Espahbod Khorshid Cave (Mazandaran, Iran). Some Insights on the Buildings of the Sasanian Period

The Espahbod Khorshid Cave, located in Savadkouh District, Mazandaran province, is a huge natural cavity open on the northern flank of the mount Lakamar, in the Khatir Kooh valley, just above the river Talar. The cave has represented a natural refuge through time and during the Sassanian period it has been the stronghold of the last ruler of Tabarestan.From the middle fifty of the past century, the cave has been visited and described by various professional and non professional archaeologists. Over the years, few scholars have paid attention to these ruins, although the site has always been visible because of its location. In general, the position of the cave and the arrangement of the inside architectural structures makes it impossible for casual visitors to gain access to the site, especially to the upper levels which can be reached only by expert climbers. The archaeological and architectural structures preserved in the cave (mostly from late Sasanian times and later periods) were systematically documented from a team of Iranian architects, between 2008 and 2011. In 2015, with the permission of Authority of the Mazandaran Province, a preliminary Iranian - Italian archaeological expedition started the systematic collection of data regarding architecture and artifacts. The study of the various classes of building materials has been firstly focussed on the analysis of some timber structures of the eastern building complex.The remains of some wooden planks/beams were still in situ, roughly confined in the margin of the main walls. The conservation of wooden material was excelent and has allowed detailed analysis of the wooden building material, and indirect analysis of the local environment. The type of wood of these planks/beams was determined as belonging to two different species, Fraxinus sp. and Quercus sp., providing the first and preliminary information on the exploitation of the local wood resourches. Further collections of structural wood from the destroyed buildings will allow us to investigate the ancient wood technology and the exploitation of the woodlands alongside the history of the human occupation of the Espahbod Khorshid Cave.

Keywords:

Espahbod Khorshid , Sasanian Period , Savadkouh , Mazandaran , conservation , wooden material