Ars Orientalis 57 (under review)

Once a center of piety and power on the outskirts of Tabriz, Shanb-i Ghazan was among the most ambitious religious foundations of the Ilkhanid period. This article traces the historical development of the complex, founded by Ghazan Khan (r. 1295–1304), examining how his tomb became a site of pilgrimage and memory. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources alongside architectural and archaeological evidence, the study explores the religious, ideological, and political motivations behind Ghazan’s endowment. It argues that Ghazan redefined conventional Islamic practice by positioning himself, not a saint, as the spiritual focal point, marking a notable departure from the tradition of seeking blessings at the tombs of religious figures.

The foundation flourished under the Ilkhanids and early Safavids but later declined due to political conflict, sectarian shifts, and legal reinterpretations of its endowment. Yet, despite warfare, earthquakes, and neglect, the tomb’s sanctity persisted in local practices into the late nineteenth century. Although modern development has erased much of the original complex, traces of its circular layout and architectural fragments still echo its enduring legacy in the urban fabric of Tabriz.

In Medieval Islamic History in 50 Objects, edited by Marcus Milwright. Routledge (forthcoming)

The Emin Minaret, or Sugongta (tower of Sugong), is attached to an expansive, yet undecorated, mosque in Turfan (Turpan), located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. While geographically and politically part of China, Turfan’s religious and architectural heritage is distinct from the mainstream traditions of Chinese architecture and religion. This chapter argues that the Emin Minaret exemplifies this rich fusion through its concept, design, layout, and decoration, reflecting an intriguing combination of regional and external architectural and artistic styles.

In Medieval Islamic History in 50 Objects, edited by Marcus Milwright. Routledge (forthcoming)

This chapter discusses two rock-cut panels that face each other, both featuring designs of Chinese-style dragons. The panels are situated within an unfinished rock-cut complex locally known as the temple of Dash Kassan. The complex is located near the village of Viar, approximately 30 km south-southeast of Sultaniyya. Despite being in ruins and lesser-known among scholars, the building is a significant Ilkhanid monument, showcasing the transculturalism that characterises the religion, art, and architecture of the Ilkhanid period.

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 32, no. 3, (2022): 613–633. Published online: 06 September 2021

https://doi.org/10.1017/S1356186321000638

This article discusses the career of three historical figures who had a position of authority in the courts of the Ilkhans and the Great Khans of the Mongol Empire in China: Rashid al-Din Tabib, the Persian statesman and historian; Liu Bingzhong, Qubilai Khan’s Chinese counsellor; and Bolad Aqa, the famed Mongol tribesman. This study raises the question of whether Rashid al-Din’s policies, when he was in office as the vizier of Ghazan Khan, were modelled in some respects on the approach of the Chinese nobles—Liu in particular—to the Mongols during the early stages of the Mongol rule over China. In addition, taking into account Bolad’s noticeable presence in the courts of the Mongols in Ilkhanid Iran and Yuan China, it seeks to shed light on his role as an intermediary and a possible conduit for Chinese political thoughts to reach Rashid al-Din.

Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies 60, no. 1, (2022): 91–120. Published online: 24 March 2020

https://doi.org/10.1080/05786967.2020.1744469

Mongol campaigns in Iran in the thirteenth century caused extensive destruction in different aspects of the social life and built environment of Iran. Following the foundation of the Ilkhanid dynasty in 1256, along with the reconstruction of the cities that had been extensively destroyed during the Mongol attack on Iran, the Ilkhans (Mongol rulers) founded a number of new settlements. Sultaniyya in one of the major urban centres that was planned and constructed from the outset by the Ilkhans. In view of the available architectural remains, archaeological findings, and written records, this article seeks to describe the spatial structure of the citadel and the outer city of Ilkhanid Sultaniyya.

First author, with S.H. Yeganehfarzand. Vernacular Architecture 50, no. 1 (2019): 57–77. Published online: 13 November 2019

https://doi.org/10.1080/03055477.2019.1666356.

Focusing on Nashtifan windmills in Razavi Khurasan Province, Iran, the present paper examines these structures in their physical and natural context. This research is directed in two ways: the small-scale that focuses on the windmills as individual manufacturing units and surveys their structural and functional characteristics, and the large-scale that looks at the formation of the windmills in connection with local and regional geographical factors. While laying emphasis on Nashtifan windmills, this paper underlines the significance of the study of the lesser-known windmills distributed across the province, many of which are on the verge of destruction. The examination of several sets of windmills in comparison with one another paves the way for a more detailed exploration of the construction and operation of Nashtifan windmills at the heart of this research.

In Earthen Architecture in Muslim Cultures: Historical and Anthropological Perspectives, edited by Stephane Pradines, 203–232. Leiden: Brill, 2018.

This chapter examines the fortified residential compounds of Iran’s Yazd province. Historically, these compounds served as desert settlements, offering protection against natural and human threats thanks to a complex network of walls, towers, and protected entrances. However, since the early 20th century they have been subjected to a gradual process of deterioration as evolving social conditions came to mean that living within walled compounds was no longer necessary or even economically logical. Accordingly, their inhabitants abandoned compounds and existing residential settlements that they had outgrown, thereby fractured their architectural integrity. Despite their outstanding historical and architectural values, we observe a great number of architectural remains going through their tragic process of destruction.