Ali Shojaee-Esfahani | Isfahan University of Art (original) (raw)

Papers by Ali Shojaee-Esfahani

Harrassowitz Verlag eBooks, 2023

The Archaeology Department at Art University of Isfahan has set up a new archaeological project i... more The Archaeology Department at Art University of Isfahan has set up a new archaeological project in the lower part (eastern zone) of the Zāyandehrud River basin. The studied area is a plain situated at a distance from 5 to 10 km south of the river and about 30 km east of the Gāvkhūni playa that is the terminal basin of Zāyandehrud. The new systemic archaeological surveys (2018, 2019 and 2020) resulted in the discovery of more than 200 archaeological sites dated from the Early Bronze Age to the Islamic period. Three sites, i.e. Nos. 006, 013 and 051, have been excavated aiming to understand the chronology and material culture of the area. The preliminary analysis of data and the comparative studies of findings show that the two excavated sites (013 and 051) belong to the Early Bronze Age in the 3rd millennium BCE and reveal a cultural connection between the studied area and the Eastern Fars region, Khuzestan, South-eastern Iran and Central Zagros during the Early Bronze Age.

شناخت آثار ایجادشده در ارتفاعات مشرف بر دشت اصفهان که کنترل پهنه اصفهان به‌ویژه مرکز آن را بر عهد... more شناخت آثار ایجادشده در ارتفاعات مشرف بر دشت اصفهان که کنترل پهنه اصفهان به‌ویژه مرکز آن را بر عهده داشته‌اند، به ما کمک میکند تا با نگاه جامع بتوانیم وضعیت مرکز خوره اصفهان را بهعنوان یکی از مهم‌ترین بخش‌های سرزمین ایران و جهان اسلام موردبررسی قرار دهیم. در مقاله حاضر با کمک از تصاویر ماهوارهای و بررسیهای میدانی هجده نمونه از قلاع و استحکامات مرکز خوره اصفهان که بر رستاق جی اشراف داشته‌اند شناسایی‌شده است. با شناسایی و بررسی این عناصر هم پیوند در کنار تجزیه‌وتحلیل منابع مکتوب مشخص گردید قلعه شاهدژ تنها قلعه مربوط به دشت اصفهان نبوده و این قلعه در تمامی دورهها اهمیت یکسانی نداشته است. همچنین مشخص شد شبکه قلاع اصفهان با کنترل راه‌ها و ارتباطی که با یکدیگر و با مراکز جمعیتی از طرق مختلف برقرار میکردند به‌خوبی امکان تأمین امنیت و یا کنترل ساکنان شعاع دید آن‌ها را داشتهاند. این آثار که به‌واسطه وضعیت خاص توپوگرافیک دشت اصفهان و ارتفاعات اطراف آن ایجادشده در مکانیابی شهرهای اصلی خوره اصفهان یعنی شهر جی و یهودیه و شکل‌گیری شاخصه‌های هر دو شهر نقش عمدهای ایفا کرده‌اند که شناخت آن‌...

با بررسی منابع مکتوب دوران اسلامی در رابطه با دو منطقه‌ی شهربابک و رفسنجان (رودان) تناقض‌هایی دید... more با بررسی منابع مکتوب دوران اسلامی در رابطه با دو منطقه‌ی شهربابک و رفسنجان (رودان) تناقض‌هایی دیده می‌شود، به‌صورتی که در برخی از انتساب «رستاق شهربابک» و یا «ناحیه‌ی رودان» (رفسنجان) به ایالت کرمان و در برخی دیگر به ایالت فارس سخن گفته شده است. علاوه‌بر این، فهم موقعیت و وسعت واحدهای اداری مذکور در منابع مکتوب مبهم بوده و شهرهای متعدد نام‌برده شده در هر دو محدوده گرچه در شمار شهرهای مطرح دوران خود قلمداد می‌شده و توصیفات قابل‌توجه دارند، اما در حال حاضر بایستی عنوان شهرهای گمشده‌ را برای آن‌ها به‌کار برد که محل آن‌ها تنها مبتی‌بر حدس و گمان و در مواردی با اختلاف زیاد میان محققین مشخص شده است. مقاله‌ی اخیر از یک‌طرف با بررسی و تحلیل انواع مختلف منابع مکتوب اعم از متون و اسناد تاریخی و جغرافیایی ادوار مختلف دوران اسلامی، و از طرف دیگر بررسی نقشه‌های امروزی در مقیاس‌های مختلف و فهم ریخت‌شناسی زمین در محدوده‌ی مورد مطالعه، تلاش کرده تا دلیل تناقض منابع مکتوب در رابطه با اداره‌ی شهربابک و رودان توسط هر یک از ایالات فارس و کرمان را بررسی کند و تا حد امکان موقعیت شهرهای گمشده‌ی این محدوده...

