Bodies and Glazes of Architectural Ceramics from the Ilkhanid Period at Takht-e Soleyman (North-Western Iran)

Stefan Röhrs,Ute Franke,Katharina Kuntz,Alexandra Dumazet

doi:10.3390/min12020158

Abstract

Bodies and glazes of tiles from the Ilkhanid period found at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Takht-e Soleyman were studied to identify materials and certain technical characteristics of the architectural ceramics as part of a larger project to establish different productions. In addition, ceramic vessels and technical ceramics excavated at the site were analysed for comparison. µXRF, SEM/EDX, and Raman spectroscopy were used for the material investigations. Qualitative non-invasive µXRF results allowed for categorisation of the glazes and ceramic bodies based on their overall composition. Quantitative analysis by SEM/EDX on a subset of the samples delivered detailed results on the bodies and glazes. Tiles, made from clay or stonepaste, were almost exclusively decorated with a mixed alkaline lead glaze. The PbO content of this type of glaze ranged from 8 wt% to 25 wt%. The clay bodies of some tiles corresponded to the material of the locally used kiln furniture. Moreover, glaze residues preserved on the kiln furniture proved to be from a mixed lead alkaline glaze with a PbO content of 15 wt% to 25 wt%, a composition that is comparable to the tiles’ glazes. For more insights into the local or regional production of the tiles, supplementary in-depth studies including petrographic analysis would be needed to confirm and further specify the results.

Highlights

Accepted: 25 January 2022Located in north-western Iran, the site of Takht-e Soleyman, a UNESCO World CulturalHeritage site since 2003, hosts the remains of a Sasanian fire temple and a summer palace built by the Ilkhanid emperor Abaqa Khan in the second half of the 13th century
The goal was to characterize groups by ceramic paste to reduce the number of invasive analyses by ESEM/EDX, which requires sampling
The samples were classified into compositional groups based on their bodies and glazes: clay or stonepaste for the fabric; alkali, lead, or mixed lead alkali for the glazes

Summary

Introduction

Accepted: 25 January 2022Located in north-western Iran, the site of Takht-e Soleyman, a UNESCO World CulturalHeritage site since 2003, hosts the remains of a Sasanian fire temple and a summer palace built by the Ilkhanid emperor Abaqa Khan in the second half of the 13th century. Located in north-western Iran, the site of Takht-e Soleyman, a UNESCO World Cultural. During the excavations conducted by the German Archaeological Institute, a large number of glazed ceramic tiles was found, indicating lavishly decorated buildings and interiors [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The Museum für Islamische Kunst in Berlin, Germany, houses a large collection of objects from Takht-e Soleyman thanks to a find division agreement and the subsequent transfer of the finds from the German Archaeological Institute to the Museum. Tiles are generally classified technologically and stylistically according to fabrics of the body, form, and decorative techniques. This paper focusses on the analysis of fabrics and glazes from selected samples from Takht-e Soleyman. General information on the typological range of shapes and decorative features of the tiles can be found in [9,10,11]

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Results

Conclusion