Sasanian Fire Temple

در شرق جرقویه (گرکویه، جنوب شرقی اصفهان)، در جنوب روستای دستجرد، 3 کیلومتری غرب حسن‌آباد، چشمه‌ای پر آب از زیر کوهی می‌جوشد که بر فراز آن، یک چهارتاق خشتی (نزد محلیان، موسوم به آتشگاه) بر جاست. در کنار چارتاق، قُبّه‌ی دیگری است که مردم بومی آنرا "جا پا حضرت" و قدمگاه می‌گویند. پیران جرقویه، برگزاری جشن نوروزی ویژه‌ای را در محل آتشگاه (نوروزگاه) در یاد دارند

Just about 75 kilometers to the south of Mashhad, lying in the east of Robat-e-sefid village, on the Asadabad village road, which is part of Torbat-e-Heydarieh township, and on the mountain of Bazeh hoor, is located an exciting stone structure. This structure is one of the rare structures that are known to be called "Parthian Chartaghi" or Parthian Tetrapylon (squared-base structures). Though some of the researchers such as Andre Goddard  have expressed doubts regarding the claim that it is a fire temple, most of them have accepted it as a temple and seemingly they have been negligent regarding its contextual belongings. It seems that the monument has been the central nucleus of a larger building. This article, drawing on the architectural plan of the structure and its belongings, the survey of its potteries and also the classification of different kinds of Chartagi structures in different regions used as temples in different periods, tries to classify these structures and consequently to spot the right status and position of the Bazeh Hoor monument. The findings of the investigations would suggest that Bazeh Hoor monument is a temple dating back to mid Sassanid dynasty and one can analyze and study Bazeh Hoor structure from the perspective of the religious developments in the structure of the temples in this period.

هژبری، علی 1398، «طرح یک سوال؛ آیا تپه میل آتشکدۀ ری است؟ بررسی گاهنگاری و کاربری بنای موسوم به «تپه میل»، دشت ری»، در: مفاخر میراث فرهنگی 5 (فر فیروز)، جشن نامه دکتر فیروز باقرزاده، به کوشش احمد محیط طباطبایی و شاهین آریامنش، تهران: پژوهشگاه میراث فرهنگی و گردشگری، صص 266-225.

The lack of evidence for the existence of fire temples in ancient Iran has been used as an argument for the absence of the concept of the "eternal fire" in the Avestan texts. However, a new analysis of the final section of the Long Liturgy shows that the fire was usually removed from the sacrificial area before the recitation of Yasna 62.7 and transported back to the "house of men" from which it had been taken. As such, the Long Liturgy partly appears as a functional equivalent of the bōy dādan ceremonies performed for the feeding of the fire at the fire temples in later times. This new reading of the final section of the liturgy is the result of a re-evaluation of the manuscripts, highlighting the shortcomings of previous editions of the Long Liturgy. Furthermore, the new interpretation approaches the Long Liturgy from a non Yasna-centric perspective , taking into account the Yasna as well as the Visperad (and other variants).

Qasr-e Shirin owes its prominence primarily to the Sassanian period and the attention the region received from Khosrow Parviz. Khosrow took the first steps to make Qasr-e-Shirin habitable by constructing a complex consisting of a palace, a fortress, a religious building, a defensive wall and a water conveyance system. Later, Qasr-e-Shirin is mentioned in several texts and travel itineraries. The Char-Ghapi complex is generally attributed to the Sassanian king Khosrow II (590-628 A.D.), who allegedly constructed it for her Christian wife Shirin, thus the name Qasr-e-Shirin. Some historical sources make allusions to the buildings in Qasr-e-Shirin (Khosrow’s Mansion, Char-Ghapi). Char-Ghapi of Qasr-e-Shirin has a square ground plan with domed roof, known as chahar-taghi, which has attracted attention from many scholars, who have described it as a structure from the late Sassanian period. The majority of scholars have characterized its chahar-taq or square dome as a fire temple, while some have claimed that it formed part of a palace complex; a few writers have also expressed doubts as to its chronology, suggesting a date in the early Islamic period for it. Therefore, the most important questions about this structure concern its construction date and function. In view of its architectural style, its comparison to the plan of the historical temples, and the political history of the Sassanians, the Char-Ghapi complex might have had a religious function; then, by studying the Christianity in Iran in particular in the late Sassanian period, one may conjecture that Char-Ghapi was probably a church that was never completed. The Sassanian complex in Qasr-e-Shirin was probably partially destroyed during Heraclius’ Persian campaign of 628 A.D., which also might have brought a permanent halt to the construction operation there and Qasr-e-Shirin never gained its previous fame again though the name survived as a small village as late as the Qajar period. Several structures lying on the east of the square dome, not to mention its structural differences with the standard fire temple plan, are what cast the most doubt on the idea that Char-Ghapi was a fire temple. Since the meaning of a given building is determined by its similarity to other related structures, the present work aimed to determine the true nature of Char-Ghapi through drawing comparisons with other contemporary structures.