Eurasian Studies, 2018

This article presents an exposition of the fortifications around Isfahan based on fieldwork and a... more This article presents an exposition of the fortifications around Isfahan based on fieldwork and a thorough analysis of written sources and the available satellite images, processed with new GIS technologies. The fortress of Šāhdiz, of Ismaili fame, is well known and documented in the written sources, however the major conclusion of the current research is that in fact a network of fortifications was developed, strategically located to afford observation and communication. The heights surrounding Isfahan were exploited to full potential, gaining security over roads and settlement processes, which in turn contributed to urban growth. The evolution of this network conformed with the trends of urbanisation: as long as the main towns remained Qih and Jayy, it was the mountains in the east of the rustāq of Isfahan that played the decisive role. But from the fourth/tenth century onward, with the growth of Yahūdiyya and the integration of the southern province of Fars and Khuzistan in the B...

Harrassowitz Verlag eBooks, 2023

Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies (IJAS), 2022

Since 2018, Art University of Isfahan's Department of Archeology has focused on the Zāyandehrud R... more Since 2018, Art University of Isfahan's Department of Archeology has focused on the Zāyandehrud River basin, particularly its eastern and western parts, to better understand the archaeological landscape of the region and its changes through time. Field studies in the eastern part of the basin near Varzaneh have identified large numbers of new sites from different periods. Due to its geographical location at the center of Iran, the region could act as a hub between the four corners of the Iranian plateau in different periods. The similarities between the material cultures from the studied region and those from other parts of the Iranian plateau, particularly during the Early Bronze Age (EBA), also bear witness to the linking character of the region. The identification of over 200 sites spanning the EBA to the Timurid period and excavations at two EBA (013, 051) and a probable Iron Age site (006) indicates an auspicious environment and prosperity at the time for the lower part of the Zāyandeh-Rud basin, which today has been transformed into a desert or semi-desert landscape. The diversity of sites, including settlements, cemeteries, and architectural remains, as well as evidence of industrial activities such as pottery production, mining, metallurgical activities, and production of semi-precious stone artifacts, highlight different aspects of human life in the surveyed area..

