Formation and Historical Development of the City of Kermanshah in the Late Sasanian Period and the Early and Middle Centuries of the Islamic Era Based on Historical Evidence and Archaeological Data

Abstract

The city of Kermanshah, located in western Iran at the intersection of the communication routes linking the Iranian Plateau, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia, experienced fundamental morphological, spatial, and functional transformations from the late Sasanian period through the early and middle Islamic centuries. Despite the historical significance of this city, historical sources do not present a unified narrative regarding the timing, process, and pattern of its formation. Major discrepancies are particularly evident in determining the precise location of the city’s original nucleus, its political role during the Sasanian period, and the extent of spatial continuity or rupture following the advent of Islam. This study aims to provide a critical reinterpretation of the process of urban formation and transformation in Kermanshah through an integrated methodological approach combining library-based research, field investigations, comparative analysis of historical texts—especially the works of al-Ya‘qubi, al-Tabari, and al-Maqdisi—and their correlation with archaeological evidence and historical geography. The findings indicate that during the Sasanian period, Kermanshah possessed a tripartite spatial organization consisting of the citadel (kuhandiz), the urban core (shahristan), and the suburban district (rabad). The fortification system played a decisive role in shaping social differentiation and functional zoning within the urban environment. With the Islamic conquest and the political–administrative transformations of the seventh century CE, the urban center shifted from a military–courtly structure toward an economic–religious framework. The congregational mosque and the bazaar emerged as the principal organizing elements of urban space, accompanied by the development of a network of neighborhoods, caravanserais, and religious institutions. The study argues that the transformation of Kermanshah represents not a complete rupture but rather a gradual transition from the Sasanian urban model to the Islamic city. Newly emerging urban elements were established upon preexisting spatial foundations, making Kermanshah a prominent example in western Iran of both continuity and transformation in the evolution of the Iranian city at the threshold of the Islamic world.