"Charqapi monument is located in the north eastern side of Qasr-e-Shirin city on a relatively level hill with a mild slope.
The monument has a tetrapylon (squared-base structure) plan, while compared with other well-known cases, it has some differences, as well. The most important difference is the existence of some structural units in the eastern side of the Charqapi tetrapylon.

Some of Muslim historians have mentioned the monuments of Qasr-e-Shirin i.e. Khosro Monument and Charqapi Monument in their works. Charqapi monument has attracted many researchers who have introduced it as a monument dating back to the Sassanid era. They believe it to be a fire temple, while some other researchers think it is a royal palace complex, and at the meantime a minority of researchers  have their own doubts and are of the opinion that the monument belongs to early Islamic era.

The most important questions regarding the monument are its date of construction and its utility. Considering the architecture of the monument and historical investigations, it seems that Charqapi monument has had religious uses. Investigating the history of Christianity in Iran in general, and the developments that Christianity experienced in late Sassanid era in particular can lead to the  hypothesis that Charqapi is an unfinished project of a church.
Key words: Charqapi, Khosro Parviz, Shirin, Chiristianty ,Christian.

Ātašgāh is an ancient mud brick construction over a hill within the green gardens in the Mārbīn region, west of Isfahan in Iran. There is evidence to prove the existence of a long standing culture and civilization there, with natural-landscape features that are important components of the cultural milieu in settlement both for tourists and local people. In order to protect this cultural landscape and to ensure that Ātašgāh's archaeological site to be known as an important heritage to draw tourists, explorers and adventurers in all times, it is a must to address its values, sense and spirit of the place. Therefore, in this paper, the aim has been to recognize the established relation between the Ātašgāh and its region (the Mārbīn region) as accurately and completely as possible in order to tell about its history, the way it was constructed and destroyed, the people who lived there, various activities and happenings, and the previous uses of the site. This effort will also lead us to an understanding of the culture and lifestyle of the citizens of Isfahan during the previous eras.
An interpretive-historical research method has been adopted to carry out this study, and to serve this goal, a dual interaction between “the gardens, farmlands, watercourses, Ātašgāh” and “the cultural milieu” has been taken into consideration with reference to mythical accounts and religious principles.

