along the Qara-Chai River, at an altitude of 1700 m above sea level, and the other six along the catchments area of Qara-Chai, at an altitude of 2,100 m above sea level. The present study aims to explain the status of the Yanik Culture in the west part of Markazi Province as one of the connecting points of cultures at the center of Iranian Plateau with those in Central Zagros as well as investigating and analyzing the significance of settlements related to this period.

The emergence of human settlements has always been based on natural factors, such as Proper water and soil. In the past, castle settlements as one of the centers of human collective life were affected by numerous natural variables such as distance from the river, the shape of the land, elevation, slope, aspect, climate, soil type and vegetation. In this regard, the present study, based on field and documentary data and using the WIKOR model, seeks to evaluate and ranking of natural factors affecting the distribution of castle settlements in Ardebil province. Based on data from field and documentary studies, 100 castle settlements were identified in the geographical range of Ardabil province, which constitute the statistical community of this study. The findings of the data analysis in the framework of the VIKOR model show that the elevation, distance from the river and the shape of the land (plain and mountainous) have the greatest impact on the spatial distribution of the castle settlements of Ardabil province.

The Sassanid empire has provided political thought, according to the geopolitical and geopolitical status, which its interests were gained. In the present study the raised issues are that how and on what basis did the Sassanid Imperial organize politic geography of Iran plateau from 224 AD to 420 AD? And what was the effect of this space organization on their political thought? It is assumed that Sassanid Kings, after attaining to hegemony in different regions, divided geography of space according to Iran geographical diversity and its geopolitical situation compared to surrounding areas, and provided necessary political thought in order to maintain this political space and influence in different regions. In terms of the methodology, bibliographical method was used for data collecting, and the method of data analysis was content analysis and historical. The resultant data shows that the course of the geography of Iran plateau was not integrate in the first Ardeshir period and was very disorganized, so it can't be said that there was a concentrating in this period. With the development of the territory in the course of the first Shapoor, the geographic scope was split based on the three geographic layer, included divergent and convergent zones included (Iranshahr) and areas outside of Iran three geographic layers, namely Aniran, and the concept of negligible political thought was presented. From 273 AD, with the loss of areas of Iranian geographical scope, the hegemony of previous Kings became also fruitless.

Introduction Armenia has attracted the attention of many different nations because of its geopolitical situation, that's why this country with its strategic location has been epicenter of the wars in Iran and Rome in the Parthian era. Finally, during of the Sassanid period conflicts had been ended with dividing of Armenia between the two great powers. Roman army failed repeatedly in the face of Parthians guerrilla forces in Mesopotamian plains and finally used the natural geography campaign to Iran. For this purpose, that roman army chose Armenia to march into Iran, Parthian government built a string of defensive fortifications to confronting with their intermittent attacks at the entrance of road to the Iranian plateau in north western.
Methodology In this research, used analytical and descriptive approach based on field and library study, historical written sources and archaeological data which includes Parthian fortresses of the northwest to the study of communication and conflicts between powerful nations during the Parthian period.
Results and Discussion In our survey in Meshkin Shahr we recognized 8 fortresses in this period that built to defensing of roman and Armenian attack to Iran. It seems that in the beginning of wares in the Orod one time and failing of roman from Parthian in Horan ware, roman understood that he did not conquered to Parthian in plains because of the power and mobility of Parthian cavalry. In the fourth Farhad, roman under the leader ship of Mark Anthony attacked to Iran from north western and blockade Fraspa (The center of Atropathen). This study also recognizes the relationship between the two empires mentioned above and consequently has attended political and military geographical knowledge of Armenia.
Conclusion The results showed important geopolitical situation of Armenia in the Iranian military and political relations with neighboring and competitors countries.