Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• fatemeh ahmadvand

Assistant Professor of the Department of History and Civilization of Islamic Nations, Faculty of Islamic Sciences and Researches, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

Abstract

The historical geography of Islamic Iran, as a specialized field concerned with the transformation of places, regions, networks, and spatial relations in the past, has often been limited to the identification of place-names, the delimitation of territories, and the reconstruction of routes and cities. Focusing on the third to eighth centuries AH, this article examines how historical geography can move geographical texts from the level of description to the explanation of historical processes. In this study, the “spatial turn” refers to an approach that regards space and place not as neutral backgrounds, but as historical and social phenomena that shape power, economy, identity, and narrative. The article seeks to redefine the position of historical geography within the study of Islamic Iran and to propose a model for the critical and spatial analysis of sources. It employs a historical-analytical method based on a comparative reading of the works of Ibn Khurradadhbih, al-Yaqubi, al-Istakhri, Ibn Hawqal, al-Muqaddasi, Hudud al-Alam, Yaqut al-Hamawi, and Hamdallah Mustawfi. The theoretical framework draws on the concepts of the production of space, Thirdspace, relational place, and genius loci, while historical GIS is treated as a tool for linking spatial and temporal data, reconstructing networks, and analyzing spatial change. The findings show that each source represents a particular form of historical geography, ranging from administrative and regional to urban, mnemonic, and fiscal. Historical geography becomes an explanatory and specialized approach when data extraction, source criticism, spatial analysis, and the explicit recording of data reliability are applied simultaneously.

Keywords

• Historical Geography of Islamic Iran
• Historical Geography Methodology
• Islamic Geographical Texts
• Spatial Turn
• Historical GIS
• Road and Urban Networks

Main Subjects

• History