Bishapour City Changes in Sasanian to Islamic Period Transition

Subject Areas : Prehistoric Archaeology

Zeynab Afzali ¹ , Sattar Khaledian ²

1 - Ph. D. Student in Islamic Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Ph.D. in Islamic Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2023-07-02 Accepted : 2023-07-02 Published : 2015-02-20

Keywords: Urbanism, Islamic city, Sasanian, Bishapour, Sassanid Urbanity,

Abstract :

With the rise of Islam and the conquest of Sassanid cities by Muslims, the fate of political, economic, religious and physical structure of these cities were greatly changed. This article explains spatial changes created with the rise of Islam in Sassanid cities based on the case study of Bishapour. The results show the breakdown of the Sassanid class system in the social structure of the city. That means in the early centuries of Islam, because of equality and Islamic brotherhood, texture of the city was changed and in quantitative terms, there was strong growth in housing of the poor class and lower class accede to elite spaces that previously belonged to upper class in Sassanid city. Social discrimination derived from Zoroastrianism disappeared largely from Bishapour in Islam period. With the increase in Muslim population and the power of rulers and the establishment of Islam in the country and relative security, Islamic thinking and worldview shows itself clearly in the urban spatial structure in the late third and fourth centuries. Arrangement of buildings in urban spaces and the urban spatial structure in Islamic period changed according to Islamic ideology and necessities. At the same time buildings such as Grand Mosque, Madrasa (school), Caravansary and Bazaar entered the urban context. In conclusion it must be said, urbanism in Islamic period, is created from transformation of the urban spaces of Sassanid period under the influence of Islamic thought.