Kuh-e Khwajeh (Sistan): a New Laser-Scanner and Photogrammetric Survey of a Most Important Pre-Islamic Monument

Former ITABC (recently fused together with other CNR institutes into ISPC), since 2017 works in the site of Kuh-e Khwajeh, one of the most important Parthian-Sasanian monuments of Iran. The region is watered by the Hilmand river, that forms an inner delta and a lake. In the lake rises a mountain, a basalt mesa, on which was built the complex of Kuh-e Khwajeh. River, lake and mountain were extremely important for the Zoroastrian religion. The institute works on the main site, an enormous structure with a complex architecture going back to I-VII centuries AD, which probably was a palace-temple or a temple with a theological school, with a rich stucco and painted decoration. Unfortunately most of the paintings detached by M.A. Stein and E.E. Herzfeld between 1915 and 1929 were destroyed or lost.ISPC is carrying out a photogrammetric and laser-scanner survey of the building, with the aim of a 3D explorable model of the monument, in theory even to scale 1:1. The model will have the millimetrical precision of the laser-scanner and the texture and chromatic output of the photogrammetry. It will be possible to obtain automatically from themodel plans, sections, prospects etc. It will also be possible to insert at the proper place the graphic documentation of the lost wall paintings, which is very abundant (sketches, drawings, photographs, watercolours) for the ones detached by Herzfeld. This part of the work will be carried out by the Tang Centre for Silk Road Sudies, University of California,Berkeley, on the basis of an already existing agreement of collaboration.