National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

measuring about 44 yards by 18 inside, which we passed about 1¼ miles before reaching Ātish-
kadah. Our guide declared the two to be of the same age. But while glazed fragments were plenti-
ful, no ribbed pottery was to be found here, and the walls were built of sun-dried bricks, about
11″×7″×2″. Everything clearly indicated construction in late Muhammadan times.

Mr. Tate refers to ruined towers in this neighbourhood which served as watch-towers in recent Site known
times, but which he assumed to have been originally Zoroastrian 'towers of silence' or 'Dakhmas'.⁸ as Dakhma.
This induced me to visit from Shahristan a locality to which I heard the name of Dakhma actually
applied. It is probably that to which he alludes as being situated on a mound by the side of the
track leading past Shahristan to Nasratabād. A little beyond the village of Malik-Haidar and
close on 4 miles beyond Shahristan a small gravel-covered plateau bears some decayed sepulchral
domes amidst Muhammadan graves. The name suggests that the place was once used for dis-
posing of the dead in the orthodox Zoroastrian fashion ; but no trace of a Dakhma survives. About
a mile to SSW. another little plateau rising about 30 feet above the plain bears a circular walled
enclosure about 80 feet in diameter, built of stamped clay, with a gate opening about 6 feet wide.
Some 60 yards off to the north there is another of the same type, over 140 feet in diameter. These
enclosures, which looked as if intended to shelter sheep, account for the name Ākhur, 'manger',
by which the place is known. This is applied in Sīstān to any ruin of more or less circular shape and
usually associated with Rustam's legendary steed Rakhsh. There was nothing here to suggest
a Dakhma. Two ruined square towers crowning small isolated mounds some 200 and 300 yards
off to the west and north-west are proved by their small bricks to belong to Muhammadan times.

SPECIMENS OF POTTERY COLLECTED AT SHAHRISTAN

Fragments of plain pottery. Shahr. 04, 05, 015, 018.
Plain. Red, well washed. 04, flat, with chamfered edge.
2¾″×2⅜″. 05, shows very faint rib-marks. 2½″×1⅞″. 015,
shows ribbing more pronounced on lower edge, gradually
dying away to perfectly smooth surface near neck. 5⅜″×
3⅛″. 018, part of base of jar with simple disc foot ; a faint
incised annular line above and perhaps a potter's mark
(character ?) within an ellipse on bottom. Ch. 3⅛″.

Shahr. 012, 035, 039. Plain, red, with richer red surface,
burnished in bands and lines. 012, dull surface. 2½″×1½″.
Pl. CXV. 035, 2″×2″. 039, has two very thin burnished
lines, wide apart, and a few incised annular lines inside.
1⅞″×1⅜″. Pl. CXV.

Fragments of decorated pottery. Shahr. 02. Mouth
with strongly everted lip. On shoulder a row of leaf im-
pressions, spatulate shape, filled with faint 'herring-bone'
hatching. 3⅜″×2⅜″. Pl. CXV. 03. Shoulder and part of
neck. A raised annular band with row of dents made with
blunt stick. 3⅜″×2⅜″. Pl. CXV. 09. Loop handle with
part of lip and shoulder. Handle impressed with row of
triangular dents. Upper surface of lip with similar orna-
ment but larger. Raised rib round centre of neck orna-
mented as handle. At root of neck a band of indented
triangles. The two zones of neck separated by the centre
rib are ornamented with deeply cut large triangles. H. 2⅜″;
hor. ch. 2⅜″. Pl. CXV. 023, shows three rows of closely
impressed leaf shapes with square 'gradini' serrations.

A slightly raised annular line below. 2⅜″×1⅜″. Pl. CXV.
010. Thickened simple lip with raised band below and
obliquely drawn, faintly combed festoon ornament below
band. Upper edge of lip has series of small notches. 2½″×
2″. 011. Shoulder of vessel with mouth. Outside, a raised
band with shallow dents. Below, traces of incised curves.
3″×1⅜″. Pl. CXV. 014. From shoulder of large jar.
Divided into zones by incised lines. Beginning at top,
a row of triangular dents. Next a zone of incised meander
with small triangular dent at each bend above and below.
Below, a narrower zone of roughly drawn meander with
a few dents. 5⅜″×3½″. Pl. CXV. 017. Part of flat
circular disc (lid ?) ; shows circular band of two shallow
incised lines with the intervening rib dented. Within
circle, a band of combed festoon. Without, bands of
combed meander. 2⅜″×2⅜″. Pl. CXV. 033. Probably
part of very large vessel. Ornamented with band of fluting,
a row of impressed rings and channels. Below, a zone of
large zigzag or triangles composed of lines of impressed
rings. 4″×4″×⅜″. Pl. CXV. 036. Part of mouth and
neck. Below lip, outside, a raised rib with notches. Above
and below, roughly incised single-line meanders. 2″×1⅜″.
Pl. CXV. 037. Part of shoulder of jar. A broad zone at
base of neck divided into panels ('triglyphs') of straight
vertical combing alternating with wavy or zigzag vertical
combing, very shallow. Above zone horizontal wavy comb-
ing, and below zone festoon combing. 3″×1⅜″. Pl. CXV.
08. Part of shoulder and loop handle of vessel. Round