Mount Khwaja or Mount Khwajeh ( fa, کوه خواجه, ''Kuh-e Kh^vājeh'') is a flat-topped black

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

hill rising up as an island in the middle of

Lake Hamun Lake Hāmūn ( fa, دریاچه هامون, ''Daryācheh-ye Hāmūn''; ps, هامون ډنډ), or the Hamoun Oasis, is a seasonal lake and wetlands in the endorheic Sīstān Basin in the Sistan region on the Afghanistan–Iran border. In Iran, ...

, in the

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian province of Sistan and Baluchestan. The trapezoid-shaped basalt lava outcropping, located 30 km southwest of the town of

Zabol Zabol ( fa, , also transliterated as Zâbol or Zābul) is a city and capital of Zabol County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. Zabol is near the border with Afghanistan. Referred to as Sistan until the late 1920s, the city was renamed Zabo ...

, rises to 609 meters above sea level and has a diameter ranging from 2.0 to 2.5 kilometres. It is the only natural height in the Sistan area, and is named after an Islamic pilgrimage site on the hill: the tomb and shrine of Khwaja Ali Mahdi, a descendant of

Ali ibn Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

. Mount Khwaja is also considered an important archaeological site. On the southern promontory of the eastern slope, the ruins of a citadel complex - known as the Ghagha-Shahr - with its remains of a

fire temple A fire temple, Agiary, Atashkadeh ( fa, آتشکده), Atashgah () or Dar-e Mehr () is the place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran (Persia). In the Zoroastrian religion, fire (see ''atar''), together wi ...

date to pre-Islamic Iran. According to

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...

legend,

is "the keeper of Zoroaster's seed." In Zoroastrian eschatology, when the final renovation of the world is near, maidens will enter the lake and then give birth to the '' saoshyans'', the saviours of humankind. The fire temple is on a terrace behind high walls and is protected by two forts, whose remains are respectively known as Kok-e Zal and Chehel Dokhtaran. Collectively, the ruins are called Qal'a-e Kafaran "Fort of Infidels" or Qal'a-e Sam "Fort of Sam," the grandfather of the mythical

Rostam use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Kabulistan , death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a wel ...

(one of the fortresses here is named "Rostams castle"). Both names reflect pre-Islamic heritage. The walls of the temple were once extravagantly decorated with murals, some of which are now on display in museums in Tehran, Berlin, New Delhi and New York. The citadel complex was first investigated by

Marc Aurel Stein Sir Marc Aurel Stein, ( hu, Stein Márk Aurél; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at ...

in 1915–1916. The site was later excavated by

Ernst Herzfeld Ernst Emil Herzfeld (23 July 1879 – 20 January 1948) was a German archaeologist and Iranologist. Life Herzfeld was born in Celle, Province of Hanover. He studied architecture in Munich and Berlin, while also taking classes in Assyriology, anc ...

, and was again investigated in part by Giorgio Gullini in a short expedition of 1960. Initially, Herzfeld tentatively dated the palace complex to the 1st century CE, that is, to the

Arsacid The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conqueri ...

period (248 BCE-224 CE). Herzfeld later revised his estimate to a later date and today the

Sassanid The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

period (224-651 CE) is usually considered to be more likely. Three bas-reliefs on the outer walls that depict riders and horses are attributed to this later period. Beyond the citadel at the top of the plateau are several other unrelated buildings, of uncertain function and probably dating to the Islamic period.

Murals

File:Kuh i khwaja mural.jpg, Mount Khajeh mural File:Kuh i khwaja wall painting.jpg, Mount Khajeh mural File:DRAWING SHOWING REMAINS OF MURAL PAINTING IN VAULTED PASSAGE GHA. IV, GHĀGHA-SHAHR.jpg, Drawing of a Mount Khajeh painting, Ghahga-Shahr File:Kuh-i Khwaja Sasanian wall painting of a woman with mouth cover, 7th century CE.jpg, Kuh-i Khwaja Sasanian wall painting of a woman with mouth cover, 7th century CE File:Kuh-i Khwaja Sasanian wall painting, 7th century CE.jpg, Kuh-i Khwaja Sasanian wall painting, 7th century CE

Ruins

File:قلعه کاخا درون کوه خواجه.jpg File:نقش اسب سوار و شیر در کوه خواجه قلعه کاخا.jpg File:قلعه کاخا با فاصله زمانی ۸۷ سال.jpg File:هامون هیرمند از بلندای کوه خواجه.JPG File:نمای کوه از داخل هواپیما.jpg File:دورنمای کوه خواجه در گرد وغبار.jpg File:Ebrahim Alipoor (2).jpg File:Golestaneh (10).jpg File:Ooshida mountain 01.jpg File:Ooshida mountain 02.jpg File:Ooshida mountain 03.jpg

References

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External links

Ernst Herzfeld Papers, Series 5: Drawings and Maps, Records of Kuh-e Khwaja
Collections Search Center, S.I.R.I.S., Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. {{Sasanian castles Khwajeh, Mount Archaeological sites in Iran Architecture in Iran Castles in Iran Landforms of Sistan and Baluchestan Province Sistan Former populated places in Iran Buildings and structures in Sistan and Baluchestan Province Tourist attractions in Sistan and Baluchestan Province National works of Iran Sasanian castles Mountains of Iran

Murals

Ruins

See also

References

External links