An Analysis of the Historical and Islamic Settlment Patterns of West Edge of Lut Desert

Authors

1 Tabriz Islamic Art University

2 Dept of Archaeology, University of Tehran

10.22084/nb.2023.27969.2601

Abstract

Archaeologically, the west of Lut desert is well-known in Southwest Asia because of the existence of an early urban center (Shahdad) dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. The western Lut desert provides a unique opportunity for studying the impact of desert environmental variables on settlement patterns. In early 2012, an intensive two-month field survey was carried out on the west edge of Lut Desert (Dasht-e Lut) by one of the writers (NE). This paper deals with the late antiquity and Islamic of the Lut area. The survey area lies immediately at the eastern foot of the Kerman Range Mountains which runs roughly north-west to south-east along western edge of Lut desert. The survey was planned in the hope of providing answers to, or at least evidence pertaining to, some regional questions. The survey aims have been devised to address clear gaps in the archaeology of Shahdad area. Our main objectives were to identify the settlement patterns of the region through the ancient times, investigate the human-environment interactions and settlement developments. During the Lut survey project eighty-seven ancient sites were identified, the earliest dates to the fifth millennium BC the latest to the late Islamic era. Of the recorded sites, 72 sites belong to the historical to late Islamic periods. The identified sites are dispensed in different environmental zones across the survey area, from desert district to alluvial plain, piedmont and mountainous zones, but the majority of settlements were identified within the alluvial central Shahdad plain where the distance between Kerman Range Mountains and Lut desert is in its largest width. Overall, the western edge of Lut desert demonstrated that the area is one of the considerable interest, particularly in the prehistoric periods. This paper will present the identified sites related to Historical and Islamic periods. Also, their spatial pattern will be disscueed in the desert context of the Lut area.

Keywords

Main Subjects

pazhoheshha-ye Bastan shenasi Iran

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 November 2023

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