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

由成吉思汗的孙子旭烈兀建立的伊尔汗王朝（约1256-1335）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。七世纪伊斯兰征服之后，伊朗首次重新获得了一个独特的政治领土实体的地位。伊尔汗政权被敌对邻国（马穆鲁克、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封锁。大量具有游牧背景的蒙古人和土耳其人涌入并永久居住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。结果就是蒙古和伊朗精英之间的纠葛。因此，双方都可以观察到弹性和整合的现象和过程。为了维持游牧生活方式，蒙古人不得不集中在有利于游牧的地区，即伊朗高原的北部和西北部地区。伊朗的行政精英与权力中心皇家营地（ordu）一起不断流动。事实证明，伊尔汗国的统治者是充满热情的建设者。他们在季节性迁徙路线沿线建造建筑，并启动城市发展，甚至建立新城市——直接作为赞助人或间接通过伊朗管理者。经过地震、战争和蓄意拆除，蒙古时期的建筑或考古遗迹只剩下很少的遗迹。伊朗研究很少将蒙古时期视为一个有价值的话题，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。该项目的首要目标是在地理地图上发现迁徙路线和季节性住所的地点并绘制成地图。由此产生的地图将用作选择性实地研究的基础。布斯塔纳巴德（大不里士东南 60 公里）附近是一个有前景的地点，初步探测显示该地区是乌扬重要的季节性居住地。蒙古在城市发展中的作用也反映在该时期的叙事和文献资料中。在大不里士，德国和伊朗的一个项目正在进行对当时最大的虔诚基础建筑群 Rabʿ-i Rashīdī 的考古勘探。在这种情况下，文字证据和考古证据也是相辅相成的。本申请旨在扩展和补充正在进行的项目，分三期进行挖掘。同样，基于文本来源和物理数据创建地理定位地图将指导进一步的考古现场工作。

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.