One of the very rare chartaqis (fireplaces) surviving from the Sassanid period, is in Ilam province. The fire of this chartaqi was burning from the Sassanid period upto the Safavid period, and in the 11th lunar century, its flam was extinguished. this chartaqi, called “Siah gel” if of great value in archeological research.
The fire temple and Siahgel chartaqi is in Ivan city, Ilam province. Near a river called Gangir, at a distance of 700 m, ruins of a magnificent structure can be seen. This is the siahgel chartaqi. A small plain can be seen around this structure. Archaeologists think this plain was a place for the houses and settlements of the people around Chartaqhi in the past centuries. In the old days, the lands around Chahartaq Siahgel were dedicated to this fire temple. A village called Sartang can be seen nearby, and the signs of settlement and living of people have remained, not too far from the Chartaqi.
Siahgel Chartaqi has remained from the Sassanid period. First time, in 1970, a Belgian archeologist named Vandenberg, wrote a scientific article on this structure. Archaeological findings around Siahgel do not leave any doubt that this is a Sassanid structure. Artifacts found in this area are handmade pottery and pieces of glass from ancient times. Surprisingly, traces of the post-ancient era of Iran have been found in this part and around the Siahgel Chartaqhi, which, as we have mentioned, shows the continuous burning of the Siahgel fire and also people who are believed to have had their ancient and ancestral beliefs.
But the name of this Chartaqhi or fire temple is borrowed from the nearby coal mine that has dark-colored soil. The mud obtained from this soil is black. Therefore, this structure is called Siah gel (black soil). Siahgel chartaqi is a structure with 4-cornerned (square shaped) porch. The structure is 5 m high, and the walls are 1 m thick. The fire alter of this chartaqi is intact, and there are signs of a courtyard around it, which has now collapsed.
Four portals can be seen in Siahgel, like the other Chartaghis in Iran. There is a 12-meter-high stone rock near Chartaghi called “Sanyeri” in the Kurdish dialect of the people there. San means stone. A dome was built on top of the Chartaghi, part of which is now destroyed. There are openings in this dome. Another part of the Chartaghi, which unfortunately has been destroyed a lot, is the corridors on each side; now, only a sketch of them can be seen. Siahgel Chartaghi was built from the rubble that is abundantly found in the surrounding lands, as well as mortar and plaster. In 2000, this Chartaghi was registered among Iran’s national and historical works.
There are many chartaqi in Ilam province. Some of them are as follows: Julian’s quadrangle in Abdanan city, on the southern slope of Kabirkoh, which was built on a natural ridge during the Sasanian era; Moshgan Quadrangle of the ancient town of Sirvan, which has been left from the Sasanian period and its flame was lit until the fourth century. Molab chartaqi in Abdanan city, which is a square-shaped structure; Chahartaqi Pushtarisht, which is built on a platform with a height of one meter; Chartaqhi Maimah in a village with the same name that has borne extensive destruction; Chartaq of Koushk Khanifar in Mehran city; Mehr Varpil’s quadrangle and Atashkdeh survived from the Sassanid period. Coins from Ardeshir I of the Sassanid era have been found in this quadrangle; Chengiye quarter in the southeast of Ilam city and several other chartaqis. The famous Chahartaqi of Borj Abad, Dareshahr, Ilam province, should be mentioned in a separate article.
