Throughout the history of Iran, especially in prehistoric and early history, castles have played an important role in the fortification of the country. They were usually maintained by officials on important routes or cities, and most of them were in unmarked heights with steep slopes or cliffs. Such places have always served as a natural defenses against enemies and offer a panoramic view of the surrounding lands, so cities and surrounding lands can be defended. Most of Iran's castles had springs or wells, except for those that were previously surrounded by water.[1]
There is no precise archaeological dating of the buildings of the Citadel of Bam. But through historic sources and ancient texts, the first human settlement in the area can be traced back to the fort built by the Achaemenians around 579–323 BC. Some of the citadel's features such as its establishment on a platform combining a natural hilltop and a manmade terrace have been compared by archaeologists to the Achaemenian model of Persepolis. During the Parthian rule, the fort was expanded and became Arg-e-Bam, the Citadel of Bam.[2]
The Alamut castle was built by the Justanid ruler Wahsudan b. Marzuban, a follower of Zaydi Shi'ism, around 865 AD.[3] During a hunting trip, he witnessed a soaring eagle perch down high on a rock.[4]: 29 Realizing the tactical advantage of this location, he chose the site for the construction of a fortress, which was called "Aluh āmū[kh]t" likely meaning "Eagle's Teaching" or "Nest of Punishment".[4]: 29 [5][6][7] Alamut remained under Justanid control until the arrival of the Isma'ili chief da’i (missionary) Hasan-i Sabbah to the castle in 1090 AD, marking the start of the Alamut period in Nizari Isma'ili history.
The location of the castle is strategically interesting. This fort is one of the most prominent and superior ancient forts of Iran in terms of inaccessibility and resistance against invaders and easily competes with the fortifications of Babak Fort in Kaleybar and Alamut Castle in Alamut. This shows that the builders of the castle have carried out extensive field studies to locate it. In total, Atashgah Castle is built on a high rocky cliff and difficult to cross, three sides of which are high and dangerous precipices. Around this cliff, shortly after the precipices, the walls of other high cliffs have re-enclosed it in the form of impenetrable and inaccessible fortifications.[8][9]
The castle, built on 2300–2600 meter heights, surrounded by 400 to 600 meter gorges, is accessed via a long series of broken steps that lead to the top of a hill. Thereafter, the easiest route is a long dirt track. No signs lead to the Castle. At the end of the dirt track, the route turns left. The first sign of the ruins appears on the left, leaving two peaks to cross. The first peak has views of the Castle. After ascending a second peak, with additional ruins, the trail passes sheer cliffs on the right with no railings.
Falak-ol-Aflak castle is amongst the most important structures built during the Sassanid era. It has been known by a number of names since it was built over 1800 years ago. Recorded names have referred to it as Shapur-Khast or Sabr-Khast fortress, Dezbaz, Khoramabad castle, and ultimately the Falak-ol-Aflak Castle. Under the Pahlavi dynasty, after being used as a prison until 1968, it was transformed into a museum complex.[10]
The structure consists of an empty area approximately 175 hectares (430 acres), surrounded by a wall 15–22 metres (49–72 ft) in width and up to 25 metres (82 ft) in height. It featured 148 densely spaced towers and four monumental gates. The massive walls contained a wealth of embedded structures: a row of around 828 rooms (circa 12 square metres (130 sq ft) in size) and hundreds of monumental arches, evoking royal Sasanian architecture. The structure was further protected by a ditch around the wall. A population of 2,000-6,000 could have been accommodated in the walls.[11][12][13]
The history of the castle complex dates back to the pre-Islamic era of Iran. Izad-Khast is a Sassanid castle, built during the Sassanid Empire (224 to 651 AD) which ruled Persia (Iran) and many parts of the surrounding countries.[14] It was then used, added and improved on until Qajars era (1794 to 1925). This has left works inside the castle belonging to different periods from Sassanids to Qajars with different architectural styles.
Rudkhan Castle sits at the two peaks of a mountain at elevations of 715 and 670 metres and contains strong fortifications and battlements at a length of 1,550 metres. The castle's 42 towers still stand intact.
it's become an attractive touristic destination. During the reign of third Yazdgerd, the Sasanid King, Arabs could not conquer this city due to its high walls.[15]
The 1,800-year-old castle has lost some four meters of its original height over the last century and experts warn if urgent measures are not taken to enforce it, the castle may soon collapse.[16]
This building has been built as an old fortress with 3 different floors, each for a different class of society. Although all outer gates have been destroyed the inner castle still exists. You can still see some of the outer walls.
^ abVirani, Shafique N. (2007). The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, a Search for Salvation. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN9780195311730.
^Petrushevskiĭ, Ilʹi͡a Pavlovich (1985). Islam in Iran. SUNY Press. p. 363, Note 40. ISBN0887060706: The numerical value of the word (الموت) is 483, which is the date of the castle's capture by Hassan-i Sabbah (483 AH = 1090/91 AD).((cite book)): CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^Hourcade, B. (December 15, 1985). "ALAMŪT". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved February 10, 2013. According to legend, an eagle indicated the site to a Daylamite ruler; hence the name, from aloh (eagle) and āmū(ḵ)t (taught).
^Bosworth, C. E. (January 1989). "Review of Books". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 121 (1): 153–154. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00168108.
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