Authors
1
Ph.D. Student of Pre- Islamic Iran History, Department of History, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.
2
Associate Professor, Department of History, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran,
3
Associate Professor, Department of History, Ph.D. in Ancient History, Languages and Civilizations at the University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
10.22084/nb.2023.25730.2450
Abstract
The Sasanian emperors were dependent on consistent financial resources to control their abroad territory, that one way was the construction of water structures and the development of agriculture. The Āsōristān state was a susceptible region to realize Sasanian expansionist plans through the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Sasanian rulers called the southern region of Āsōristān as Iranshahr’s heart for being a land with the fertility and population density. The state rich arable lands provided with sufficient water resources and the Sasanian irrigation policies made the agriculture affluent in the region. Both building new cities and developing water structures in this state resulted in the increased population and the developed arable land, with consequent increased state tax revenues. On the other hand, constructed water structures required special supervision and maintenance through manpower. Although the state had invested highly in irrigation plans, these structures trended to destruct without maintenance, and the involvement of Iranians in wars and lack of their reconstruction resulted in the developed wetlands. The economic prosperity, military power of the Sasanian were aligned in an interconnected cycle and the decline of just one of them could result in the fall of this imperial system. Through library resources and descriptive-analytical method, this study intends to find out what was the association between the function of Āsōristān water structures and the Arab conquest. On the basis of historical information, The study findings showed that after the reign of Khosrow Parviz, the involvement of Iranians in civil wars, together with the lack of maintenance and reconstruction of water structures, have caused the development of wetlands in Āsōristān and the destruction of important agricultural regions by huge floods. The Āsōristān state, once being the highest tax revenue holder for the Sasanian, fell into decline. The economic prosperity correlated with the military power of the Sasanian forces involved in the decline of one aspect interrelated to the collapse of another aspect.
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