A RESEARCH STUDY INTO THE MOST IMPORTANT FLOUR PRODUCTION CENTER OF SISTAN DURING THE SAFAVID ERA (STUDY OF THE ASBAD COMPLEX IN HOZDAR REGION OF SISTAN)

Alaei Moghaddam, Javad; Mousavi Haji, Seyed Rasoul

doi:10.22034/jsbs.2025.498680.1062

A RESEARCH STUDY INTO THE MOST IMPORTANT FLOUR PRODUCTION CENTER OF SISTAN DURING THE SAFAVID ERA (STUDY OF THE ASBAD COMPLEX IN HOZDAR REGION OF SISTAN)

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Javad Alaei Moghaddam ¹

Seyed Rasoul Mousavi Haji ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Zabol, Iran

² Professor, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

10.22034/jsbs.2025.498680.1062

Abstract

Sistan, one of the ancient regions of Iran, has long been known as the hub of agricultural production due to its fertile soil and the presence of the Helmand River, and has been referred to by various names, such as Asia’s Granary and the Breadbasket of Khorasan, throughout history. The abundant wheat production led the ancient people of Sistan to invent and utilize Asbad (the Persian windmill) technology to produce flour. The windmills (Asbads) of Sistan vary in age, ranging from the third century AH to the Qajar era. Typically, during each period, in addition to single windmills (Asbads), a group of windmills (Asbads) existed in one location, serving as the most important flour production center of that era, where the largest and most significant windmills (Asbads) were located. The location of the main flour production center in Sistan during the Safavid era, considered the last glorious period of Sistan civilization, remains unidentified, and no research has been conducted on this issue despite its importance. Therefore, in order to identify the primary flour production center in Sistan during the Safavid period and to study its architectural features, the authors carried out a thorough survey of the region, along with comprehensive documentation of the research topic. Subsequently, they analyzed and compared the collected data and consulted historical sources to achieve the aforementioned objectives. The results indicate that during the Safavid era, the Hozdar complex, dating from the late 9th to the 12th century AH and consisting of five windmills (Asbads), served as the primary hub for flour production in the region. Previously, this position belonged to the Rendeh region, but due to destruction caused by warfare, it was relocated to the Hozdar area in the southern part of the Sistan plain. These windmills (Asbads), which come in two varieties of plans—single and multi-part—are classified into two types: vestibular and vertical-axis windmills (Asbads), with impellers that rotate in a clockwise direction.

Keywords

Sistan

Hozdar

Asbad

Safavid Eras

Architectural Studies

چکیده: سیستان، یکی از مناطق باستانی ایران، به دلیل خاک حاصلخیز و وجود رودخانه هیرمند، از دیرباز به‌عنوان مرکز تولیدات کشاورزی شناخته شده و در طول تاریخ با نام‌های مختلفی مانند انبار غله آسیا و نان‌دانۀ خراسان شناخته شده است. تولید فراوان گندم باعث شد که مردم باستانی سیستان، فناوری آسباد (آسیاب بادی ایرانی) را برای تولید آرد اختراع و مورد استفاده قرار دهند. آسیاب‌های بادی (آسبادهای) سیستان از نظر قدمت متفاوت‌ هستند و از قرن سوم هجری تا دوره قاجار پراکنده می‌باشند. معمولاً در هر دوره، علاوه بر آسیاب‌های بادی منفرد، مجموعه‌ای از آسیاب‌های بادی در یک محل وجود داشته که به‌عنوان مهم‌ترین مرکز تولید آرد آن دوران عمل می‌کرده است و بزرگ‌ترین و مهم‌ترین آسیاب‌ها در آنجا قرار داشتند. مکان اصلی مرکز تولید آرد در سیستان در دوره صفوی، که آخرین دوره باشکوه تمدن سیستان محسوب می‌شود، هنوز شناسایی نشده و با وجود اهمیت آن، تحقیقی در این زمینه انجام نگرفته است. بنابراین، برای شناسایی مرکز اصلی تولید آرد در سیستان در دوره صفوی و مطالعه ویژگی‌های معماری آن، پژوهشگران به انجام بررسی میدانی کامل در منطقه پرداخته و مستندسازی جامعی از موضوع تحقیق انجام دادند. سپس داده‌های جمع‌آوری‌شده را تحلیل و مقایسه کرده و با منابع تاریخی مقایسه نمودند تا اهداف مذکور محقق شود. نتایج نشان می‌دهد که در دوره صفوی، مجموعه حوض‌دار، مربوط به اواخر قرن نهم تا دوازدهم هجری، شامل پنج آسیاب بادی (آسباد)، به‌عنوان هاب اصلی تولید آرد در منطقه عمل می‌کرد. پیش‌تر این جایگاه متعلق به منطقه رنده بود، اما به دلیل ویرانی ناشی از جنگ، به ناحیه حوض‌دار در بخش جنوبی دشت سیستان منتقل شد. این آسیاب‌ها، که در دو نوع طرح ــــ منفرد و چندبخشی ـــ وجود دارند، به دو دسته آسبادهای دهلیزی و محور عمودی تقسیم می‌شوند و پره‌های آن‌ها به‌صورت ساعتگرد می‌چرخند.

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