A Critical Review and Re-reading of Firoozabad (Bardaskan) Minaret Inscriptions and Dating

Abstract

Located in in Firoozabad Bardaskan village, Firoozabad minaret is a neglected building, and there are inconsistencies in the works done on it. None of the existing literature fully reads the inscriptions of the minaret, and there are also inconsistencies about its date. The location of the minaret may be behind this lack of attention, since no roads pass through that village today. The Cultural Heritage Organisation has registered this work under number 91 and considers it to be from the late 7th century, and the inscriptions to be Quranic verses, the names of the creators and the date of construction. This article aims to address the ambiguities about these texts and their dates. To do so, the data were collected and analysed through field studies in the minaret site, as well as comparative surveys and reference to supplementary sources, and also a criticism and review of the findings of the researchers in this field through library and document studies. By thoroughly reading and reconstructing the inscriptions in a digital manner, and comparing its contents with historical sources, the study has concluded that, contrary to the views of the Cultural Heritage Organisation, the Firoozabad minaret was an independent minaret related to the period of Seljuk rule in Iran, built by the order of Muhammad-ibn Mansur between 447 and 496 AH en route connecting Herat to Neyshabur.

Keywords

• minaret
• firoozabad
• tarizat
• architecture
• seljuk