ICAANE 12, 2023

مجله مطالعات ایرانشناسی Iranian Studies, 2022

کوه صفه یک چشم‌‌انداز طبیعی ـ تاریخی با ارزش‌‌های وابسته به تمام اجزای تشکیل‌دهندۀ منظر آن است. ب... more کوه صفه یک چشم‌‌انداز طبیعی ـ تاریخی با ارزش‌‌های وابسته به تمام اجزای تشکیل‌دهندۀ منظر آن است. به همین سبب برای محافظت از اعتبار فرهنگی اثر لازم است تمام اجزای چشم‌‌انداز طبیعی ـ تاریخی در وضعیت کنونی، شناسایی و مطالعه و ثبت و حفاظت شوند. این اجزا، مجموعۀ آثار متمرکز در قلۀ کوه به نام قلعۀ شاه‌دژ یا قلعۀ دیو و شواهد پراکندۀ وابسته و مرتبط و غیرمرتبط با آن از جمله کاخ تخت سلیمان در دیگر بخش‌‌های دامنۀ کوه را شامل می‌‌شود که در ایجاد و گسترش و استمرار محوطه، نقش شاخص داشته‌‌اند. مجموعۀ آثار ایجادشده در کوه صفۀ اصفهان که یکی از ارزشمند‌ترین دستاوردهای معماری است، نشان از شناخت درست ساکنان سرزمین از قابلیت‌های جغرافیایی در اصفهان دارد. مقالۀ حاضر تلاش دارد با بررسی منابع مکتوب و انجام بررسی‌‌های باستان‌‌شناختی، اهمیت محدوده در دوره‌‌های مختلف تاریخی را مشخص سازد و ضمن ثبت شواهد باقی‌‌مانده در کوه صفه ـ به‌‌ویژه بخش¬هایی که تا کنون دیده نشده‌است ـ و بیان ویژگی‌‌های آن، پیشنهادی برای تعیین محدوده و ضوابط عرصه و حریم قلعه به دست دهد. مطالعۀ حاضر نشان می‌دهد این نقطۀ راهبردی همواره ارتباط مستمر خود را با شهر اصفهان حفظ کرده و دست‌کم در دوران شکوفای اسلامی، به خوبی توانسته‌است امنیت شهر و نقاط پیرامون را تضمین کند. نظر به اهمیت اثر و توسعۀ افسارگسیختۀ شهر، همچنین ضرورت شناخت لایه¬های مدفون در زیر زمین، لازم است در تعیین حدود و تدوین قوانین محدودۀ عرصه و حریم، مسائل باستان‌‌شناسی که در شناخت و حفاظت از محوطه نقش شاخص دارند، در کنار موارد مربوط به حوزه‌‌های شهری و معماری و مرمت، در اولویت قرار گیرد.
Sofeh Mountain is a natural-historic landscape where its value lay on all the natural and cultural components of the landscape. Thus, in order to protect and preserve the landscape, it is necessary to identify, record, and study Sofeh landscape in its entirety. The core components of the landscape consisted of mainly architectural remains of the Shahdez fortress or the Div fortress on the crest, Takht-e Soleyman Palace on the slopy part and other scattered structures on lower slope and base of the mountain up to the Zayandeh-Rud river side. The archaeological evidence point to the profound knowledge of the lands' inhabitants into the environment and geographical potentials of Isfahan. The present article is an attempt to determine the role and position of the Sofeh landscape in different historical periods by examining written sources and conducting archaeological investigations. The detailed documentation of archaeological evidence and investigating their characteristics not only help us to gain insight into the life history of the landscape but also facilitate determining its natural and historic boundaries and defining the core and buffer zones of the site that was registered as a national heritage list in 2005. The study demonstrates that Sofeh Mountain and its architectural complex is one of the concert achievements of Isfahan's inhabitants where a symbiotic relation between mountains, plains and rivers had been realized. The Sofeh mountain with its strategic location has always maintained its close relation with the city and particularly during the flourishing periods of Isfahan in the Islamic era, it was able to provide security and facilities for the city and the surrounding areas.

دانشنامه هنرهای سنتی اصفهان, 2022

The archaeological survey undertaken by Babak Rafi’i-Alavi and Ali Shojaee-Esfahani in 2018 and 2... more The archaeological survey undertaken by Babak Rafi’i-Alavi and Ali Shojaee-Esfahani in 2018 and 2019 (Rafi’i-Alavi & Shojaee-Esfahani 2020; Shojaee-Esfahani & Rafi’i-Alavi 2020) resulted in the discovery of more than 70 archaeological sites, from which three (006, 013 and 051) have been excavated. This whole area has been heavily looted by treasure-hunters and damaged by bulldozing. Most human remains collected during the survey were found at the surface, in the dumps around recently looted graves. Only two almost complete burials were found at site 051. After the first season, in autumn 2018, a second survey was carried out in February 2019 at site 051 in the pits that were dramatically looted, to secure exposed human remains and artefacts. A large number of human and animal bones together with many pieces of pottery, metals and stone tools, dated roughly to the second part of the 3rd millennium BCE, were retrieved from 12 pits at this site (Figure 2). Two radiocarbon dates obtained for human bone collagen indicate that at least the cemeteries at the sites 025 and 051 could have been contemporary (Poz-120653, site 025, 2617–2351 cal. BC; Poz-120651, site 051 pit 9, 2567–2306 cal. BC).

پژوهش های ایران شناسی iranian studies, 2019

As a part of urban planning and during the construction of underground rail road in Chahar Bagh S... more As a part of urban planning and during the construction of underground rail road in Chahar Bagh Street excavation at the probable place of Jahan Nama Palace was carried out from February to May 2015. The excavation resulted in a better understanding of the Safavid governmental house and the Chahar Bagh itself. Moreover, the discovered material cultures not only belong to the Safavied and post safavied eras but also to the pre-Safavied and pre-Islamic periods. This article explain the main part of excavation that consists of architecture and artifacts of the Jahan Nama Palace. Although the excavation in the Jahannam complex was a rescue project with the usual limitation, such as time and resources and limit space, but it provides us with a more comprehensive picture of the palace, and also the governmental house and Char Bagh Street. In a larger view, the results also help us to place other destructed structures of the Safavid city with more accuracy. The pre-safavid findings which at the time were out of the city walls represent details about the Isfahan suburb in the middle ages that have been unknown to us. The discovery of the remains of the Jahannama Palace in combination with the maps and descriptions provided by historians and travellers, provides a framework for the planning of future investigations and the identification of related features of the city in pre and post Islamic era. These results demonstrate the importance of such investigations for our understanding of the historical cities of Iran. The discovery of pre-Safavid structures and pre-Islamic material also underlines the importance of this part of the Isfahan Plain during earlier periods.

