Tracking the Mongol Presence in Iran: Seasonal Routes of Migration and Building Activities

伊儿汗王朝（Ilkhanid Dynasty）1256-1335年，由成吉思汗的孙子呼勒固建立，对伊朗的政治、社会、人口和文化状况产生了深远而持久的影响。在世纪伊斯兰征服之后，伊朗第一次恢复了一个独特的政治-领土实体的地位。伊儿汗政体被敌对的邻国（马木留克，金帐汗国和乌鲁斯察合台的蒙古统治者）包围，这种情况导致了领土的限制。大量蒙古人和土耳其人的游牧背景涌入并永久居留在一个以农业和定居为特征的栖息地，这对征服者和被征服者来说都意味着相当大的挑战。蒙古和伊朗精英之间的纠缠是结果。因此，双方都可以看到复原力和融合的现象和进程。为了维持他们的游牧生活方式，蒙古人不得不集中在有利于游牧的地区，即伊朗高原的北方和西北地区。伊朗的行政精英们和权力中心--皇家营地（ordu）一起不断地移动。伊儿汗王朝的统治者是热情的建设者。他们在季节性的迁徙路线上委托建造建筑物，并直接作为赞助人或间接通过他们的伊朗管理者发起城市发展，甚至建立新城市。在地震、战争和蓄意破坏之后，只有少数蒙古时期的建筑或考古遗迹仍然可见。伊朗的研究很少将蒙古时期视为一个有价值的主题，这一事实加剧了这种情况。为了更好地理解空间概念，移民模式和城市发展，我们的跨学科项目将评估文本和考古证据。该项目的第一个目标是查明移徙路线和季节性住房地点，并将其绘制成地理日期地图。由此产生的地图将用作选择性实地研究的基础。一个有希望的地点是Bustanabad附近（大不里士东南60公里），初步探测表明，那里是Ujan重要的季节性居住地。蒙古人在城市发展中的作用也反映在这一时期的叙事和文献资料中。在大不里士，一个德国和伊朗合作的项目正在对该时期最大的虔诚的基础建筑群之一-Rab-i Rashd-进行考古勘探。在这种情况下，文本和考古证据也是相辅相成的。本申请旨在扩大和补充正在进行的项目，在三个运动中进行挖掘。同样，根据文本来源和物理数据制作地理日期地图将指导进一步的考古实地工作。

The Ilkhanid dynasty (c. 1256-1335), founded by Chingiz Khan’s grandson Hülegü, had a deep and long-lasting impact on the political, social, demographic and cultural condition of Iran. For the first time after the Islamic conquest in the 7th century, Iran regained the status of a distinct political-territorial entity. The Ilkhanid polity was encircled by hostile neighbors (Mamluks, the Mongol rulers of the Golden Horde and of the Ulus Chaghatay) – a situation that resulted in territorial confinement. The influx and permanent stay of a great mass of Mongols and Turks of pastoral nomad background into a habitat characterized by agriculture and sedentariness meant a considerable challenge for the conquerors and the conquered alike. Entanglement between Mongol and Iranian elites was the result. Therefore phenomena and processes of resilience and integration can be observed on both sides. For maintenance of their nomadic lifestyle the Mongols had to concentrate in areas favorable to pastoral nomadism, i.e. the northern and northwestern territories of the Iranian highland. The Iranian administrative elite were constantly on the move together with the center of power, the royal encampment (ordu). The Ilkhanid rulers turned out to be passionate builders. They commissioned buildings alongside their seasonal routes of migration and initiated urban development or even the founding of new cities – directly as patrons or indirectly via their Iranian administrators. In the wake of earthquakes, war and deliberate demolition only few architectural or archaeological remnants of the Mongol period are still visible. This situation is aggravated by the fact that Iranian research has rarely considered the Mongol period a rewarding topic.For a better understanding of spatial concepts, patterns of migration and urban development our transdisciplinary project will evaluate textual and archaeological evidence. Spotting and mapping the routes of migration and the sites of seasonal dwellings into a geo-dated map is a first objective of the project. The resulting map will be used as a basis for selective field research. One promising site is the vicinity of Bustanabad (60 km SE Tabriz), which preliminary soundings suggest as the location of the important seasonal residence of Ujan. Mongol agency in urban development is also reflected in the narrative and documentary sources of the period. In Tabriz, archaeological exploration of one of the largest pious foundation complexes of the period, the Rabʿ-i Rashīdī, is under way in a German-Iranian project. In this case, too, textual and archaeological evidence complement each other. The present application aims at expanding and supplementing the ongoing project, with excavations in three campaigns. Again, the creation of a geo-dated map based on textual sources and physical data will guide further archaeological field work.