در میان چهارطاقی‌های ساسانی که تا به امروز شناسایی شده‌اند، بیشترین تعداد آن‌ها در جنوب ایران و در نواحی فارس و کرمان قرار دارند که دراین‌بین چهارطاقی‌های کرمان به سبب دورافتادگی تا حدود زیادی ناشناخته مانده‌اند. تا به امروز شناخت معماری مذهبی دوره‌ی ساسانی در نواحی کرمان به پژوهش‌های واندنبرگ در دهه‌ی 60 سده‌ی بیستم میلادی محدود می‌شود. در پژوهش پیش‌رو براساس یافته های نوینی که از آوار برداری و پاکسازی محوطه‌های علی‌آباد و رحمت‌آباد بدست آمده نگارندگان سعی کردند ضمن مطالعه و مقایسه‌ی ویژگیهای معماری دو بنای مذکور به این پرسش پاسخ دهند که چهار‌طاقی‌های مطالعه شده در این مقاله از نظر کیفیت مذهبی به کدام یک از آتش‌های مقدس سه‌گانه در دین زرتشتی شامل آتش‌های بهرام، آدران و دادگاه قابل انتساب هستند؟ این پژوهش ازنظر ماهیت‌ و ‌روش، پژوهشی توصیفی-تحلیلی بوده و گردآوری داده‌ها به‌صورت میدانی و کتابخانه‌ای است. نتایج حاصل از این پژوهش بیانگر این نکته است که چهارطاقی‌های مطالعه شده علاوه بر راهروی پیرامونی دارای فضاهای معماری متصل دیگری نیز بوده و بر اساس ویژگی‌های معماری و مکانی که دارا هستند می توانند با آتش «دادگاه» مرتبط باشند. این پژوهش از این منظر می‌تواند اهمیت داشته باشد که ضمن ارائه‌ی پلانی جدید از چهارطاقی‌های مطالعه شده، جایگاه مذهبی نوینی برای آن‌ها مطرح کرده که می‌تواند برای سایر چهارطاقی‌های ساسانی با ویژگی‌های معماری مشابه نیز قابل ارائه باشد.
A large number of ChaharTaqis that have been identified so far are located in the south part of Iran, Fars and Kerman regions. However, Kerman ChaharTaqis due to their location in the remote areas are less known. Our knowledge about Sasanian religious architecture is limited to the investigations done by Vanden berghe in the 1960's. In this study, Aliabad and Rahmatabad ChaharTaqis which are located in the south-west part of Kerman province, in Orzouyeh County, both in architectural and religious typology will be studied based on new findings. First of all, the type of the architecture in these buildings will be studied. After that, in comparison with other similar structures and writing resources as well, their religious quality will be evaluated by the authors. This study, it is a fundamental research, with descriptive-analytical methodology and nature, while data collected bibliographically and following fieldwork. The results of this research indicate that some ChaharTaqis such as the ChaharTaqis studied in this research could be considered as a “Dadgah” fireplace in Sassanian period. This study due to the new architecture features of these ChaharTaqis describing in this paper and offering a new usage for them would be considerable.

