The Monument of Sorkhah-Dīzah of Nāwdār: The Huge Iwan of Mādhruestān along the Great Khorasan Road

From the third to the seventh century AH, Islamic geographers have mentioned a toponym with similar names such as Mādhruestān, Mādhrustān, and Māīdhruestān, all of which point to a place or area along the Great Khorasan Road. So far, researchers have suggested different options for the location of Mādhrustān, including Taq-e Gara, Qaleh-i Yazdgird, Sorkhah-Dizah, the route of Gilan-e Gharb and the plain of Eywan-e Gharb. The present research seeks to find out which area or ancient site can possibly conform to the toponym of Mādhrustān. The authors, based on some historical and geographical clues supported by archaeological and linguistic documents, demonstrate the conformity of Mādhruestān with the forested area of ​​“Nāwdār” in the county of Dālāhū. Moreover, the authors believe that the name “Mādhrustān” is probably rooted in the name “Media,” or as its modern name (Nāwdār = among the forest), is rooted in the most important natural feature of the mentioned area, i.e. the dense cover of the Māzū (oak) forest covering the entire area. The authors believe that the Nāwdār Palace, which is attributed to Bahram Gūr in Islamic texts, corresponds to the current Sorkhah Dizah monument which is located in the middle of the Nāwdār region. The authors believe that the name Sorkhah Dizah (red fort) probably refers to ancient Iranian stories such as those found in the book Haft Peykar according to which Bahram Gūr errected a red palace for one of his wives.