Most mysterious Sassanid building still unknown

The Public Relations Office of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT) quoted Ali Assadi, head of the third exploration season in Pargan Tonb in Jenah, the city of Bastak in Hormuzgan Province, as saying on Tuesday that the general structure made over the hill includes an inner circular establishment, an adobe fence around it and ultimately a ditch which surrounds the entire complex.

According to the head of the archeology team, the main part of the inner circular structure contains a structure made by 20 rock piers which become completely visible in the current exploration season.

He put the diameter of the structure at 16.80 meters and the total area of its inside at 221 square meters, adding that each of the twenty rock piers have similar size and have been built according to the Sassanid architectural style by immersing the stone into the gypsum mortar and their outer surface has been also coated with the same material.

The archaeologist added that between the two piers of the building there is a threshold with a width of 60 cm except for the distance between two piers that are situated on the southern side of the circular building which has a width twice as larger than other piers and most probably used as the entrance of the structure.

Asadi also pointed to the discovery of a smaller oval-shaped space with 14 stone piers in the middle of the main circular structure in the recent archeological explorations.

He said that in the central point of both the circular spaces, there is a rounded column with a diameter of 160 cm and a remaining height of 50 cm the outer surface of which has been coated with plaster mortar.

Also, he added there are also two rectangular columns on the both eastern and western sides of the round central column.

The archaeologist reiterated that according to the evidence obtained in the course of exploration of the building, the central section of the building had been dome-shaped and the central column of the building was situated exactly below the dome.

Asadi pointed to a circular adobe fence surrounding the circular structure with four oval-shaped half towers in the northern, southern, eastern and western directions and noted that finally there is a circular ditch with a width of at least 7 meters around the building.

Asadi put the date of the construction of the circular Pargan Tonb monument with regard to a number of coins (Khosrow II) discovered in the course of the explorations of the first and last seasons as well as the style of the pottery and architecture of the building at the Sassanid era.

He said what has remained unknown about the building is its application as there has been no building in Pargan Tonb so far the architecture of which could be compared with that of the present one.

In fact, he further remarked, all the explorations of and consultations with the Iranian and non-Iranian scholars have so far shown that the shape and the details of the inner architecture of the structure are unique.

“What is certain, the discovered building had no ordinary function and in general it can be said that it had two religious or scientific-observatory applications or both simultaneously.”

The archeologist said that based on the unique and fascinating plan of the discovered monument, the building has a significant architectural value and in fact it can be said that the building is a special example of architectural initiatives in the Sassanid era in the northern hinterland of the Persian Gulf.

Referring to the fact that it is not clear what has inspired the architects of the building to create building, he said the plan of the building might be a new initiative and created by local architects. However, he added, architectural values and the fascinating shape of the building is as such that no matter what function is considered for it, it represents another aspect of creativity and reborn of the Iranian art and architecture during the flourishing period of the Sassanid civilization.

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