Dehistan: Archaeology of a Medieval Pilgrimage City

Dehistan (medieval: Ribat Dehistan) is one of the most interesting medieval sites, as the city plan is the best preserved of the Iranian cities of the period, being situated in a desert environment. In fieldwork between 1996 and 2012, it proved possible to demonstrate a classic development from ribat in the 3rd/9th century to pilgrimage city, part abandoned under the Il-Khanids, with the rich finds found elsewhere in pilgrimage towns. Unusually, there is also an extensive extramural landscape of the period, preserving buildings outside the walls, and field systems, virtually the only one surviving in the Middle East.

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