آتشکده‌ی آذرفرنبغ که براساس متون تاریخی به روحانیان زرتشتی تعلق دارد، در کنار نیایشگاه‌های آذرگشنسپ و آذربرزین‌مهر، به‌عنوان یکی از سه آتشکده‌ی بزرگ دوره‌ی ساسانی به‌شمار می‌رود. شرق‌شناسان و باستان‌شناسانی که تاکنون در زمینه‌ی سازه‌های مذهبی دوره‌ی ساسانی به پژوهش پرداخته‌اند، بر این موضوع اتفاق‌نظر داشته‌اند که مکان احتمالی این نیایشگاه از اوایل دوره‌ی ساسانی در کاریان فارس قرار داشته است. از مطالعه‌ی متون مرتبط با مکان آتشکده‌ی آذرفرنبغ می‌توان به این نکته پی‌برد که باوجود اشارات منابع دوران اسلامی به وجود آتشکده‌ای مهم در کاریان، غالب آن‌ها به‌صراحت از یکسان بودن آتشکده‌های کاریان صدر اسلام و آذرفرنبغ دوره‌ی ساسانی سخن نگفته‌اند. در این پژوهش سعی گردیده تا به این پرسش که مکان نیایشگاه آذرفرنبغ در دوره‌ی ساسانی در کجا قرار داشته و در صورت جابه‌جایی در چه بازه‌ی زمانی جابه‌جا شده، پاسخ داده شود. تحقیق پیش‌رو براساس هدف، از نوع تحقیقات بنیادی و از نظر ماهیت و روش، از نوع تحقیقات تاریخی و توصیفی-تحلیلی می‌باشد؛ برای گردآوری داده‌ها در ابتدا به‌صورت کتابخانه‌ای منابع مکتوب تاریخی مرتبط با مکان این نیایشگاه که عموماً سده‌های سوم تا هفتم هـ.ق. را دربر می‌گیرند، مورد مطالعه و از سنجش و آن‌ها با یکدیگر محدوده‌ی احتمالی مکان آذرفرنبغ مشخص گردیده، سپس به‌صورت میدانی-کتابخانه‌ای و با بررسی‌های باستان‌شناختی سازه‌های مذهبی حائز شرایط، مورد مشاهده و مطالعه قرارگرفته‌اند تا درنهایت با تطبیق و مقایسه‌ی نتایج به‌دست‌ آمده، مکان احتمالی نیایشگاه آذرفرنبغ و هم‌چنین تاریخ احتمالی تغییر مکان آن مورد تحلیل و سنجش واقع گردد. این پژوهش از این منظر، می‌تواند مورد اهمیت باشد که احتمالات نوینی را در رابطه با مکان آتشکده‌ی آذرفرنبغ معرفی می‌نماید. نتایج این پژوهش نشان می‌دهد که مکان احتمالی آتشکده‌ی آذرفرنبغ در مدت طولانی از حکومت ساسانیان در نزدیکی دارابگرد بوده و احتمالاً در اواخر این عصر و یا حتی در زمانی پس از دوره‌ی ساسانی، شاید به مناطق دیگری مانند کاریان منتقل‌شده است.
Topics related to religion and religious structures are a major focus on the debates concerning Sasanian Iran. The best sources of research are archeological evidences and written documents in the first centuries of the Islamic conquest. Since the late 19th century, finding the location of the three major fire temples of Ādur Farnbāg, Ādur Burzēn-Mihr and Ādur Gušnasp became an important aspect of study concerning the religions of Ancient Iran and the Sasanian period. In the mid-20th century, German archeologists found the exact location of Ādur Gušnasp, presenting important findings about religious architecture of Sasanian Iran. However, the other two fire temples have not yet been found. Ādur Farnbāg, belonging to the Zoroastrian priests according to historical texts, is one of these three. Archeologists and Orientalists focusing on Sasanian religious structures have concurred that the possible location of this fire temple is Kāriyān in Fars. In this study, examining the historical texts covering 3rd -7th A.H. that mention Ādur Farnbāg and comparing the findings to the archeological results concerning Sasanian religious structures, especially those located in Fars, the proposed locations have been examined and possible new sites have been offered as well. As a fundamental research, present study naturally and methodically is historic - descriptive. Required information collected bibliographically and from field surveys which analyzed and interpreted combining using “historic approach” comparatively. The importance of this study is the presentation of these possible new sites. Studying various historical documents shows that Kāriyān was part of Ardashir-Khwarrah during the late-Sasanian and early Islamic period, while most of the documents do not mention the name of Ādur Farnbāg and of  the four  Arabic text that mention the fire temple, three place it in Darabgird. Study and examination of written Islamic texts present this possibility that the original place of Ādur Farnbāg was not in Kāriyān during early Sasanian times and was in Darabgird near Fars instead. The studied text of the three places in Khwarezm, Darabgird and Kāriyān is mentioned as the location of the Ādur Farnbāg. It can be said that the naming of Khwarezm as the first location of the Ādur Farnbāg has mythological aspects and probably should be consistent with historical reality. While the name of Peroz I in the and other written sources referring to Khosrow I as transferring Ādur Farnbāg to Kāriyān could prove the fact that probably the site of the Ādur Farnbāg of the covenant Khosrow I in Darabgird and during or subsequent time he moved to Kāriyān. By exploring the Takht-e Soleymān actually a major part of this collection belonged to the Temple of Anahita and considering the fact that the goddess Anahita probably due importance to the Sassanid Empire and also accept Ādur Gušnasp as a Royal Dastgird, so it can be said that perhaps Ādur Gušnasp Fire Temple was larger than the other Fire temples, So it can be much smaller area, such as the possible location of two other temples considered. The plausible extent of Azarjou fire temple and its surrounding areas that probably had e defensive function to protect the fire temple, its proximity to the Sasanian city of Darabgird, the similarity of the name “karsiāh” with “kar” and also the similarity of the salt domes around the fire temple to “the shining mountain of Xwarrahomand” as described in the Greater Bundahišn, all give us this possibility that the location of Ādur Farnbāg was in this area up to the late Sasanian period. The suggestion of Azarjou fire temple as Ādur Farnbāg can be the closest candidate for the description of Ādur Farnbāg described in historical texts of 3rd-7th A.H documents. Moreover, by examining the overlap of historical texts, it can be deduced that the ambiguous description of Bundahišn possibly refers to the physical characteristics of an area near Darabgird, making the possible dating of this text in Bundahišn to be at the time of Khosrow I or a time before his reign.

