Revision and comparative study of historical texts and archaeological evidence in Herat musalla complex

Azarkhordad, Fereshte; Hashemi Zaraj Abad, Hassan

doi:10.22034/jgk.2024.420585.1159

Revision and comparative study of historical texts and archaeological evidence in Herat musalla complex

Document Type : تاریخ معماری خراسان بزرگ

Authors

Fereshte Azarkhordad ¹

Hassan Hashemi Zaraj abad ²

¹ University of Mazandaran

² Associate Professor of Archeology Department of Mazandaran University

10.22034/jgk.2024.420585.1159

Abstract

Herat has been one of the most important cities of Khorasan in most of the historical periods, but undoubtedly, the peak of its prosperity is related to the Timurid period .Herat Musalla complex is a collection of architectural structures, which was built during the era of Shahrukh and later during the time of Sultan Husayn Bayqara, As one of the key site of the Timurid era, this site has received less attention from researchers due to the lack of field observations and archaeological excavations. Now, one of the tools that can help authors in recreating Musalla structures is first-hand historical texts such as the works of historians and geographers. Therefore, the authors try to recreate the spaces of the Musalla architecture by examining documents, including historical sources, and also to match the information of the texts with archaeological evidence. The results of examining the sources and the limited archaeological evidence indicate that among the three mosque structures in Herat, Goharshad Madrasa is the only one that does not match the texts with the ancient evidence.

Keywords

Mussalla complex in Herat

historical texts

architectural spaces

Timurid period

archaeological evidence

Subjects