Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Ali Asqar Mahmoodi Nasab ¹
• Mohsen Dana ²

¹ Lecturer, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Art, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran (Corresponding Author).

² Expert, General Directorate of Museums, Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Abstract
Despite the destruction of sites over the past few decades, development activities, including dam construction, have created opportunities for exploring ancient sites. Among the dams where a large number of sites were explored within the catchment area is the Chamshir Dam in Gachsaran County, located in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province. Within the dam’s catchment area, according to surveys and excavations conducted in the years 2020 and 2022, many sites related to the pre- and post-Islamic eras have been identified. One of these valuable sites, which was excavated during the salvage excavation of 2022, along with seventeen other sites, is site number 33. Although there was not enough time to present the research plan and conduct a targeted exploration of the site, it was nevertheless determined during the survey and excavation, and based on the architectural and cultural remains, that this site was used as a temporary settlement by the nomads of the region during the early Islamic centuries until the Pahlavi period. At the end of the archaeological activity in this area, a rural context including houses, a mosque, a cemetery, and a single building of unknown use was discovered, excavated, and documented. All the architectural structures of this rural context were made of local materials, rubble, and rubble stone. This activity yielded a large number of pottery, several pieces of glass, and a very worn and illegible coin. It seems that this village was used seasonally. The purpose of exploring this site, in addition to rescue activities, is to identify and document the architectural spaces of this site and analyze the data obtained. The present article is based on a descriptive-analytical method and its data was collected through fieldwork and the study of library resources.
Keywords: Rescue Excavation, Chamshir Dam, Site No. 33, Architecture, Cemetery, Pottery.
 
1. Introduction
Site No. 33 (at longitude 490391, latitude 3333475, and altitude 544 meters above sea level) is located in the southeast of the Zagros Mountains in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Gachsaran County, in the central part and Bibi Hakimeh Rural District of this county. The vegetation surrounding the area is grassland, reeds, and kunar and gaz trees, located along the seasonal Shah Taslim River and in the middle of a valley called Red Valley. Excavation of this site was carried out in 2022 as part of the Cham Shir Dam rescue excavation project, and the aim of the excavation of this site was to identify the stone architectural texture that was visible in large quantities within the area. The excavations indicate that the architectural remains were in use from the early Islamic centuries to the Pahlavi period, and given the large volume of architectural remains at the site, it can be considered a small village with a religious building (mosque) and a cemetery during the Islamic era. It is worth noting that the archaeological survey of the Chamshir Dam catchment area in 2016 by Mohammad Taqi Ataei led to the identification of 143 artifacts. The excavation activity in site number 33 of Chamshir Dam was carried out with the aim of identifying the architectural remains of the site and its chronology. The authors of the article intend to study and analyze the architectural features of this site, considering the remaining architectural spaces of the building. In line with the research objectives, questions and hypotheses have been raised; the research questions are: 1- According to the available evidence, during what period of time was this area inhabited? 2- What prominent features are seen in identifying the architectural spaces of this area? The research hypotheses are: 1- The existing evidence, especially the pottery and dated tombstones of the cemetery, indicates that this area was inhabited from the early Islamic centuries to the Pahlavi period. 2- Among the features of the architectural complexes of this area is the use of eco-friendly materials in the construction of temporary residential spaces in the area, with stone being the main material used. One of the notable points on the area surface was a different architectural structure made of plaster mortar in the center of the area, which is different from other buildings.
 
2. Discussion
Site No. 33 is formed in a trapezoidal space between the heights that surround it on all four sides. The slope of the area is from west to east, and the area becomes wider as it extends from northwest to southeast. The area of this area is about 22,230 square meters and its height at the highest point is 1.5 meters compared to the surrounding environment. Site No. 33 was completed in several parts and includes public and residential architectural spaces and a cemetery, indicating the establishment of this area for many centuries, so that the architectural structures have been destroyed over several periods and their materials have been used in new buildings. Most of the architectural spaces are located in the south and southeast of the area, so that a large volume of rubble has accumulated in this area, which has caused the plan of these spaces to be not completely clear. During the salvage excavation of this site in December 2022, three trenches were created; trenches 1 and 2 were created in the area where the architectural spaces were located, and trench number 3 was created in the cemetery area.
The architectural spaces on the site are built in three styles. First, the buildings, apparently only the foundations of which remain, are made of relatively large, cube-shaped stones. These buildings are located in the eastern part of the site. Second, the buildings are made of rubble stone and are all scattered in the southern and western half of the area up to the southern wall. These architectural spaces are relatively dense, but each unit is located at a distance from the neighboring unit and all consist of several rooms and a courtyard. The large volume of rubble in these architectural remains indicates a likely residential complex. At a relatively greater distance from this complex of architectural spaces is a single, independent building which is located at a higher level than the other buildings. The characteristic of this building is the presence of mortar and plaster, unlike other architectural spaces that are built with drywall or mud mortar. Third, it is a large and relatively intact structure located in the south of the compound and in a rectangular shape, oriented northeast to southwest, with dimensions of 32×5 meters and a remaining height of 2.5 meters. Regarding the stone materials used to build the architectural spaces of the area, it should be said that 25 meters west of the area, there are square and rectangular boulders of various sizes and shapes, naturally cut from the mountain in sheets, which were used to build this building and older buildings, as well as the cemetery of this area. In a way, this shows the use of locally sourced materials in the architecture of the spaces of this area.
 
3. Conclusion
What was found during the archaeological excavation of Site No. 33 includes the spatial architecture of a mosque (Trench 1), an architectural building of unknown use (Trench 2), and the excavation of a tomb (Trench 3). The identified mosque is located almost in the center of the site, and unlike the buildings in the site, in addition to stone, a large amount of plaster was used in its construction. The mosque has three main spaces, including the entrance, the first roofed space, and the prayer room. There are two courtyards around the mosque, the use of which remains unclear. Also, another small space has been discovered, for which no entrance was found, and its use is therefore also unclear. One of the notable points in identifying the architectural spaces of the mosque was the blocking of the main entrance to the building, which indicates that this complex was consciously and purposefully abandoned by the nomads as they moved away and were thinking of returning. Trench 2 is an architectural space of uncertain use. Given its isolation from the village context and its unusual rectangular layout with small rooms and no entrance, it may have been a public building. However, its exact use remains unclear. The architectural spaces explored and identified on the site surface have a regular geometric order and are built in a rectangular shape and in a northeast-southwest direction. A relatively wide variety can be seen in the architectural spaces explored and found on the surface. These architectural spaces were mostly used as seasonal residences at certain times of the year. The low volume and thickness of cultural deposits in the layers generally indicate the weak settlement of the site during the Islamic period. The architectural structures show that the builders of these architectural spaces used local materials and that local architecture was created in this area. The excavated grave (Trench 3) is also dated to the Islamic period, based on the stone arrangement and southwest direction, and no data was identified from inside this grave. The largest volume of cultural data from the site is related to pottery, which spans the early to middle Islamic centuries, and the most important pottery is unglazed painted pottery (quasi-prehistoric), which is associated with nomadic societies, which are seen in most nomadic societies in different regions of Iran and even Southwest Asia. Another important item found in the mosque is a copper coin, and although it has been eroded, considering other examples found in the Chamshir sites, it may belong to Abesh Khatun, one of the local rulers of the Ilkhanid period in the Fars region.

Keywords

• Rescue Excavation
• Chamshir Dam
• Site No. 33
• Architecture
• Cemetery
• Pottery