Islamic Era

Darabgird is one of the ancient cities in Fars province. According to Iranian mythology, Darab Shah (Dariush, the Great) found the city in the Achaemenid period. But, due to the fact that 1.21% of total ceramics gathered from the city belongs to the Parthian era, we can accept that the city remained in use since Parthian period to the Islamic era. Data analysis shows that the city had a strong and intensive settlement during Sasanians, After the Arab conquest and the collapse of Pars province, some changes occurred in the function of urban spaces. Accordingly, the main settlement shifted to the north of the city. Apparently, the southern half of the city was abandoned in Islamic era. Finally, according to some other early Islamic cities, apparently in this period, the main settlement of the city shifted to outside of Sasanian city (in this case, north of the Sasanian fortifications) and we should survey this area to discover available evidences of this period. Unfortunately, this area is presently being used for agricultural purposes.

Hezar Masjed and Shahneshin mountain ranges can be considered amongst the easternmost heights of Iran in Khorasan Razavi Province, which stretch in the northwest-southeast direction and have created a natural corridor leading to the Harirud River banks. This feature, along with favorable living conditions, has attracted human communities and habitats for a long time. The historical site of -Sarab Tepe- is one of these settlements, which is located 30km west of Saleh Abad County and at the northeast of a village of the same name. Abundant and diverse cultural materials on the surface of the site and archaeological reports show the importance of this site in terms of archaeological studies. Therefore, this research is carried out to understand the eras of settlement and its cultural interactions. The results show that this site was home to settlements in the prehistoric era (Early Bronze Age) and the Islamic era (9th to 11th century AD). Sarab Tepe’s findings from the prehistoric era indicate its cultural interactions and connections with other sites of the Early Bronze Age in northeastern Iran. The findings belonging to the Islamic era are also similar to the findings of Neyshabur. The results show the extensive connections of this site with the most important cultural centers of its time.