the Rayen Castle ( fa, ارگ راين ''Arg-e Rāyen'') is an adobe castle 100 kilometers south of
Kerman province,
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 ...
. It is situated on the outskirts of the
Hezar Masjed Mountains
Hezar Masjed Mountains are a group of mountains that form the southeastern section of the Kopet-Dag Range. Located about 20 kilometres east of Dargaz and 70 kilometres north of Mashhad in Razavi Khorasan Province in Iran and stretched in a northw ...
. The medieval mudbrick city of Rayen is similar to
Arg-e Bam which was destroyed in an earthquake in December of 2003. Rayen displays numerous architectural elements of an Iranian citadel. It is well preserved, despite numerous natural disasters that have destroyed similar structures nearby.
the Rayen Castle is assumed to have been inhabited until 150 years ago in 1868. Although believed to be at least 1,000 years old, it may have foundations from the pre-Islamic
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 ...
era. According to the old documents, it was situated on the trade route, and was one of the centres for trading valuable goods and quality textiles. It was also a centre of sword and knife manufacturing and later on guns. During the reign of third Yazdgerd of the Sassanian King, Arabs failed conquer the city presumably due to its high walls.
Gallery
File:Rayen Castle.jpg, Castle's gate
File:Rayen Castle 03.jpg, Inside of the castle
File:Rayen Castle 06.jpg,
File:Rayen Castle 02.jpg, A tower of the castle
File:Rayen Castle 04.jpg
File:Rayen Castle 05.jpg
File:Rayen Castle 07.jpg
File:Rayen Castle 08.jpg
File:RAYEN CITADEL Yousef Ballaee.jpg, View at night
See also
*
List of Iranian castles
*
Iranian architecture
Iranian architecture or Persian architecture (Persian: معمارى ایرانی, ''Memāri e Irāni'') is the architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its history dates back to at least 5,000 BC w ...
External links
Official website
References
{{castle-stub
National works of Iran
Sasanian castles
Buildings and structures completed in the 4th century
Castles in Iran
Architecture in Iran
Tourist attractions in Kerman Province
Buildings and structures in Kerman Province