Following an in-depth study and comparison of historical sources and the archaeological data from the Italian Mission, a new interpretation of both the topographical position and the precise dating of the first Abbasid Friday Mosque of Iṣfahān can be suggested, which departs from previous theories. Particularly, the date of 772 so far accepted by scholars should be called into question and a new and earlier date hypothesized.
The site of Banbhore is located in the western delta of the Indus river (Sindh, Pakistan), identified as the harbor town of Daybul mentioned in pre-Islamic and Early Islamic written sources. The archaeological activities conducted here since the beginning of the past century revealed a long and uninterrupted occupation and complex urban planning (1 st century BCE-early 13 th century CE). A systematic field survey was carried out for the first time around Banbhore within the Italian-Pakistani archaeological expedition. Investigation revealed the presence of a densely settled hinterland, with a clear strategy in land use and occupation. Surface artefacts suggest a very long period of frequentation, from at least the Sasanian period to the Modern era. Results find an interesting comparison with both the information available in written texts and the materials from the excavation of the fortified town.
This paper examines the Sasanian allegedly circular city of Gay, in the region of Isfahan. Material traces of the city have unfortunately been lost so we are forced to rely on Islamic literary sources alone. After an introduction discussing some aspects of the history of Gay, such as its foundation and possible founder, an attempt shall be made to reconstruct its layout according to the information available in medieval sources and through a comparison with the most renowned Sasanian circular city, Ardashīr Xwarrah/Fīrūzābād. Some hypotheses shall be advanced which aim to investigate new interesting features of the plan of Gay, in particular its connection with Sasanian astronomical beliefs.
The first Abbasid Masjid-i Jumʿa in Isfahan, underneath the present-day building, was brought to light by the Italian Archaeological Mission in the 1970s. An in-depth study of the unedited archaeological data obtained from the excavations has allowed the author to equate the mosque with the building described by some historical sources as having been erected close to the ancient nahr (canal) Farsān by the Abbasid governor Ayyūb ibn Ziyād in 767. This paper aims to present some new observations that support this hypothesis. In particular, extending the research to incorporate the study of the water canalization of Isfahan, mostly dated to the Safavid period, suggests the possibility that the mādī Fadan – an old branch of a canal running very close to the present-day mosque – could be identified with the nahr Farsān, thus confirming the identification of the excavated mosque with the 767 building.
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