Archaeological Research and Study of Fuqqāʿa Jar According to the Findings Discovered in Shahr-e Rey (Typology, Chronology, Production Process and Technology, etc.)

One of the common forms of pottery in the Islamic world is a pottery vessel called “Fuqqāʿa”, which has many ambiguities in terms of form, technique, use, chronology and geographical scope. The present research has been conducted according to the data obtained from the archaeological excavation of Babak Street in the city of Rey, as well as the scattered Fuqqāʿa evidence and data from the previous excavations of Shahr-e Rey, especially the remains of the Fuqqāʿa kiln in Deilaman district of Shahr-e Rey, as the only and the most important evidence of the existence of a Fuqqāʿa kiln in Iran. The careful study and identification of this pottery and its characteristics are among the most important objectives of this research. The current study seeks to answer several questions: 1- At what point in time did the Fuqqāʿa jar become popular in Iran and the Islamic world, and when did its use become obsolete? 2- What has been the exact use of this jar, and typologically, to how many categories is this type of jar divided? 3- Where is the origin of Fuqqāʿa jar based on the existing archaeological evidence? According to archeological evidence, the Fuqqāʿa jar has been popular since the first Islamic centuries until the end of the eighth century AH. Different researchers have mentioned various uses for this jar over the years, indicating that this type of jar may have been used for different purposes according to two factor: time and the geographical area. The results of the study show that since Fuqqāʿa has been obtained from residential and domestic areas, this jar may have been applied for domestic uses. Its body decorations and the very narrow opening indicate the preservation of special materials in it. According to the form, shape and body decorations, Fuqqāʿa jar is divided into three types: the early Fuqqāʿa (from the early Islamic centuries to the end of the third century AH); the middle Fuqqāʿa (from the 4th to the 6th century AH); and the later Fuqqāʿa (7th and the 8th centuries AH). In Iran, this jar has been obtained from important cities such as Rey, Nishabur, Susa, Jiroft, Takht-e Soleiman, Jorjan, Soltanieh and Ojan (Bostanabad) and outside Iran from regions such as Fustat, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Sidon, Damascus, Baalbek, Tripoli, Homs, Raqqa, Tbilisi, Samarra, Merv, Balkh, Lashkari Bazaar, Ghazni, Samarkand, Khojand and Tashkent. Archaeological excavations on Deilaman Street in Rey have revealed the architectural remains of two kilns that the existence of evidence such as Fuqqāʿa jars and furnace welding suggest the mass production of this type of jar in Rey region. .
Keywords: Fuqqāʿa Jar, Production Centers, Typology, Use, Chronology, Archaeological Excavation, Shahr-e Rey.
 
Introduction
The Fuqqāʿa Jar, known by various names such as the heavy bergamot-shaped and sometimes spherical-conical jar, has a heavy, bergamot-shaped structure with a narrow mouth and a prominent body. Researchers have expressed different views on the uses of Fuqqāʿa Jar. Some comments can be accepted or rejected depending on the reasons and documents. Some have argued that these containers were used for storing wine, which is mostly based on historical texts, some inscriptions on the body of this container, and the poems of poets. Due to the shape of this very narrow jar, the possibility of using them for drinking wine seems to be ruled out to some extent. Also, in some Fuqqāʿa Jars, the inner sides are porous and have adsorption properties, preventing the retention of liquid materials in it. Also, the narrow and thin mouth of the container makes it difficult to keep wine inside it. Other scholars refer to this container as a hand grenade or a Greek fire, based on its resemblance to new grenades. But this type of use for Fuqqāʿa Jar also had its own criticisms; one of the most important criticisms of this theory is the existence of decorations on the jar body. Because why a container created for explosion, should have such decorations?
 
Identified Traces
Another use suggested for Fuqqāʿa Jar is ventilators or fire blowers. According to some researchers, due to the fact that this object was found in domestic areas, it may have been used for domestic uses, but there are also reasons to reject this hypothesis; the narrow mouth of these containers prevents them from being filled with water or flammable liquid. Moreover, the decoration of the body of this jar rejects its use for inside the fire. One of the most important hypotheses for the use of Fuqqāʿa Jar is the storage of drugs and mercury. This theory is based on elemental analysis. One of the significant doubts to prove this use is that this jar was not seen in any of the old mercury mines. Various other theories have been proposed for the use of this jar based on iconography in contemporary periods, including perfume containers, water pipes (hookah), clubs, oil containers and storage of sanitary powders. .
 
Conclusion
Generally, Fuqa jar, as one of the most controversial examples of pottery in the Islamic era, has always had ambiguities regarding its use, typology, chronology, its important production centers and production kilns. According to the samples studied here, the main feature of this jar form is a very narrow mouth and spherical and conical body. Different researchers have proposed different uses for this jar over the years, which seems to have been used with different applications due to two factors of time and geographical area. Despite different theories mentioned for the use of this jar, reasons to accept and reject them have also been proposed. However, apparently this jar has been used for domestic purposes since it has been obtained from residential and domestic areas. Also, the body decorations and its very narrow mouth indicate the storage of special materials like perfume, mercury, etc. Fuqqāʿa Jar has been obtained from most important sites and ancient cities of the Seljuk and Ilkhanid periods. In Iran, this jar is obtained from important cities such as Rey, Neishabour, Susa, Jiroft, Takht-e Soleiman, Jorjan, Soltanieh and Ojan (Bostanabad) and in cities outside Iran like Fustat, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Sidon, Damascus, Baalbek, Tripoli, Homs, Raqqa, Tbilisi, Samarra, Merv, Balkh, Lashkari Bazaar, Ghazni, Samarkand, Khujand and Tashkent. Additionally, based on its distribution in ancient sites, Fuqqāʿa has been used from the early Islamic centuries to the eighth century AH. In this research, based on form, shape and the body decorations, a typology is proposed for this jar; early Fuqqāʿa (early Islamic centuries until the end of the third century AH), middle Fuqqāʿa (fourth to sixth centuries AH) and late Fuqqāʿa (seventh and eighth centuries AH). The study of poems related to Fuqqāʿa Jar also indicates the use of this jar by poets from the third century to the eighth century AH.
One of the remarkable issues about the Fuqa jar is its production kiln. In this research, the only Fuqa kiln in Iran is studied for the first time. It seems that in the Fuqa production kiln, more heat was given to it than other types of pottery. In fact, the jar is so strong that if it falls to the ground, it is very unlikely to break. According to historical texts, Rey and Kermanshah are important centers for the production of Fuqqāʿa in Iran. However, archaeological evidence and data obtained in Deylaman Street of Rey city (1991), revealed remains of the architecture of two kilns, which according to the plan and archaeological data, including the Fuqqāʿa Jar and Kiln welding, indicate the mass production of this jar in Rey. Furthermore, other important archeological evidence in Rey suggests the importance of Fuqqāʿa Jar in this region, especially in the Seljuk period.