Recognizing the communication road between Shapurkhashat (Khorramabad) and Khuzestan in the Islamic period by relying on archaeological evidence

The particular communication position of Lorestan province in the west of Iran has caused important and busy communication routes to pass through it in different periods; one of the important roads that passed through Lorestan during the Islamic era was the road between Khuzestan and Hamadan. This road became very prosperous during the Islamic era and became the main route connecting Khuzestan with the west and the center of the Iranian plateau. Since this communication route has not been the focus of independent research so far, there is no detailed information about the number and quality of archaeological works and evidence. This lack has provided the necessity of conducting independent research in order to identify and introduce this communication route and its archaeological evidence. The present research poses two questions: 1- What archeological evidence has remained from this road between Shapurkhasat and Khuzestan in the Islamic era, and which region of Lorestan did this road pass through? 2- What was the development process of this road in the Islamic era and what changes occurred during this era? The approach of the research is historical and the findings were obtained by field works and library studies. The evaluation of archaeological evidence and reports of historical texts show that the communication route between Shapurkhashat and Khuzestan in the Islamic era passed through the Balagriveh region located in the middle part of Lorestan and through the area known as Nomkoh/Miankoh. Along this road, a series of architectural works including a castle, bridge, caravanserai, tomb, settlement areas, and a mill were identified. The evidence shows that this road follows a historical pattern and corresponds to an ancient route whose changes and displacements were minor in the Islamic era and its stations were used with minimal changes until the modern era. were used with minimal changes until the modern era. were used with minimal changes until the modern era. were used with minimal changes .