Sasanians

In first half of the third century Armenia was much more than an independent buffer state with no wider cultural context, simply placed between two superpowers of the era – Iran and Rome. The idea of the Iranian character of Arsacid’s Armenia should be accepted without further doubts. Political situation of the kingdom changed with taking over the power in Iran by the Persian Dynasty of the Sasanians. Ardaxšīr ī Pābagān utilised the weakening of the Arsacids and stood up against the Parthian dynasty. After defeating Ardawān IV in 224 he declared himself the šāhānšāh of Iran. One of the directions of the military actions of the founder of the new dynasty was an attack against the kingdom of Armenia which was , at the time, ruled by the last branch of the Arsacid royal house and became the last resort of resistance against new authority. Research literature usually limits the problem of early wars with Armenia to information that probably in the late 220s, Ardaxšīr attacked Armenia. Occasionally, the topic is tackled as historical context of the relief from Salmās in Ādurbādagān. An interesting hypothesis based on the interpretation of the Salmās relief was put forward by Eshan Shavarebi, who assumes that between 240 and 242 there may have been an agreement between Ardaxšīr and the Armenians. However, it seems that this hypothesis is built on too fragile foundations. The main motive of the initial actions of the first Sasanian ruler was an attempt to remove the opposition associated with the Parthian dynasty. This motive may be observed in context of Ardaxšīr’s military actions towards Arabic city of Ḥaṭrā.

Among the significant and yet controversial archaeological remains of the Sasanian period are the Chahār Tāqis and fire temples of this era. Chahār Tāqis reflect historical and architectural engineering points that, despite their simplicity in construction, have managed to endure for many years. Although the primary function of Chahār Tāqis was mainly religious, in some cases, they could also serve as commemorative monuments or guideposts. Despite being constructed over a long period and scattered across a vast geographical area throughout the Iranian plateau, Chahār Tāqis exhibit very similar characteristics in construction techniques and spatial positioning. The abundance, distribution, and expansion of Chahār Tāqis in the studied region necessitate multiple research topics from architectural, functional, and religious perspectives. Given the prevalence and spread of Chahār Tāqis in the Isfahan region, this study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to compare the architectural elements of Sasanian fire temples and Chahār Tāqis in Isfahan province, as well as the metric dimensions of each architectural element. In addition to studying the architectural and decorative elements used in prominent Chahār Tāqis of the region, such as those in Niasar, Shirkuh, Nakhlak, and Qal'eh Dar, the reasons for their abundance in this region compared to other areas during the Sasanian period and their potential uses in the early Islamic period are also explored. Furthermore, the positioning of these structures in relation to nearby natural and unnatural phenomena has been carefully examined. Based on the dimensions and surface distribution of the mentioned Chahār Tāqis, it can be concluded that these structures were likely sites for the Aduran or Dadgah fires.