کاخ جهان¬نما از بناهای شاخص دوران شاه عباس صفوی در ابتدای خیابان چهارباغ بود که توسط ظل¬السلطان در سال 1314 قمری تخریب گردید. بنا بر اسناد تصویری و نوشتاری به عنوان یک کاخ دروازه مشابه با کاخ عالی¬قاپو، ورود به خیابان چهارباغ را برای اهل دربار ممکن می¬ساخت. با توجه به مشخص بودن محدودۀ آن، شناسایی محل دقیق و چگونگی ساخت و تزیینات کاخ در فصل اول کاوش (اسفند 1393 تا اردیبهشت 1394) مد نظر قرار گرفت. به این ترتیب مشخص شد هشت پایۀ سنگی که بخشی از کاخ روی آنها قرار داشته بود محدودۀ شمالی- جنوبی آن را مشخص می‌کنند، همچنین شواهد مربوط به تزیینات بیرونی و داخلی کاخ و بخش‌هایی از کف‌پوش شمال کاخ تا حدودی وضعیت این بنای مربوط به قرن یازدهم هجری قمری را بازگو می‌کند. فهم محل دقیق شروع خیابان چهارباغ که بعد از کاخ شروع می‌شده است، طول شمالی- جنوبی کاخ و شواهد قبل از دورۀ صفوی و حتی قبل از اسلام نشان از اهمیت محوطه در مرکز شهر اصفهان دارد. در مطالعۀ اخیر تلاش شد تا با انطباق اسناد و منابع مکتوب، کاوش‌های میدانی و مطالعات آزمایشگاهی بتوان شناخت جامعی از این بخش دولت‌خانۀ صفوی و شهر اصفهان به دست آورد. به-علاوه بررسی کنونی خبر از آن دارد که با وجود تخریب گستردۀ آثار در بعد از دورۀ صفوی و نوسازی¬های شهری دوران اخیر، همچنان بر پایۀ مدارک باستان¬شناسی و انجام باستان‌شناسی شهری می¬توان شواهد قابل قبولی از گذشتۀ شهر به دست آورد که در فهم و شناخت آن راهگشا است و در منابع مکتوب نشانی از آنها یافت نمی‌شود.

پژوهش های باستان شناسی ایران, 2019

This investigation based on classical texts concentrates on the frontier region separating Fars f... more This investigation based on classical texts concentrates on the frontier region separating Fars from Kerman during different Islamic periods. two major nearby administrative centers in this region are Rudan (Rafsanjan) and Shahr-e Babak on the eastern and western side of the mountain that forms a natural barrier separating these two state. Only in a lower height of the northern part of this mountain create a natural path and at least from early Islamic period connecting two states of Fars and Kerman. this path were One of the important attributes of the region and its cities which caused it to be mentioned in many geographical texts of the Islamic period. However following the establishment of the national government by the Safavid dynasty and the diminishing of the interstate borders, the path lost their importance. This situation has caused the administrations of Rafsanjan and Shahr-e Babak to undergo many changes and with the strengthening of one of these two states, it would be annexed to it. The most important city in this area called Rudan That its location is unclear, also there were about seven other cities that we have little information about them, and in many cases their exact location is unknown. Then in this studies, try to discuss about Shahr-e Babak as a Rostaq and Rudan as a Nahiya that belongs to each of the Fars and Kerman states in different Islamic periods and locate the missing cities in this region based on historical, geographical, religious text and also few archaeological evidence as much as possible. The evidence in written source show the importance of the region at various pre and Islamic ears. Awareness of geographical infrastructures and their potential let to the prosperity of this region, a region which had the role of ensuring security, for different objectives, on the border of the tow important provinces of Fars and Kerman.

