Journal of Archaeological Studies

Archaeological Studies on Sgraffito-Type Pottery Production Workshops in Iran (9th–14th Centuries AD): Insights from Archaeological Excavations at the Aghche Rish Site, Northwest Iran

mehdi kazempour; Yadolah Heydari Baba Kamal

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 31 August 2025

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2025.399060.143365

Abstract

For several centuries (9th to 14th AD), Sgraffito-type pottery was widely distributed across a vast region, including Iran, the Caucasus, Anatolia, Eastern Europe, and Transoxiana. ... Read More For several centuries (9th to 14th AD), Sgraffito-type pottery was widely distributed across a vast region, including Iran, the Caucasus, Anatolia, Eastern Europe, and Transoxiana. Based on the typological studies of Grube and Allen, this pottery tradition is classified into five main groups—Simple Sgraffito, Splashed Glazed Sgraffito, Champlevé/Garrus, Agh Kand, and Amol—each named after geographic locations in Iran where examples were first identified. Despite this established classification, our knowledge of the actual production contexts—workshops, kilns, tools, and technological processes—remained speculative, relying mainly on unverified accounts from antique dealers. No systematic archaeological investigations of production sites had previously been undertaken. These gaps raise significant research questions: How did Sgraffito pottery technology develop over a span of five centuries? Which styles represent earlier phases, and which embody the latest technical innovations? To address these questions, I initiated fieldwork in 2015 in the southern part of northwest Iran, a region historically rich in ceramic traditions. Surveys identified more than 20 sites containing substantial Sgraffito pottery remains. Among them, the site of Aghche Rish was selected for excavation, marking the first archaeological project in Iran devoted specifically to uncovering Sgraffito pottery production workshops. Excavations revealed a complex dating from the 9th to 14th centuries AD. Finds included multiple pottery kilns, extensive quantities of Garrus and Agh Kand wares , residential structures, workshop buildings, kiln-support tools such as bars and tripods, glass bracelets, 10th-century coins, tombs, and a historical cemetery. The presence of both domestic and industrial features provides valuable insight into the organization of pottery production and the daily lives of the craftspeople. This article first examines the workshop activities at Aghche Rish, offering rare archaeological evidence of Sgraffito production in Iran, and then presents a detailed typological analysis of the pottery assemblage, contributing to a deeper understanding of its technological and chronological development.

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Study of the 14th to 17th Centuries Azerbaijan Museum Gravestones Ornaments Based on Analytical Semiotic Approach

mehdi kazempour

Volume 13, Issue 3 , September 2021, , Pages 211-239

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2019.278962.142699

Abstract

TheAzerbaijan Museum has historical artworks from the pre-Islamic to Islamic periods. One of the most important parts of this museum is an open-air section, where a large number of ... Read More TheAzerbaijan Museum has historical artworks from the pre-Islamic to Islamic periods. One of the most important parts of this museum is an open-air section, where a large number of Gravestones, were collected and transported to this place from cemeteries around the city (Tabriz), as well as various East Azerbaijan cities cemeteries. Collecting of gravestones from different parts, has created a very rich collection of gravestones in this museum, which has provided a very good opportunity for studying East Azerbaijan gravestones in the Islamic periods. Now, in this research, we have tried to classify the gravestones ornaments types in the first stage by systematic research and collecting information by fieldwork and library methods, and afterward in the next step we will analyze the gravestones ornaments by symbolism approach. This research, which is of descriptive-analytical type, aims to answer the following questions: What are the symbolic meanings of the Azerbaijan Museum gravestones ornaments? What are the main features of the decorations of this gravestones and what motifs have been used the most? Based on this study, it was determined that the motifs ornaments in the Azerbaijan Museum gravestones (which are related to 14th to 17th century) are divided into four categories: palnet, geometric, Altar and inscription motifs that has direct relationship with religious beliefs of decided. Among these motifs inscription motifs are used mostly, basically poems and verses that shows mortality people initiation to the world. According to their religious beliefs, these people consider this world to be mortal and have tried to warn others about this mortality. Accordingly, they have been careful enough in choosing the theme, in choosing the poems, and in choosing the verses of the Qur'an. This has led to a harmony between the themes. Among the plant motifs on the Azerbaijan Museum gravestones, Khatai and Arabesque, and among the geometric patterns, circle are used mostly.

The Recognition of Timurid Architectural Decorations on the Basis of Kamal Al-Din Bihzad Miniature Paintings

mehdi kazempour; mehdi mohammadzadeh; raziye heydari

Volume 10, Issue 2 , January 2019, , Pages 239-258

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2019.68543

Abstract

Visual evidences are considered to be the most important documents in history and especially in the history of Iranian architecture. There are different types of painting that they ... Read More

Large stone graves of Azerbaijan, according to new result of Zrdkhaneh study

Mehdi Kazempour; Behrouz Omrani; Reza Rezaloo

Volume 4, Issue 1 , July 2012, , Pages 155-174

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2012.35380

Abstract

The most important characteristics of the occupants of the second millennium BC in northern Iran and its adjacent regions such as the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Azerbaijan ... Read More

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Author = Kazempour, Mehdi

Archaeological Studies on Sgraffito-Type Pottery Production Workshops in Iran (9th–14th Centuries AD): Insights from Archaeological Excavations at the Aghche Rish Site, Northwest Iran

Abstract

Study of the 14th to 17th Centuries Azerbaijan Museum Gravestones Ornaments Based on Analytical Semiotic Approach

Abstract

The Recognition of Timurid Architectural Decorations on the Basis of Kamal Al-Din Bihzad Miniature Paintings

Abstract

Large stone graves of Azerbaijan, according to new result of Zrdkhaneh study

Abstract