The Naryn Castle (In

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: نارین قلعه) or Narin Castle is a mud-adobe fort or castle in the town of

Meybod Meybod ( fa, Meybod) is a city in and capital of Meybod County, Yazd Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 58,295, in 15,703 families. Meybod is a major desert city in Yazd Province, Iran, with a population of about 75,000 ma ...

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 ...

. Built some 2,000 to 6,000 years ago, it has four towers and stands 40 meters (130 ft) high and contained a plumbing system.

Architecture

The ruins of the structure stands 40 meters (130 ft) high from its base. Although built between 2,000 to 6,000 years ago, it contains what seems to be a type of plumbing system (made out of a kind of mortar called ''

sarooj Sarooj is a traditional water-resistant mortar used in Iranian architecture, used in the construction of bridges, and yakhchal.

'') which was built into its massive walls. Peculiarly similar in design to ''Ali Qapu'' palace of

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

, it has a terrace high on top of the structure whose circulation is provided by two helical stairwells (whose walls have caved in, making it inaccessible). The structure also has a large underground chamber (now filled by rubble), was possibly used as a prison. Four towers surround the entire compound, and a large gate furnishes access to a large courtyard. This building has been built as an old fortress with three different floors, each for a different class of society. Structures like Naryn Castle constituted the government stronghold in some of the older (pre-Islamic) towns of central

. Some of these castles incorporate mud bricks of the

Medes The Medes (Old Persian: ; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media between western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BC, the ...

period and of the

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

and

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 ...

dynasties. Some believe that the Narin castles are descendants of ancient

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 ...

fire-temples; some of the castles in Narin and

, in Yazd province, are also called ''nareng'' castles (orange castles), possibly by folk etymology.

Current conditions

The castle at Meybod is currently under study but has not been faring very well. The structure seems to have been affected by numerous earthquakes throughout the ages. Although all outer gates have been destroyed the inner castle still exists. You can still see some of the outer walls.

Gallery

File:Ciudadela de Meybod, Irán, 2016-09-20, DD 22.jpg, View of the yard. File:Ciudadela de Meybod, Irán, 2016-09-20, DD 09.jpg, Interior of the citadel. File:Ciudadela de Meybod, Irán, 2016-09-20, DD 10.jpg, Top area. File:Ciudadela de Meybod, Irán, 2016-09-20, DD 21.jpg, Ruins of a former building. File:Ciudadela de Meybod, Irán, 2016-09-20, DD 11.jpg, View from the top. File:Ciudadela de Meybod, Irán, 2016-09-20, DD 06.jpg, View of Meybod from the citadel. File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -1.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle The View of Map File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -2.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle The View of History File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -5.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle - The View from castle to front yard File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -8.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle - Part of the castle from inside File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -6.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle - A Panoramic view of Meybod and Back of castle capture form the high part of castle File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -9.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle, a view of castle from inside File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -7.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle - Some tunnels inside the castle File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -10.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle - Panoramic view of Meybod from Castle File:Wiki Loves Monuments 2018 Iran - Meybod - Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle -4.jpg, Narin Qal'eh or Narin Castle

Sources

{{coord, 32.2261, N, 54.0145, E, source:wikidata, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century Sasanian castles Architecture in Iran Archaeological sites in Iran Buildings and structures in Yazd Province National works of Iran Castles in Iran

Architecture

Current conditions

Gallery

See also

Sources