Rudkhan Castle ( fa, قلعه رودخان, glk, رودخان دژ); also Roodkhan Castle, is a brick and stone medieval fortress in

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 ...

that was built by the

Talysh people The Talysh people ( tly, Tolışon, script=Latn تالشان; az, Talışlar; fa, تالشان) are an Iranian ethnic group indigenous to a region shared between Azerbaijan and Iran which spans the South Caucasus and the southwestern shore ...

to defend against the Arab invaders during the

Muslim conquest of Persia The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, was carried out by the Rashidun Caliphate from 633 to 654 AD and led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire as well as the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion. Th ...

. With the fall of the Sasanian Empire, this area became a defensive position against the Arabs in the then-newly established

Tabarestan Tabaristan or Tabarestan ( fa, طبرستان, Ṭabarestān, or mzn, تبرستون, Tabarestun, ultimately from Middle Persian: , ''Tapur(i)stān''), was the name applied to a mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of northern Iran. ...

. Located 25 km southwest of Fuman city north of Iran in Gilan province, it is a

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

complex which was constructed during the Sasanian era (224-651), and later rebuilt in 1096 by the Nizari Isma'ilis for use by the

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...

. The castle is built on two tips of a mount, with an area of . Its architects made use of natural mountainous features in the construction of the fort. The Rudkhan Castle River originates in the surrounding heights and flows from south to north. After crossing a mountainous winding route with dense forests, the first thing that one notices about the castle is its big entrance gate. 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.

Description

Rudkhan Castle consists of two parts: Arg and Qorkhaneh. Arg is located in the western part of this building on two floors and its material is brick. The Qorkhaneh on the east side are dominated by two floors with multiple skylights and openings. There is also a spring between the castle and its deepest place. The eastern part of the castle includes twelve entrances, a prison, an emergency door, a bath and a catchment. The western part has twelve entrances, the spring, the pond, the reservoir, the cold storage, the bath, the royal water basin and several residential units surrounded by towers and fortifications. Forty watchtowers surround the castle, where octagonal rooms are covered with domed arches. Sloping openings can be seen around the walls and towers, which are built for pouring molten material and firing projectiles. Since the castle's construction, it has never been invaded by an enemy and they have not been able to conquer it.

Geological features

Gilan - Ghale Roudkhan castle - panoramio (2)

Rudkhan Castle is geologically built in an area that is known as Gasht complex in the geological division and according to Stocklin's studies, it consists of two phases of transformation. The first is related to the Precambrian - Paleozoic with high metamorphic intensity and the second to the Mesozoic time with low absolute metamorphic intensity. According to geological surveys, the presence of iron reserves in this area has a high probability. Evidence of ancient mining activity has been reported in the area. For example there are melting residues in this area.

Gallery

File:Gilam - Fuman - Roudkhan Castle - panoramio.jpg File:Fuman - Ghaleroudkhan (Roudkhan castle) - panoramio (3).jpg File:Gilan - Ghale Roudkhan castle - panoramio (2).jpg File:Fuman - Ghaleroudkhan (Roudkhan castle) - panoramio (2).jpg File:Gilan - Fuman - Qaleh Rudkhan castle - panoramio.jpg File:Fuman - Ghaleroudkhan (Roudkhan castle) - panoramio (1).jpg File:Fuman - Ghaleroudkhan (Roudkhan castle) - panoramio.jpg File:Gilan - Qaleh Roudkhan - panoramio.jpg File:Gilan - Ghale Roudkhan castle - panoramio.jpg File:Gilan - Ghale Roudkhan castle - panoramio (1).jpg File:Parke-Ghale-RoodKhaan.JPG, Rudkhan Castle Park File:Rudkhan5.jpg, main road To Rudkhan Castle File:Ghale Rud Khan.JPG, Full view of Rudkhan Castle File:Rudkhan Castle by Mardetanha in guilan (10).jpg, View of Rudkhan Castle File:RS (190).jpg

External links

Worldisround.com
https://web.archive.org/web/20101213150948/http://www.hamshahri.net/hamnews/1385/850431/news/theatre.htm#s15027 https://web.archive.org/web/20080531115155/http://www.aftab.ir/articles/art_culture/cultural_heritage/c5c1181815532_rodkhan_p1.php http://www.magiran.com/npview.asp?ID=1433391 https://web.archive.org/web/20120326093642/http://rasekhoon.net/article/show-23181.aspx http://www.aftabir.com/articles/view/art_culture/cultural_heritage/c5c1214136597_burg_rodkhan_p1.php/%D8%AF%DA%98-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86 Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Castles in Iran Architecture in Iran Buildings and structures in Gilan Province Castles of the Nizari Ismaili state Sasanian castles National works of Iran History of Talysh {{Iran-struct-stub

Description

Geological features

Gallery

See also

External links