Noushabad Underground City
Noushabad City is located 7 km north of Kashan and 3 km west of Aran Bidgol. The city has a hot and dry climate in summer and cold one in winter. Noushabad is a flat plain with no natural features.
The history of this city dates back to about one thousand five hundred years ago in Sassanid era; it is said that this city was one of the capitals of the Sassanids during the reign of Anushirvan. In 2004, the underground city of Noushabad or in the local dialect Ouyi was discovered quite by accident while a person who was digging a well in his house; it was registered on the national historical monuments list in 2006. This underground city, with an area of 2 hectares and a depth of 4 to 18 meters above the ground, is one of the unique hand-dug places that was used as a haven to save lives during Sassanid dynasty.
Noushabad History and Features
At the time of Mongol invasion, this city was a safe haven for people due to its unique structure. It has some wells that are difficult to enter; these wells that are the way to the next floor are about 3 to 5 meters high. The wells go down vertically first, continue horizontally and then go up. This architecture not only makes the defense power of the attackers reduced to zero, but also makes people gain complete control over the enemy. There is also a stone cover on the wells that was used to block the valve with a stone slab when there was a sense of danger. It is interesting that next to each well, rubble was used to hit the attackers if the enemy wanted to enter the space.
People entered this underground city through some fake wells built in the houses. After entering, the person in front turned on the lights and the last person turned off the lights so that the enemies could not reach them if they were looking for them; in addition, these routes are designed in such a way that only one person can cross. Rooms are designed in a winding path with angled corridors that make direct view of the next space impossible so that families could have privacy while staying here in times of danger. These interesting features have made this underground city to be one of the tourist attractions of Kashan city.
Tags: Isfahan Province, Isfahan Attractions, Kashan Attractions, Sassanid dynasty , Noushabad Underground City , Iran Historical Attractions, Underground Cities in Iran
