آسیاب‌ دستاوردی از فناوری و مدیریت منابع آب: دشت جُوِین و جُغتای

آسیاب نمونه‌ای از نخستین تلاش‌های بشری در مهار نیروهای طبیعی به‌منظور انجام کارهای مکانیکی و نیای یک خط طولانی از ماشین‌آلات است. نیرو محرکۀ آسیاب، آب بوده است. آب به‌عنوان یک سرمایه از گذشتۀ دور نقش موثری در ایجاد استقرارگاه‌های انسانی داشته است. در خشک و نیمه‌‌خشک ایران، تامین و بهره‌بردای از منابع آبی جهت رفع نیازهای جامعه، مردم را به اندیشه واداشت و حاصل آن ساختِ سازه‌های نوآورانه بود. این امر جز با شناخت کافی از بستر جغرافیایی و قابلیت‌های محیطی میسر نمی‌شد. عمده فعالیت اقتصادی ایران کهن، بر پایۀ کشاورزی استوار بود و آسیاب‌ها یکی از سازه‌های مرتبط با این اقتصاد هستند. ضرورت توجه به آسیاب‌های سنتی از آنجا اهمیت می‌یابد که بدانیم هم‌اکنون بقایای اندکی از آن‌ها بجای‌مانده و بخش عمده‌ای از این پیشینۀ فنی و مدیریتی که با تجربیات بومی و معماری متنوع همراه بوده اکنون رو به تخریب و فراموشی هستند. بستر این پژوهش با شناسایی هفت آسیاب در دشت جوین و جغتای در بخش شمال‌غربی استان خراسان‌رضوی، طی بررسی‌های باستان‌شناختی سال 1399ه‍.ق. فراهم شد. شواهد بجای‌مانده از این آسیاب‌ها که ازلحاظ گاهنگاری متعلق به 200سال اخیر هستند، می‌توانند جواب‌گوی پرسش‌هایی در زمینۀ چگونگی مکان‌یابی این سازه‎ها، مدیریت و هدایت آب و هم‌چنین نحوۀ عملکرد آسیاب‌ها باشند؛ از این‌رو، ضمن پیمایش‌های محیطی و انجام مستندنگاری‌ در محل، با استفاده از روش‌های سنجش از راه دور، شواهد فیزیکی بجای‌مانده از این سازه‌ها استخراج و مورد پردازش قرار گرفتند. علاوه‌بر تحقیقات میدانی، منابع کتابخانه‌ای نیز بررسی و درنهایت یافته‌ها پردازش و تحلیل ‌شدند. حاصل این جستار موید وجود یک رویکرد مشترک در ساخت آسیاب‌‌هایی است که نیرو محرکۀ خود را از رودخانه و روان‌آب‌های سطحی تامین می‌کردند. مجموعۀ کالبدی این آسیاب‌ها متشکل از بخش تامین-هدایت و مدیریت آب، سازۀ اصلی آسیاب و فضاهای وابسته است. به‌جز فضاهای وابسته سایر بخش‌ها در غالب آسیاب‌ها یک‌سان است.

mill, an achievement of technology and water resources management: the jovein and joghatay plains

