<Article>Development of the Royal District of Ṣāḥib-ābād in Tabrīz: Urban Planning in Post-Mongol Dynasties

DOI IR (HANDLE) Web Site

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • <論文>タブリーズの王宮地区サーヒブアーバード --ポスト・モンゴル王朝の都市建設--
  • タブリーズの王宮地区サーヒブアーバード : ポスト・モンゴル王朝の都市建設
  • タブリーズ ノ オウキュウ チク サーヒブアーバード : ポスト ・ モンゴル オウチョウ ノ トシ ケンセツ

Search this article

Description

Ṣāḥib-ābād, the royal district in the first Safavid capital, Tabrīz, has been considered the inspiration for subsequent royal districts in other capital cities, such as Sa’ādat-ābād in Qazwīn and Naqsh-i Jahān in Isfahān. Nevertheless, the origin and the process of Ṣāḥib-ābād's development have not been sufficiently studied, because of the lack of historical monuments from that age. In any case, both maidān (square) and bāgh (garden) are considered among the most important architectural elements of royal districts. Ṣāḥib-ābād traces its history to the post-Mongol period. The Qara Quyunlu ruler, Jahān Shāh, decided to construct his new daulat-khāna (royal palace) inside a similarly named bāgh, instead of using the old daulat-khāna built by the Jalayrids in Sish-Gīlān district. Although the preceding nomadic rulers of the Iranian Plateau preferred to stay in the garden, they typically lived in tents and did not build a permanent residence. At some point, a maidān emerged adjacent to the east side of the royal garden and formed a “royal garden-square” structure. During the relatively stable (politically) reign of the Aq Quyunlu ruler, Uzun Ḥasan and his successor, Sulṭān Yaʻqūb, a religious complex housing Uzun Ḥasanʼs tomb, Naṣrīya, was constructed on the north side of the maidān and a new daulat-khāna, Hasht-Bihist, was built in the royal garden, in the process establishing the “royal garden-square-religious institution” ensemble of Ṣāḥib-ābād. This ensemble combined two architectural styles, the “royal garden-square” and “religious institution-square” ensembles, both of which had precedents even prior to the Mongol invasion. Since the Naṣrīya complex was supposedly an institution of waqf, it housed many commercial establishments such as caravanserais and baths, which were also built around the maidān. As a result, a bāzār (market) appeared on the east side of the maidān. The Ṣāḥib-ābād square functioned as a node to royal, religious, and commercial institutions, developed as a public space and a symbol of royal sovereignty. Saʻādat-ābād in Qazwīn and Naqsh-i Jahān in Isfahān copied this “royal garden-square-religious institution” ensemble, which came into existence during the post-Mongol period, in parallel to the increasing inclination of the nomadic rulers for an urban lifestyle.

Journal

  • 西南アジア研究

    西南アジア研究 92 1-29, 2021-06-30

    The Society for Western and Southern Asiatic Studies, Kyoto University

Related Projects

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top