با بررسی منابع مکتوب دوران اسلامی در رابطه با دو منطقه‌ی شهربابک و رفسنجان (رودان) تناقض‌هایی دیده می‌شود، به‌صورتی که در برخی از انتساب «رستاق شهربابک» و یا «ناحیه‌ی رودان» (رفسنجان) به ایالت کرمان و در برخی دیگر به ایالت فارس سخن گفته شده است. علاوه‌بر این، فهم موقعیت و وسعت واحدهای اداری مذکور در منابع مکتوب مبهم بوده و شهرهای متعدد نام‌برده شده در هر دو محدوده گرچه در شمار شهرهای مطرح دوران خود قلمداد می‌شده و توصیفات قابل‌توجه دارند، اما در حال حاضر بایستی عنوان شهرهای گمشده‌ را برای آن‌ها به‌کار برد که محل آن‌ها تنها مبتی‌بر حدس و گمان و در مواردی با اختلاف زیاد میان محققین مشخص شده است. مقاله‌ی اخیر از یک‌ طرف با بررسی و تحلیل انواع مختلف منابع مکتوب اعم از متون و اسناد تاریخی و جغرافیایی ادوار مختلف دوران اسلامی، و از طرف دیگر بررسی نقشه‌های امروزی در مقیاس‌های مختلف و فهم ریخت‌شناسی زمین در محدوده‌ی مورد مطالعه، تلاش کرده تا دلیل تناقض منابع مکتوب در رابطه با اداره‌ی شهربابک و رودان توسط هر یک از ایالات فارس و کرمان را بررسی کند و تا حد امکان موقعیت شهرهای گمشده‌ی این محدوده را با دقت بیشتری از آنچه تاکنون گفته شده آشکار کند. به این‌ترتیب مشخص گردید، گرچه ارتفاعات این محدوده به‌عنوان مانعی طبیعی مرز دو ایالت را در قبل از اسلام مشخص می‌کرده است، اما در دوران اسلامی و قبل از روی کار آمدن حکومت یکپارچه‌ی صفویه، محدوده‌ی مورد مطالعه به‌عنوان منطقه‌ی مرزی میان دو ایالت فارس و کرمان صحنه‌ی منازعه و کشمکش طرف‌های قدرت بوده و با قدرت یافتن هر طرف تغییر در مرزبندی ممکن می‌شده است. علاوه‌بر این عبور یکی از مسیرهای سه‌گانه میان فارس و کرمان از این محدوده، اهمیت استراتژیک منطقه را دوچندان کرد و باعث گردید در منابع مکتوب تمامی دوران اسلامی اطلاعات قابل‌قبولی از مناطق مسکونی این مسیر در دست باشد.

Journal of Archaeological Studies, 2019

Numerous castles and fortifications overlooking the plain dot the surrounding heights of Isfahan.... more Numerous castles and fortifications overlooking the plain dot the surrounding heights of Isfahan. This fortification network provided protection and particularly had control over the administrative center of Isfahan kura during the Islamic era up to the Safavid period. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation and evaluation of the fortification network is significant not only for a better understanding of the Isfahan landscape, but also for gaining a clearer perception of the formation of the cities in the main region of Isfahan called "rostaq-e Jay". To this end, the present article is based on three different sources: the archaeological data resulted from the systemic survey of the eighteen forts and fortifications in the Isfahan heights; the satellite imagery; and the written sources. The analyses of the data show an extensive network of fortifications that in relationships with others provided control over the roads and urban and rural settlements in the plain. Thus the location of the forts and the placement of the main urban centers, i.e. Jay and Yahudiya, were interrelated and affected the overall structure of the landscape.

Eurasian Studies 16, 1-2, 2018

This article presents an exposition of the fortifications around Isfahan based on fieldwork and a... more This article presents an exposition of the fortifications around Isfahan based on fieldwork and a thorough analysis of written sources and the available satellite images, processed with new GIS technologies. The fortress of Šāhdiz, of Ismaili fame, is well known and documented in the written sources, however the major conclusion of the current research is that in fact a network of fortifications was developed, strategically
located to afford observation and communication. The heights surrounding Isfahan were exploited to full potential, gaining security over roads and settlement processes, which in turn contributed to urban growth. The evolution of this network conformed with the trends of urbanisation: as long as the main towns remained Qih and Jayy, it
was the mountains in the east of the rustāq of Isfahan that played the decisive role. But from the fourth/tenth century onward, with the growth of Yahūdiyya and the integration of the southern province of Fars and Khuzistan in the Buyid and Saljuq polities, it was the fortified of sites in the mountainous areas south of Zāyanda-rūd that were key to securing the access roads.