Ātašgāh is an ancient mud brick construction over a hill within the green gardens in the Mārbīn region, west of Isfahan in Iran. There is evidence to prove the existence of a long standing culture and civilization there, with natural-landscape features that are important components of the cultural milieu in settlement both for tourists and local people. In order to protect this cultural landscape and to ensure that Ātašgāh's archaeological site to be known as an important heritage to draw tourists, explorers and adventurers in all times, it is a must to address its values, sense and spirit of the place. Therefore, in this paper, the aim has been to recognize the established relation between the Ātašgāh and its region (the Mārbīn region) as accurately and completely as possible in order to tell about its history, the way it was constructed and destroyed, the people who lived there, various activities and happenings, and the previous uses of the site. This effort will also lead us to an understanding of the culture and lifestyle of the citizens of Isfahan during the previous eras.
An interpretive-historical research method has been adopted to carry out this study, and to serve this goal, a dual interaction between “the gardens, farmlands, watercourses, Ātašgāh” and “the cultural milieu” has been taken into consideration with reference to mythical accounts and religious principles.

Il tempio del fuoco di Ādur Gušnasp (oggi Takht-e Suleymān nell’Iran nord-occidentale), celebre santuario zoroastriano e residenza regale sasanide, fu saccheggiato nel 624 d.C. dall’imperatore romano Eraclio. Che significato diedero i contemporanei all'evento? Una risposta può venire da una nuova lettura dell’Heraclias del poeta bizantino Giorgio di Pisidia, che prenda in considerazione anche le speculazioni eziologiche sull'origine del fuoco sacro zoroastriano che circolavano tra Iran, Siria e Bisanzio.

چکیده:
شاهنشاهی ساسانیان) 224 - 651 .م( را می توان یکی از پررونق ترین و طلایی ترین دوران های فرهنگ، هنر و معماری در تاریخ و
باستان شناسی ایران دانست. در این میان معماری، یکی از شاخص ترین عناصر به جای مانده از این سلسله است که آثار آن با گذار بیش
از 1500 سال، در گوشه و کنار ایرانشهر ساسانی ماندگار است. معماری یک دوران را می توان به دو دسته تقسیم کرد، بناهای مذهبی و
غیر مذهبی؛ بناهای مذهبی دوران ساسانی را آتشکده ها، برج های خاموشی و غیره تشکیل می دهند، و بناهای غیر مذهبی شامل: کاخ
ها، قلعه ها، کاروانسراها، خانه های اربابی و غیره است. یکی از رایج ترین روش های معماری این دوران را می توان شکل چهارطاقی
دانست که ریشه در دوران پارتی داشت، و در دوران ساسانی به شدت مورد استفاده قرار گرفت و سبک غالب در معماری این دوران
گشت. چهارطاقی های ساسانی کاربری های مختلفی داشته اند که عموماً شاخص ترین کاربری آن را در آتشکده ها می دانسته اند، اما
امروزه ما دریافته ایم که این سبک معماری در بناهای غیر مذهبی هم مورد استفاده قرار می گرفته است. طی یک دهه ی گذشت و بر
اساس یک فرضیه جدید، کاربری متفاوتی برای چهارطاقی ها جای مانده از دوران ساسانی پیشنهاد شده است، و آن کاربری نجومی
برای این گونه از بناها است، البته دقیقاً مشخص نیست که چه کسی برای نخستین بار این فرضیه را مطرح کرده است. روش ما در این
مقاله ابتدا سخن گفتن درباره فرضیه ی کاربری نجومی برای چهارطاقی ها است، سپس با بررسی میدانی 57 چهارطاقی و معرفی
موقعیت جغرافیایی و پلان آن ها، به بررسی درست و یا غلط بودن این فرضیه می پردازیم؛ و در نهایت با دسته بندی نمونه های آماری و
تعیین جدول درصدی، این فرضیه مورد آزمون و خطا قرار می گیرد. در پایان مقاله، این مهم با درصد بالای آماری نشانگر رد فرضیه
کاربری نجومی، از برای چهارطاقی های ساسانی می باشد.
کلید واژگان: چهارطاقی، نجوم، معماری، آتشکده، ساسانیان، ایران.

