Birjand Castle

The city of Birjand (the capital of South Khorasan province) is considered one of the cities on the edge of the central desert of Iran. The history of the formation of Birjand dates back to the Sassanid era (about 1500 years ago).

But over time and with the prosperity of other cities of Khorasan, Birjand became a sparsely populated and deserted city. But this is not the whole story. Later, during the Safavid era, this city again became one of the important centers of Khorasan. In this article, we are going to introduce the core of the new city of Birjand. This core is nothing but Birjand Castle.

Let's go to the edge of the Iranian desert.

What is the story of Birjand Castle?

During the Safavid era, Iran's borders were often attacked by enemies. In the borders of Khorasan, Uzbeks have always been a great threat to the cities of the region and caused great damage to the people. The Safavid rulers built various forts in Khorasan to prevent frequent attacks from Azbekan, one of the most important of which was the Birjand Castle, which played an important role in providing security. This castle maintained its use for a long time until it became the biggest and most important tourist attraction of Birjand city in the last century.

Usage of Birjand Castle:

According to the type of watchtowers and fortifications and facilities that were placed in the fort, the Castle was used for monitoring the surrounding areas, resisting the invaders for several months, delivering supplies and soldiers to different areas of Khorasan, gathering information and delivering the news of the region towards the capital. For this reason, the castle was built very big and strong.

What do you know about the architecture of Birjand Castle?

The castle was built on top of a hill overlooking the whole city and its area is calculated to be around 3100 square meters. Also, according to historians, the castle originally had 7 two-story cylindrical towers, of which 6 remain today. The entire castle is made of clay and several times baked mud. Inside the castle, all the facilities necessary to withstand a siege of several months have been prepared, and in addition, all its parts are connected to each other by underground ways. It should also be added that in order to prevent the easy entry of the enemy army into the fort, only two entrances have been created for it.

Birjand Castle is a splendor of Safavid period architecture in South Khorasan!!!