the mill is an example of one of the first human endeavors to harness natural forces to perform mechanical work and the ancestor of a long line of machines. water has been the driving force of the mill.  in arid and semi-arid lands such as iran, it made people think about the provision and use of water resources to meet the needs of the society, and the result was the construction of innovative structures. this would not have been possible except with sufficient knowledge of the geographical context and environmental capabilities. the main economic activity of ancient iran was based on agriculture and mills are one of the structures related to this economy. the need to pay attention to traditional mills is important because we know that there are few remnants of them left and a major part of this technical and management history that was associated with local experiences and diverse architecture are now being destroyed and forgotten. the basis of this research was provided by identifying eight mills in jovein and jughatay plains in the northwestern part of khorasan razavi province, during archaeological studies in 1399.studying the evidence left by these mills, which belonged to the qajar period, could answer questions about how these structures are located, water management and guidance, as well as how the mills function. therefore, in addition to field surveys and on-site documentation, an attempt was made to extract and analyze the physical evidence left over from these engineering structures using remote sensing methods. in this regard, in addition to field research, other studies with a similar subject were reviewed and finally the findings were processed and analyzed by comparative study. the result of this research was the existence of a common approach in the construction of mills that supplied their driving force from river and surface runoff. keywords: mill, water resources management, jovein and joghatay, khorasan. introductionwatermill ranks among the primeval attempts by human to harness natural forces to exploit them in mechanical applications, and stand as the forefather of a long series of machinery. this apparatus boosted productivity per capita compared to primitive querns or hand mills, resulting in fostered specialization. mills have direct bearings on such notions as economic development and capital, because investment in technology would encourage economic growth. yet expanded use of mills was contingent on procuring the required propelling force, i.e. water. as a national capital, water has effectively informed the establishment of human settlements, economy, and, consequently, origination of political powers since the remote past. in arid and semi-arid regions like iran, the provision and use of water resources to satisfy the society’s needs prompted local people to take this in consideration, the ultimate consequence of which was the advent of pertinent structures, which are innovative and unique of their kind (fisher 2005:274, saeedi 2002:381). this attainment would be impossible without sufficient knowledge of geographic settings and environmental capabilities of the involved region (karimi 1995, karmi and talebian 2014, asadi 2018).  agriculture underpinned ancient iran’s prevailing subsistence system. mills were at the core of this economy and obtained their propulsion from running waters. the importance of studying mills becomes more apparent if we consider the scarcity of the preserved ancient mills, and the fact that a major part of this engineering legacy, which was typified by diverse, local architectural experiences in different regions, has already been lost and collapsed into oblivion. the primary basis for this paper came from the discovery of 7 mills in the plains of jovein and joghatãy in northwestern khorasan razavi province, during archaeological surveys in 2020(mirzaye 2020). the ruins of these mills, dating from the qajar period, might provide answers to questions about locating and management of related structures as well as water conveyance and how the mills functioned in dry and droughty landscapes. therefore, along with fieldwalking and on-site documentation, attempts were made to extract, describe and analyze the surviving evidence from these engineering structures through remote sensing approaches. in a comparative study aimed at a better understanding of the process of water engineering and management, we analyzed 15 additional mills in the central part of the kope dagh-aladagh corridor (shirvan and fãruj counties) (mirzaye 2009) and 2 others in the northern flank of the kuh-e rahmat (arsanjãn county, fars).  discussionthe physical structure of these mills consists of the parts involved in supplying, conveyance and management of water, the main structure of the mill, and ancillary structures. remains from 7 mills were identified in the course of the surveys in the jovein-joghatãy plain. of these, those at kamayestan and azadvar each belong to a complex consisting of a row of 3 aligned mills, while the yousefabad mill represents a freestanding building. all the mills were erected close to streams originating from the northern slopes of the joghatãy mountain. the building materials consisted of cobblestone, brick, and saruj mortar. physically, they display the outlined typical tripartite structure, viz. the parts responsible for the supply, transfer and management of water, the main structure, and the ancillary sections. in terms of technique and technology, the first component was integral to these installations, as it was connected with procuring the millrace for rotating the wheel (turbine). fully acquainted with the regional climate and natural capabilities, iranian engineers would initially evaluate water resources and the feasibility of its transfer to the nearest rural settlement. the infrastructure involved a weir consisting of a series of diversions, and a surface or underground millrace (leat). indeed, environmental conditions triggered slight differences in the construction of the weir in individual cases. for example, if water was to be obtained from a permanent river, it was diverted to the mill via a diversion channel as at azadvar, and if a seasonal river served as the source, the stream was dammed by a weir so as to enable storing water and using it throughout the year as at kamayestan.the second constituent part was the main structure. extreme care had to be taken when deciding on the placement of this section, as its repositioning was rather difficult and, in cases, even impossible given its dependence upon the first section. for this very reason, the main building would undergo constant in situ reconstructions and refurbishments, and this was the best possible approach to its preservation. therefore, it is possible now to isolate repairs of