تاکنون و در رابطه با پیشنهاد‌های ارائه‌شده دربارۀ کارکرد برخی عناصر یافت‌شدۀ داخل نیایشگاه‌های ساسانی به یافته‌های نواحی جنوب ایران توجه نشده و بیشتر براساس یافته‌های غرب ایران نتیجه‌گیری شده است. تا به امروز در تعدادی از محوطه‌های ساسانی جنوب ایران، علاوه‌بر یافت‌شدن تعدادی پایۀ سنگی و گچی که معمولاً به‌نام «پایۀ آتشدان» تفسیر شده‌اند، تعدادی سکوهای سنگی-گچی نیز یافت‌شده که می‌تواند در کنار این پایه‌ها تحلیلی نوین از فرهنگ مذهبی دورۀ ساسانی در جنوب ایران ارائه دهد. در این پژوهش سعی گردیده تا براساس شواهد باستان‌شناختی مناطق جنوبی ایران، به‌ویژه نواحی شرقی فارس و غرب کرمان و مقایسه و سنجش آن‌ها با یافته‌های سایر مناطق، منابع مکتوب و رسومات مرتبط با زرتشتی‌گری، به نحوۀ کارکرد این عناصر پی‌برد. مهم‌ترین پرسش پژوهش عبارتنداز: سکوهای مورد مطالعه چه کاربردی داشته اند؟ فرضیه‌ای که می‌توان برای این پرسش درنظر گرفت کاربری مذهبی عناصر یاد شده است. تحقیق پیشِ‌رو از منظر ماهیت و روش از نوع تحقیقات تاریخی و توصیفی-تحلیلی بوده و روش گردآوری اطلاعات در آن، بدین‌ترتیب است که در مرحلۀ نخست، به‌صورت میدانی-کتابخانه‌ای یافته‌های مرتبط با موضوع پژوهش موردمطالعه و سنجش با سایر سازه‌های مشابه و هم‌راستا قرارگرفته و سپس سعی‌شده تا به‌صورت کتابخانه‌ای نتایج به‌دست‌آمده از نخستین مرحله با منابع مکتوب و رسومات آیین زرتشتی منطبق‌سازی شوند. برآیند حاصل از این پژوهش این نکته را مطرح می‌کند که احتمالاً کاربرد سکوهای سنگی-گچی به‌دست‌آمده از برخی محوطه‌های مذهبی دورۀ ساسانی در جنوب ایران با سکوها و پایه‌های گچی موجود در برخی نیایشگاه‌های ساسانی به‌ویژه در غرب ایران که به «سکوی Tشکل» معروفند، یکسان بوده و می‌توان کارکرد این‌گونه عناصر را در رابطه با مراسمی هم‌چون «یزشن» و فضاهای دربرگیرندۀ این عناصر را نیز به‌عنوان «یزشنگاه» یا «اورویسگاه» تفسیر نمود. این نوشتار از این منظر می‌تواند موردتوجه و اهمیت باشد که سعی در ایجاد رابطه میان شواهد باستان‌شناختی و منابع مکتوب به‌منظور تعیین کارکرد برخی عناصر داخلی نیایشگاه‌های ساسانی دارد.
The proposed functions for some of the interior elements in the Sassanid fire temples have been always based on the finds in the western regions of Iran, while the same materials from the southern Iran have been neglected. The discovered stone and plaster bases which are usually interpreted as fireplaces’ bases have been observed in some sites on southern Iran, as well as several stone-plaster platforms which can give us some insightful information about the religious culture of Sassanid empire in the southern Iran. The present study tries to uncover the function of these architectural elements based on the archeological evidences from southern Iran especially eastern Fars and western Kerman and comparing them with the results obtained in other regions, written resources and also Zoroastrian traditions. The nature of the present study is historical and analytical – descriptive and the data collection method followed the field studies and library researches methods. All of the obtained and related evidences were collected and compared with the same monuments and finally the results were matched with the written sources and Zoroastrian traditions. The results of the present research revealed that probably the stone – plaster platforms in the religious Sassanid sites in southern Iran are the equivalent of the plaster bases or platforms discovered in Sassanid fire temples in western Iran, known as the T-form platforms. Their function can be related to Yazišn and their surrounding space can be interpreted as the yazišngāh or urwīsgāh. The present study attempts to make a logical connection between the archeological evidences and written resources in order to identify the function of the interior architectural elements inside Sassanid fire temples.
Keywords: Sassanid Period, Religious Structures, Fars, Kerman, Platform.

