The Study of Shahrizor in the Sassanid Period; based on Historical Sources and Archaeological Documents

Authors

1 PhD in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Abhar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abhar, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Archeology , Abhar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abhar, Iran

Abstract

Abstract
Shahrizor is a vast plain in the eastern part of Iraqi Kurdistan, located near the western borders of Iran, which had a good deal of importance during the Sassanian period because of its location in the middle of the road from the Sassanian capital of Ctesiphon to the famous fire temple of Azar Goshnasb in Shiz) present-day Takht-e Soleiman). The name of this place has been mentioned in the Sassanid contemporary sources, including the important inscription of Narseh in Paikuli, as well as the book of Karnameh-ye Ardeshir-e Babakan and Syriac texts. According to the bilingual inscription (Pahlavi and Parthian) of the Paikuli Tower, this place was called “Syārazūr” during the Sassanid period and was one of the areas whose inhabitants were present at the celebration of the Narseh victory in Paikuli. Despite the importance of this region in the studies of the Sassanid period, so far little attention has been paid to it, especially by Iranian researchers. This research, based on library studies, has studied Shahrizor in the Sassanid period based on historical sources and the results of the archaeological excavations. For this purpose, assuming that the Shahrizor plain was important during the Sassanian period due to various political, economic and religious aspects, we answer the questions about the reasons for the importance of this place, its appearance in the Sassanian period, and the location of its main settlement based on the historical texts and archaeological results of surveys and excavations. Some of the natural and geographical features of the Shahrizor plain are its average height (about 500-600 m above sea level), fertile soil and access to important water-rich rivers such as Tanjero, Little Zab and Sirwan, as well as numerous permanent springs. Based on the results of the archeological surveys and excavations, Bestansur, Gerd-i Kazhaw and Gird-I Qalrakh are the important sites of the Shahrizor plain which have an archaeological layer of Sasanian settlement. In addition, the site of Yasin tepe has been introduced as the main candidate for the Sassanid and early Islamic city of Shahrizor due to its large size. However, the site of Gird-I Qalrakh, which, according to the results of the excavations, has significant data from this period, can also be one of the proposed options for the main settlement of Shahrizor. 
Keywords: Iraqi Kurdistan, Shahrizor, Sasanian Period, Syārazūr.
 
Introduction
In some contemporary Sasanian sources, there are mentions of Shahrizor. For example, in the book of Karnameh-ye Ardeshir-e Babakan, which has been written in the HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Persian “Middle Persian language, it is mentioned the allegiance of “Yazdankert Shahrizori”, the ruler of Shahrizor with HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardashir_I”Ardashir I (180–242 AD), the founder of the HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasanian_Empire” Sasanian Empire (Farawashi, 1354: 55). Also, in the Syriac texts of the fifth century AD, contemporaneous with the Sassanid period, have been mentioned the efforts of a Christian monk named Sāḇā Gūšnazdād to change the religion of a group of Kurds in Shahrizor and build churches in this area (Potts, et al. 2018: 124). The most important Sasanian inscription in which Shahrizor is mentioned as Syārazūr is the monumental inscription of Narseh in Paikuli. 
However, most of the historical information about the Shahrizor comes from the historical and geographical books of the early Islamic period, such as those by Ibn Khordadbeh, Ibn Rustah, Balazeri, Ibn Faqih etc. For example, most Islamic sources attribute the construction of Shahrizor to the Sassanian king Peroz I (459-484) (Ibn Faqih, 1379: 12; Mostofi, 1362: 108; Badlisi, 1377: 477). In addition, the mentioned sources also refer to the massacre of the Zoroastrian Hirbods of Shahrizor after the conquest of the city by the Muslim Arabs (Hamawi, 1380: 49). This indicates that the city was a center for Zoroastrian priests and their religious activities in the late Sassanid period. According to Muslim geographers, this place was also called Nimrah, because it was located halfway from HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mada%27in”al-Mada’in (Ctesiphon) to the fire temple of Azar Goshnasb (Shiz, present-day Takht-e Soleiman) (Ibn Rustah, 1892: 164; Ibn Khordadbeh, 1889: 24; Mostofi, 1362: 107) and on the east-west route, it was located on the way from Hamedan to Mosul and Erbil. It was customary for every Sassanid king who came to the throne to cross this way on foot to reach the great fire temple of Shiz for Pilgrimage.
Some other information about Shahrizor comes from the Islamic texts, including its distance from other cities in the region of Jibal (mountains), climatic and anthropological features, etc.
 
Archaeological evidence
 The remains of the Sassanid settlements have been discovered at eight sites of the Shahrizor plain, including Gerd-i Kazhaw (Tamm et al. 2018), Bestansur (Cooper and Welton, 2019: 11; Mudd, 2016: 44), SSP 4 (Altaweel et al., 2012: 27), SSP 5 (Altaweel et al., 2012: 27), Tell Begum (Nieuwenhuyse, 2016: 120), Gird-I Qalrakh (Wicke, 2020: 463-78), Sutik Tape (Altaweel et al., 2012: 27), and Bakr Awa (Miglus et al., 2013: 67&73; Miglus, 2016: 237; APKRI, 2015: 7). 
Gerd-i Kazhaw is a relatively small site, from which have been discovered the remains of defensive architecture, a columned building and artifacts and objects of the Sassanid period, including stamped pottery and a coin of the Sasanian king Kavad I (488 to 531) (Tamm et al., 2018). Although the importance of Bestansur is mainly due to its Neolithic settlement, a small stone structure from the Sassanid period has been discovered at this site (Cooper and Welton, 2019: 11; Mudd, 2016: 44). 
According to the Geomagnetic Survey, Gird-I Qalrakh is an ancient-walled city with an area of about 15 hectares. An interesting structure from the Sassanid period has been excavated at this site, where 13 loom weights were discovered made of secondarily baked clay. Also, one worn stamp-seal and sixteen rather fragmentary stamp seal impressions have been discovered in this room, some of them bear impressions of textile on one surface, which probably indicates that these might have originally been attached to bundles of cloth. The excavator believes that the remains of a textile workshop along with the effect of stamp seals for goods in Gird-I Qalrakh suggests textile production on a larger, non-domestic scale, which was not expected at such a small site like Gird-I Qalrakh (Wicke, 2020: 463-78). Evidence of the Sassanid period from the site of Bakr Awa is limited to a few pottery fragments discovered form trenches that do not have any associated settlement layers (Miglus et al., 2013: 67&73; Miglus, 2016: 237; APKRI, 2015: 7). Only Sassanid pottery has been identified from the sites of SSP4, SSP5, Tell Begum and Sutik Tape.
 
Conclusion
The political, religious and economic importance of Shahrizor in the Sasanian era can be traced both through inscriptions and historical texts and through the quantity and quality of its archaeological evidence, including ancient sites, which generally indicate the importance of Shahrizor during this period. Some important excavated sites in the Shahrizor plain, such as Gerd-i Kazhaw and Gird-I Qalrakh, have layers older than the Sassanian period, especially from the Neo-Assyrian period, which indicates that these sites were not newly founded Sassanian cities. This is contrary to the statement in those Islamic texts that attributed the building of Shahrizor to the Sassanian king Kavad. In the case of the large mound of Yasin Tepe, which is thought to be the Sassanid city of Shahrizor, we should wait for the results of future excavations. In general, Shahrizor, as an important regional center, still has many unspoken stories from the Sasanian period that need more attention. 

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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pazhoheshha-ye Bastan shenasi Iran
Volume 13, Issue 38
December 2023
Pages 69-94

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