Iranian Studies, 2017

Isfahan as one of the important cities of the Islamic world was selected as the capital once by S... more Isfahan as one of the important cities of the Islamic world was selected as the capital once by Seljuqs (1040-1157 A.D.) and once by Safavids (1501-1722 A.D.). Thus, there are many written sources and documents that describe the city and the related urban fabric particularly during the Safavid period. The Chaharbagh Street, built under Shah Abbas reign, expanded in outer city wall from the Dawlat Gate to the Hazarjarib palace and its garden. The starting point of Chaharbagh was Jahannama pavilion through which royal family could commute between Chaharbagh Street and Dolatkaneh. Moreover, the pavilion provide a panoramic view of Chaharbagh and its surrounding gardens. Like many other monuments, Chaharbagh Street and Jahannama palace were unfortunately destroyed in 1896 by order of zell-al Soltan the Qajar Governor of Isfahan.
The remaining visual sources from Safavid, Qajar and Pahlavi periods give us keys as to the location of the palace and shed light on some of the architectural aspects of the complex that cannot be decipher from textual material. The present article is an attempt on the concurrent analysis of textual and visual sources and interpreting the archaeological data resulted from the excavation at the Jahannama pavilion and Chaharbagh entrance.

Journal of Archaeological Studies, 2012

The Bathhouse of Haj Mir-Hassan Qazvin, a Bath from Early Qajar Era The public bathhouses are in... more The Bathhouse of Haj Mir-Hassan Qazvin, a Bath from Early Qajar Era

The public bathhouses are included in buildings as public utilities that have been expanded throughout Islamic realm by arising Islamic religion that cleaning is the preamble for most of its rites. Unfortunately, from the beginning of Islamic period until 8th hegira century (15th AD century) no stable sample of public bathhouses remained in Iran, but many public bathhouses have still remained from Safavid and especially from Qajar era all over Iran. Qazvin is a city where there are a lot of public bathhouses. We may not know any remained bathhouses in this city as sample of pre-Safavid era and except for Ghomak and Moslem bathhouses, we could not find another name in ancient texts before this period. But, the Safavid sources have referred to construction of several bathhouses in this city during this period while those foreign tourists, who visited Qazvin in this period, implied numerous and beautiful public bathhouses in this city. Today, Boloor and Qajar bouthhouses have been resumed from Safavid era while both of them were were repaired and reconstructed and used as museums. Also during Qajar period, a great number of bathhouses were constructed in Qazvin. Adib-Al-Mamalek, a stateman of Qajar period, has mentioned 50 public bathhouses located in Qazvin City out of which 15 samples of them were among well- known baths. Haj Mir Hossein bathhouse is one of those famous bathese he referred to them. This bathhouse is also one of the oldest baths remained from Qajar Dynasty. This bath was repaired and reconstructed during recent years and it has been currently converted and used as museum and art and culture center.

Iranian Studies, 2014

The cities of Jay in pre-Islamic and Yahudiya in the post Islamic period were located in a plain ... more The cities of Jay in pre-Islamic and Yahudiya in the post Islamic period were located in a plain delimited from three sides by surrounding heights. This area, referred to in historical and geographical documents as the Rostāq-i Jay, was the most important rural district of Isfahan's khora. With rising of Buyids, they decided to change the seat of power from Jay to Yahudiya and consequently the construction of the city wall. Given the complete destruction of both city,s wall, the only data available on their location are limited to the texts and few archaeological traces. Therefore, while analyzing the reasons for change of hub in Isfahan from Jay to Yahudiya, the article tries to determine the location of walls of Jay and Yahudiya in Jay district on the basis of geographical and historical texts, archeological evidence, old maps and satellite photos, and traces them on the current city,s map.

