AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CULTURE OF TIS BASED ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS AND STUDIES (ISLAMIC ERA)

Dorrazahi, Mohammadyasin; Esmaeili Jelodar, Mohammad Esmaeil; Azadi, Ahmad

doi:10.22034/jsbs.2025.387962.1048

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CULTURE OF TIS BASED ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS AND STUDIES (ISLAMIC ERA)

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Mohammadyasin Dorrazahi ¹

Mohammad Esmaeil Esmaeili Jelodar ²

Ahmad Azadi ³

¹ Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran.

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT), Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/jsbs.2025.387962.1048

Abstract

The port of Tis, located along the Makran coast, was one of the most significant Iranian ports during the 11th and 12th centuries CE, administered under the Seljuks of Kerman. This port has been mentioned by numerous geographers and historians, and over several archaeological seasons, many valuable artifacts have been identified from the area. With the development of Tis during the Islamic period—particularly under the rule of the Kerman Seljuks—this study seeks to investigate the port's cultural influence on the coastal and hinterland regions of Makran, and whether similar patterns can be observed elsewhere. The main objective of the present research is to evaluate the position of Tis and its extensive commercial connections in shaping settlements and sites across the coastal and hinterland regions of Makran, using archaeological investigations and historical sources. This article adopts a descriptive-comparative and historical-analytical approach, employing both documentary methods and field studies to answer the question: What was the commercial role and significance of Tis in the formation and development of settlements in the coastal and hinterland areas of Makran during the Islamic era? Today’s port of Chabahar can be considered as inheriting the historical role of Tis. A review of historical sources regarding Tis's commercial ties with ports in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, alongside the distribution of Tis-type ceramics—particularly Islamic glazed wares and Chinese celadon—demonstrates the importance of the port and its influence on regional settlement growth. The decline of Tis as a commercial center coincided with the downturn of settlements and archaeological sites from the same period.

Keywords

Tis culture

Seljuks of Kerman

coastal and hinterland Makran

archaeological evidence

historical sources

چکیده: بندر تیس در سواحل مَکران، یکی از بنادر مهم ایران در قرون پنجم و ششم هجری قمری بوده است که تحت نظارت سلجوقیان کرمان اداره می‌شد. از این بندر، نه‌تنها در منابع بسیاری از جغرافی‌دانان و مورخان سخن به میان آمده، بلکه طی چندین فصل بررسی، آثار بسیار ارزشمندی از آن شناسایی شده است. با توسعة بندر تیس در دورة اسلامی، به‌ویژه در دوران حکومت سلجوقیان کرمان، این پرسش مطرح می‌شود که تأثیر فرهنگی آن بر مناطق ساحلی و فراساحلی مکران چگونه بوده و آیا می‌توان آن را با سایر بنادر منطقه مقایسه کرد. هدف اصلی پژوهش حاضر، بررسی جایگاه بندر تیس و ارتباطات بازرگانی گستردة آن در توسعة استقرارگاه‌ها و محوطه‌های مناطق ساحلی و فراساحلی مکران، بر اساس مطالعات باستان‌شناسی و منابع تاریخی است. این مقاله با رویکرد توصیفی ـ تطبیقی و تحلیل تاریخی، و با استفاده از شیوه‌های اسنادی و مطالعات میدانی، در پی پاسخ به این پرسش است که نقش و جایگاه تجاری ـ بازرگانی بندر تیس در شکل‌گیری و توسعة استقرارگاه‌ها و محوطه‌های مناطق یادشده در دورة اسلامی چگونه بوده است؛ به‌گونه‌ای که می‌توان بندر امروزی چابهار را ادامه‌دهندة نقش تاریخی بندر تیس دانست. مطالعة منابع تاریخی دربارة ارتباطات تجاری بندر تیس با بنادر خلیج فارس و اقیانوس هند، و همچنین گسترش سفال نوع تیس ــ که از مهم‌ترین ویژگی‌های آن، سفال لعاب‌دار اسلامی نوع تیس و سفال سلادون چینی است ــ نشانگر اهمیت این بندر و تأثیر آن بر توسعةاستقرارگاه‌ها در منطقة مکران است. به‌گونه‌ای که با افول جایگاه تجاری بندر تیس، شاهد رکود در استقرارگاه‌ها و محوطه‌های هم‌زمان هستیم.

کلیدواژه: فرهنگ تیس، سلجوقیان کرمان، مناطق ساحلی و فراساحلی مکران، شواهد باستان‌شناسی، قرائن تاریخی.

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