Introduction
The Sassanid written resources do not provide many information about the religious rituals in the sanctuaries and temples. The archeological evidences are not enough to answer all the ambiguities and questions. Therefore, we decided to compare the archeological evidences with the written Zoroastrian texts during Islamic period and also matching the archeological finds with the current Zoroastrian traditions, because regardless of the differences between the today’s Zoroastrianism and Sassanid Period’s Zoroastrianism, we can witness some similarities between them. Despite all of the theories about the interior architectural elements in religious Sassanid monuments, the main religious regions during Sassanid era, i.e. Fars province and Kerman province were neglected and most of the researches in this regard were focused on the western Iran. The authors of the present study tried to focus on the recent discoveries in eastern Fars and western Kerman such as Tang-e ChakChak, Mil-e Naqareh, SoltanAbad-e Darabagh and AliAbad-e Shamshirbor, and the results of field studies and their comparison with archeological evidences from similar regions in Eslamabad-e Gharb and Takht-e Soleiman. Later all of these evidences and discoveries were studied during a library research with the written resources and Zoroastrian traditions in order to functionally interpret the discovered elements and shed lights on the inner complexities of Sassanid religious structures. The preset study focused on answering some basic questions regarding the interior elements of Sassanid Chahar-Taqi. First is the extended of overlap between the discovered architectural elements in eastern Fars and Western Kerman with the architectural elements discovered in adjacent regions; second, can we equalize them with the platform structures discovered in the western Iran from the functional point of view? And finally, in case of matching the discoveries in the two mentioned regions and considering them equivalent, what would be the function of the spaces with these types of platforms? One of the possible hypotheses is that, the stone elements discovered in the surrounding area are similar to the complementary elements of the discovered structures in the studied Chahar-Taqis or fire temples and today there is no trace of them left behind. It is also probable that the discovered platforms in the southern region of Iran have had the same functional as their discovered equivalent in western regions of Iran. And finally, they were functioning as the yazišngāh during Sassanid period.