Teaching Documents by Ali Shojaee-Esfahani

Harrassowitz Verlag eBooks, 2023

Eurasian Studies, 2018

Harrassowitz Verlag eBooks, 2023

Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies (IJAS), 2022

ICAANE 12, 2023

مجله مطالعات ایرانشناسی Iranian Studies, 2022

دانشنامه هنرهای سنتی اصفهان, 2022

پژوهش های ایران شناسی iranian studies, 2019

پژوهش های باستان شناسی ایران, 2019

Journal of Archaeological Studies, 2019

Eurasian Studies 16, 1-2, 2018

This article presents an exposition of the fortifications around Isfahan based on fieldwork and a... more This article presents an exposition of the fortifications around Isfahan based on fieldwork and a thorough analysis of written sources and the available satellite images, processed with new GIS technologies. The fortress of Šāhdiz, of Ismaili fame, is well known and documented in the written sources, however the major conclusion of the current research is that in fact a network of fortifications was developed, strategically
located to afford observation and communication. The heights surrounding Isfahan were exploited to full potential, gaining security over roads and settlement processes, which in turn contributed to urban growth. The evolution of this network conformed with the trends of urbanisation: as long as the main towns remained Qih and Jayy, it
was the mountains in the east of the rustāq of Isfahan that played the decisive role. But from the fourth/tenth century onward, with the growth of Yahūdiyya and the integration of the southern province of Fars and Khuzistan in the Buyid and Saljuq polities, it was the fortified of sites in the mountainous areas south of Zāyanda-rūd that were key to securing the access roads.

Iranian Studies, 2017

Journal of Archaeological Studies, 2012

The Bathhouse of Haj Mir-Hassan Qazvin, a Bath from Early Qajar Era The public bathhouses are in... more The Bathhouse of Haj Mir-Hassan Qazvin, a Bath from Early Qajar Era

Iranian Studies, 2014

گزارش های هفدهمین گردهمایی سالانه باستان شناسی ایران; Proceedings of 17th Annual Symposium on the Iranian Archaeology, 2019, 2019

گزارش های هفدهمین گردهمایی سالانه باستان شناسی ایران; Proceedings of 17th Annual Symposium on the Iranian Archaeology, 2019

The Department of Archaeology of Art University of Isfahan has set up a new archaeological projec... more The Department of Archaeology of Art University of Isfahan has set up a new archaeological project in the eastern zone of the Zāyandehrud River basin. The study area is a plain situated on the western fringe of Central Desert between Varzaneh and Kafarved towns, at a distance of 5 to10 km southern the river and about 30 km eastern Gāvkhūni marshland that is the terminal basin of Zāyanderud. This part of zāyanderud basin is relatively unknown and the research project aim to comprehend the settlement dynamic of the region through time and its relation with other part of Iranian plateau.
The new systematic survey, carried out during 2018, resulted in the discovery of more than 70 archaeological sites from which 2 has been excavated for understanding the chronology and cultural changes in the area. The preliminary analysis of data and the comparative studies of findings shows that the sites belong to the Bronze Age with a strong connection to the Fars region in Kaftari period (2200-1600 BCE). It should be noted that the surface material in some of the sites point to the fact that the region was also inhabited in other periods. The results of absolute dating (C14) samples are expected in spring 2020 which could refine the suggested date.
The study area is important in that it will deepen our understanding of what role Zāyanderud River, as the only semi-permanent river of the central Iranian Plateau, played in the formation and transformation of settlements system and archaeological landscape of Central Iran.
Today the region has a semi-arid to arid climate and nearly 90 percent of Gāvkhūni marshland has dried up, however, the high density of settlements at the 3rd and 2nd millennium BCE is an indicator of a different environment and a dramatic climate change. Moreover, as is the case today the high level of underground water and its fast rate of evaporation as well as the salinity of the soil after a long term and intensive cultivation and agricultural activities could be other reasons for deserting the area.

