سید رسول موسوی حاجی

Locating fort settlements in Sistan region, Iran, during different historical periods have always been associated with changes in the direction of Hirmand River which have occurred due to various natural and human factors. This study aims to identify the relation between the Iranian province of Sistan hydrographic networks of fort settlement in the Qajar era. The research method is descriptive - analytical, historical – comparative, documentary, library and field study in Iran's Sistan area. Our focus is mostly on the issue of changes in hydrographic network of Hirmand River. The main question is to what extent have the changes in the direction of hydrographic network of Hirmand played a role in locating fort settlements of Qajar era in Iran's Sistan region. Records, documents, data and historical information related to the Qajar era were collected and comprehensively compared and analyzed regarding the current and the past situations in the Geographic information system (GIS) using ArcGIS software. The results show that the highest number of the locating and the density of fort settlements in the Qajar era are related to the hydrographic basin of Sistan river. The main reason is branching of the Hirmand River Hydrographic Basin through the Sistan canal or Sistan River in the West. Also from 6 to 12 AH in both the northern and southern Delta region of Sistan, Iran, there have been settlement areas. However in Qajar era 100 percent of settlements in the northern Delta area have been site selected.

The Economic Schedules of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629) are considered an important step forward in bringing a major transition in regional and international commerce during the medieval age. That could possibly performed through an extensive autonomy of the central government on the southern coast specially Hormuz and Kish islands that incurred national benefits in foreign commercial and logistic relationship especially with European countries. The strategic commodity of silk has had significant role in reconstruction of commercial ties between Iran and European countries. Using historical and geographical accounts (travelogue), this article tries to recognize the importance and status of the southern Iranian ports in silk trade with a case study of Bandar Abbas. The findings show that the process of silk commerce in Iran was organized with a precise supervision of Shah Abbas himself and his efforts to come up with production centers such as Kashan, Yazd and Isfahan in central Iran as well as export centers in southern regions such as Laar and Bandar Abbas.

In its course of evolution, the Sassanian rule accepted a change in temporal exigencies, condition and manner of governance of each ruler where more attention was paid to the institutional establishment, grades/ranking, titles, symbols and administrative hierarchy. In a way, the organizational manner, to a larger extent, could engulf the period into a curtain of ambiguity. One of those ranks was Vuzorg Farmzar that apart from having equivalents in different periods of time, with respect to its real application, encountered with sectional and temporal confusion as well. As such, an increase or decrease in jurisdiction of the above rank was influenced more by policies of each emperor. According to this fact, the issues which are to be dealt with in this article are: Which title was synonymous to the word “grand vizier” or “Vuzorg Farmzar” in the early Sassanid era? In which era of Sassanid dominion, the title “Vuzorg Farmzar” was addressed as “Hazarpat” ? How was the factional evolution of the position of “Hazarpat”? This research is concerning to show that the word “Bidakhsh” , is a title that in the early Sassanid era was employed to endow titles of person such as “grand vizier” or “Vuzorg Farmzar” and after some time it was completely forgotten. The word “Hazarpat” was one of the other titles which was equivalent to “Vuzorg Farmzar” in the middle Sassanid era and we can distinguish three Functional phases for it: It was a militaristic position in the early Sassanid era, a militaristic- civil jurisdictive position in the middle era and a militaristic position once again at the end at of Sassanid era. Taking into account historical sources and epigraphic records, the current research tries to find out the basis and essence of “Vuzorg Farmzar” and titles synonymous to it as well as their actual or the honorary functions during the era In order to clarify, the extent of governance and administration establishment, on the top of which was the “grand vizier” (Vuzorg Farmzar). To achieve this goal, the connections of the titles such as “Bidakhsh”,“Hazarpat”, “Vuzorg Farmzar” and “Sepahbad” are questioned, by determining the existence, primacy and recency of these titles in epigraphic records and also in the historical sources in which the functional jurisdiction of these titles mentioned,the accuracy or inaccuracy of these hypothesis would be distinguished.