Sassanid Period Gypsum Baking Workshop, Discovered from Barzqualeh Site of Lorestan

Gypsum is one of the oldest materials that has been used in Iran from about 14,000 years ago until today. In the Sassanid era, the extensive use of gypsum in the construction and decoration of buildings and the production of various artifacts is a prominent feature. Despite the great evidence of the use of gypsum in different periods and extensive research on Sassanid tore, no scientific and archaeological evidence has been reported from the workshop units related to gypsum baking and processing until 1393 AH. In the spring of 2014, from the excavation of the Sassanid site of Barzqualeh in Lorestan, a workshop unit was discovered, and evidence showed its function as a kiln for baking gypsum. The importance of this finding as the first known example of such a workshop in Iran and the Sassanid era caused it to be addressed in this article. The main purpose of this study is to describe the process of discovery and introduction of the workshop, inform researchers, and compensate for the lack of information about this type of workshop. The most important research questions include: 1- Where are the gypsum baking workshops set up in the Barzqualeh area? 2- What variables were effective in choosing the place and form of their construction? 3- What patterns and components are included? The hypotheses were that due to the environmental conditions and its gypsum formation in the northern and northwestern parts of the city, it was possible that there were gypsum baking workshops in these parts. Variables such as frequency, ease of access, and proximity of mines to the city, constant water flow, the presence of inter-valley terraces, sufficient fuel, wind flow in the valleys were effective in choosing the construction site. Their construction plan is probably circular or multifaceted and has a firebox, ventilator, and raw material loading site. The present study is a descriptive-analytical method and is based on the results of archaeological surveys and theoretical studies.