دانشگاه هنر اصفهان, 2020

سخنرانی در دانشگاه هنر اصفهان Talk in Art University of Isfahan

Research Institute of Cultural Heritage & Tourism, 2024

هدف اصلی از اجرای بررسی باستان شناختی حوضه شرقی رودخانه زاینده رود (دشت¬های حد فاصل اژیه تا روستا... more هدف اصلی از اجرای بررسی باستان شناختی حوضه شرقی رودخانه زاینده رود (دشت¬های حد فاصل اژیه تا روستای کفرود) شناخت منظر باستان شناختی و به تبع آن درک بهتر نظام استقراری و زیستی منطقه و تغییرات آن در طول زمان بوده است. این برنامه در راستای تکمیل مطالعاتی است که از سال 1397 توسط گروه باستان¬شناسی دانشگاه هنر اصفهان آغاز گردیده است. به لحاظ زمانی مطالعات باستان شناختی در این حوضه را می¬توان به دو دوره تقسیم نمود؛ دوره نخست که در دهه 1380 انجام گرفت شامل دو فصل بررسی باستان¬شناختی در محدوده¬ی ریگ¬سرای (اسمعیلی جلودار ۱۳۹۱) و بررسی مناطقی از بخش¬های رودشت و بن رود (صالحی کاخکی ۱۳۸۶) بوده است، همچنین در این دوره یک فصل کاوش باستان¬شناختی در تپه کپنده (سعیدی انارکی ۱۳۸۸) نیز انجام گرفته است. پس از یک وقفه تقریبا 15 ساله در مطالعات باستان شناختی این حوضه، از سال 1397 گروه باستان¬شناسی دانشگاه هنر اصفهان مطالعات دامنه¬داری را در این حوضه آغاز کرده است؛ مطالعات این دوره تاکنون شامل سه فصل بررسی باستان¬شناختی ( (شجاعی اصفهانی و رفیعی علوی1398)؛ جبرئیلی, رفیعی علوی, و دیگران در دست انتشار؛ جبرئیلی 1400) و دو فصل کاوش (رفیعی علوی و شجاعی اصفهانی 1398؛ رفیعی علوی, شجاعی اصفهانی و جبرئیلی, و دیگران 1399؛ رفیعی علوی, شجاعی اصفهانی و جبرئیلی, و دیگران 1399) بوده است. بررسی دشت¬های اژیه تا کفرود نیز که با مجوز رسمی پژوهشگاه سازمان میراث فرهنگی، صنایع دستی و گردشگری کشور با شماره 40033602 در مورخ 10/7/1400 صادر گردید و از تاریخ 18/7/1400 تا 17/8/1400 به مرحه اجرا درآمد در ادامه دور جدید پژوهش¬های بلند مدت دانشگاه هنر اصفهان در این بخش از حوضه آبریز زاینده رود انجام شد.

Forty-six ceramic shards from the Early Bronze Age (EBA) archaeological site of Tappeh Gabri (the... more Forty-six ceramic shards from the Early Bronze Age (EBA) archaeological site of Tappeh Gabri (the archaeological site 013), dated back to the latter half of the third millennium BCE and located at the Varzaneh Plain, central Iran, were studied using micro energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (µ-EDXRF) and petrographic analysis. The precision and accuracy of quantitative data obtained by µ-EDXRF were tested using a series of geological certified reference materials (CRM). The expanded uncertainty and the Mantel test on data obtained by µ-EDXRF showed accurate and precise quantitative µ-EDXRF estimation of elements present in the CRMs above their quantification limit. We show that the majority of the ceramics at the Varzaneh Plain is most probably local product. Discussions prompted collecting further compositional data and performing petrographic investigation from the ceramic shards from southern and southwestern Iran in order to shed light on the origin of the ceramic shards excavated at the Varzaneh Plain.

Proceedings of the 19th Annual Symposium on Iranian Archaeology, 2022

The archaeological survey of the southern plains of Gavkhoni Playa began on January 26, 2020, und... more The archaeological survey of the southern plains of Gavkhoni Playa began on January 26, 2020, under license number 98103828 issued by the Archaeological Research Institute. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Health, the investigation was interrupted, and a curfew was imposed. Fortunately, survey work resumed in May and June of 2020 after the rules were lifted, and a request to modify the license date was granted. This project is a continuation of the archaeological research conducted by the Department of Archaeology at Isfahan University of Arts since 2017 in the eastern basin of the Zayandeh Rood River. The survey aims to complete the country's archaeological map, understand the region's cultural landscape, and identify settlement patterns and cultural developments at the site and regional levels.
Before this survey, archaeological research in the southern regions of Gavkhoni Playa was limited, with only a few historical monuments being documented and restored. Consequently, the archaeological landscape in this area remained largely unexplored, in stark contrast to the north and west, where numerous surveys and excavations have identified sites dating back to the Bronze, Parthian, Sassanid, and Islamic periods. Despite the limited spatial coverage of these studies, they have provided a relatively clear picture of the settlement situation in this part of the central plateau of Iran. However, there is still a need for more archaeological studies to address fundamental questions concerning the biological periods and the processes that have shaped them in this region.

Proceedings of 18th Annual Symposium on the Iranian Archaeology, 2022

A Collection of Archaeological Finds of Iran in 2019-2020; گزیده ای از یافته های به دست آمده از پژوهشهای باستان شناسی ایران در سال 1398, 2021

Early Bronze Age Material Culture from Site no. 051

1399 ،گزارش های هجدهمین گردهمایی سالانه باستان شناسی ایران; Proceedings of 18th Annual Symposium on the Iranian Archaeology, 2021, 2021