Hezar Darb Castle, Abdanan

🕰️When was it built?

From its architecture and its likeness to the historic city of Seymareh, the castle is probably Sasanian, and traces from the centuries after Islam are also linked to it. The exact date it was built is not known. It was added to Iran's National Heritage List on 12 July 2000.

🏛️What was it built for?

The mix of corridors, rooms and an enclosing wall suggests it was a castle or a garrison. Corridors ran in four directions and doorways led from them into the rooms. Its spaces were built on several levels, though not all of them are intact or open today.

👀What you will see

• The round arches of the main front are among the building's distinctive details; see their shape from the permitted path.
• Long corridors with many doorways connect to the rooms; follow the run of the spaces without entering worn parts.
• Roof openings about a metre across were made for light and air; notice where they are.
• Dressed stones and river cobbles are set together in gypsum mortar; the difference in stone sizes shows in the walls.
• The remains of the foundations of an enclosing wall on all four sides mark the outer edge of the complex.

💡Something interesting

In a building that thick walls and a lack of windows could have made dark, the builders brought light in through the roof. These openings also helped the air move, a way of making closed rooms and passages usable.

🎒Good to know before you go