Document Type : Original Article
Author
PhD in Islamic history, Payam Noor University and Researcher of Isfahan History and Culture, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Local history, as a fundamental branch of historiography, plays a pivotal role in safeguarding collective identity, recording and representing historical memory, and explaining the political, social, cultural, and economic transformations of small communities. From this perspective, research in regions that, despite an ancient background, lack documented written history, can provide a basis for a more accurate reconstruction of national history. The village of Vist, a dependency of Khansar which has recently been upgraded to a city, is a prime example of such a region; an area that, with evidence of three thousand years of habitation and rock carvings dating back over ten thousand years, still lacks a comprehensive written history. The main research question is: How can the historical past of Vist be rediscovered through archaeological evidence, historical documents, and oral narratives? The research findings, obtained through a descriptive-analytical approach relying on fieldwork and written sources, indicate that this region, due to its rich water resources, fertile lands, and strategic location on the caravan route between Isfahan and Borujerd, has always been one of the important centers for agricultural production and commercial and cultural exchanges, playing an effective role in the economic structure of the region. Various pieces of evidence, such as millennia-old rock carvings, the ruins of a historical castle registered in the National Heritage List, ancient qanats (underground aqueducts), inscriptions, stone pillars, an engraved minbar (pulpit), and the ‘Zeheni Baft’ (Mental-Weave) Chaharbagh carpet registered in the National Heritage List, all serve as clear testimony to the historical and cultural significance of this area. Furthermore, contemporary historical documents and narratives, in interaction with the collective memory of the residents, reveal the hidden layers of Vist’s history.
Keywords
)