Discussion
The common points between the discoveries in eastern Fars and western Kerman and the evidences obtained from Takht-e Soleiman and Eslamabad-e Gharb is that in all them the platform have been extended until the center of the cruciform space, therefore these structure are different from other sites such as Vigol where the platform is built beside the closed vaults.  Based on the discoveries from Eslamabad-e Gharb and those in southern Iran, we can conclude that the location and the situation of the T-shape platforms are equivalent with the rectangular platforms in Fars and Kerman which had an extended section from the vault until the middle of the Chahar-Taqi. Also the T-shape platforms of western Iran are shorter than their equivalent in southern Iran, but based on Rezvani’s report that states the bases were fixed on the platform of Shiyan fire temple, we can conclude that the plaster bases and platform were the features of a unique architectural element and they should not be considered separately. Therefore, we can consider the T-shaped platforms to be higher and with regard to the two first hypotheses of Moradi, the upper section of these platforms were flat and had a similar function to the rectangular platforms in the southern regions of Iran. Based on the shape of the current yazišngāh, we can compare their triple platforms with the rectangular or T-shape platforms with a fireplace’s base and a similar function; so that, in the rectangular platform, the Zoti Khwan and Alat khwan sections are the same and in the T-shape platforms the upper section is Zoti Khwan and the attached section to the vase of fireplace can be the Alat khwan. However, regarding the architectural differences of urwīsgāh in today’s fire temples with the architectural space B in Takht-e Soleiman, we can believe that the only reason for this difference is the evolutions of Zoroastrian traditions due to the changes in their society as the religious minorities during the first centuries of Islamic period.

Conclusion
The results of this study revealed that the architectural elements such as the platforms discovered in Fars and Kerman provinces by the authors of this study, named as rectangular platforms, have had a completely unique function similar to the T-form platforms discovered in the western Iran. We also believe that the stone cubes discovered during a field survey in southern Fars region and Persian Gulf coast, were the complementary part of the rectangular bases which probable were the platforms or ponds, already identified in the architectural space B in Takht-e Soleiman and Eslamabad-e Gharb’s sites. In order to understand and comprehend the function of the platform mentioned in this study, we matched them with the references in written resources such as the Rivayat-e Darab Hormozdyar and also the current Zoroastrian sanctuaries, as well as the comparison with the stone tables in the urwīsgāh. Finally, we concluded that, the Chahar-Taqi (fire temples) with these platforms were probably functioning as the urwīsgāh during Sassanid period. However, the current differences between the architectural structures of contemporary urwīsgāh and Sassanid Chahar-Taqi, can be attributed to the passage of time and the conducted changes in the Islamic period, when the Zoroastrians turned from the majority of the population to the minority of the population, and faced some restrictions and limitations forced by the Muslim majority.

Bakharz is one of the mos t important historical regions in Khorasan, which has been touched upon in different chronicles left from the Islamic period. Bakharz has always been of interest to the human communities due to its climatic, political and economic attractions, which is well reflected in the abundance of historical sites. Thus, an intensive archaeological survey was conducted in order to identify the historical relics and their cultural - social interconnections across the region, which led to the discovery of a variety of relics from different historical periods. For example, some adobe circular constructions some 15 meters in diameter are notable for their resemblance to the towers of silence in India and other parts of Iran. This article tries to precisely describe and date those structures in comparison to other types of tower of silence. One can conclude  that those structures bear a striking resemblance to other structures of that kind ever found in other parts of Iran in their shapes and positions. Also, their distance from the Sasanian - Islamic sites suggests that those structures date back to the beginning of the Islamic period.
Keywords: Khorasan, Bakharz, Archaeological Survey, Tower of Silence, sasanian - Islamic Period

با شکل گیری گنبد و گسترش آن در معماری ایران، استفاده از فرم چهارتاقی مرسوم شد. یکی از شاخصه های معماری دوره تاریخی ایران، شکل گیری چهارتاق و تحول آن در دوره ساسانی است. این نوع معماری همچون یک علامت در فرهنگ ایرانی ریشه کرده و در دوران اسلامی نیز همچنان برجای مانده است. مسئله مهم در مورد چهارتاق ها، علاوه بر کاربری شان، گاهنگاری آنها است. چهارتاق های دوران ساسانی با توجه به اینکه این دوره بسیار طولانی است، دارای سیر تحولی ساختاری است که می توان آنها را در سه دوره اولیه، دوره میانی و دوره متاخر ساسانی بررسی نمود. در این پژوهش به دسته بندی آتشکده های دوره ساسانی می پردازم.