The Appearance and the Traditional Functions of Cities in Ancient Iran (Based on Ferdowsi’s Shāh-nāme and Historical Documents)

جستارهای نوین ادبی

Article 2, Volume 44, Issue 4 - Serial Number 175, February 2012, Pages 1-33   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jls.v44i4.14557

Authors

Farzaneh Alavizadeh^* ; Mohammad Jafar Yahaghi

Abstract

In the Iranians’ system of thought, the habitable cities had such great importance that their constructions were attributed to the kings especially the Sasanians in the historical and geographical works and also in Ferdowsi’s Shāh-nāme. In the first part, this essay seeks to gather and classify various examples and analyze the construction model of cities and their specifications in ancient Iran based on two groups of sources: historical and geographical works and accounts on the one hand and Ferdowsi’s Shāh-nāme on the other. In the second part, the study intends to investigate the traditional functions, appearance and names of cities, and to mention the differences between historical accounts and Ferdowsi’s Shāh-nāme and their causes.

Keywords

Cities; Specifications of cities; Sassanid kings; Ferdowsi’s Shāh-nāme; Significance of the names