Falak-ol-Aflak ( fa, فلک الافلاک, lit=the sky of the skies) or Shapur Khast Castle ( fa, دژ شاپورخواست) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

situated on the top of a large hill with the same name within the city of Khorramabad, the regional capital of Lorestan 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 ...

. This gigantic structure was built during the

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 History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...

era (224–651). The Khorramabad River runs past the eastern and south-western side of the Falak-ol-Aflak hill providing the fortress some natural protection on those sides. Today, the western and northern sides of the hill are bordered by the residential districts of Khorramabad.

History

Falak-ol-Aflak castle is amongst the most important structures built during the

era. It has been known by a number of names since it was built over 1800 years ago. Recorded names have referred to it as Shapur-Khast or Sabr-Khast fortress, Dezbaz, Khoramabad castle, and ultimately the Falak-ol-Aflak Castle. Under the

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty ( fa, دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier in modern times, who ...

, after being used as a prison until 1968, it was transformed into a museum complex.

Architectural layout

The foundations of the actual

measure approximately . The height of the entire structure, including the hill, reaches to 40 meters above the surrounding area. The castle itself covers an area of . The perimeter extends for in perimeter and its tallest wall is 22.5 metres high. This space is divided into four large halls, and their associated rooms and corridors. The rooms all surround two

courtyards A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporar ...

with the following measurements: the first courtyard measures and the second . When originally built the castle used to have 12 towers, but only eight remain standing today. The building's entrance is situated towards the north, within the body of the northwestern tower. The water well of the fortress lies in the area behind the first courtyard. Reaching a depth of 40 meters, the majority of the well's shaft is carved into the rock in order to reach the source of the Golestan spring. The well remains usable to this day. The materials used in the construction of the fortress are mud-bricks, mud-fired bricks, stone, wood, and mortar. Falak ol aflak panorama

Surrounding structures

Archaeological studies have identified the existence of a two layered rampart with twelve towers around the present day construction. This surrounding rampart mainly stretched westward. From the twelve original towers, only two remain and these are situated northwest and southwest of the existing fortress. Falak-ol-aflak-Khorramaabaadcxxxx

Dehumidifier

Falak ol-Aflak Castle appears to have been built with a

dehumidifier A dehumidifier is an air conditioning device which reduces and maintains the level of humidity in the air. This is done usually for health or thermal comfort reasons, or to eliminate musty odor and to prevent the growth of mildew by extractin ...

system. Previously, the experts believed these dehumidifier canals with a height of more than 1 meter covering all the area beneath the castle were hide-outs for the residents. But in reality, due to being aware of the changing climate in the region and the underground waters, the Sassanid engineers have equipped the castle with a dehumidifier. Falak ol-Aflak castle is made with different materials like stone and wood that are vulnerable to

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

. That is why the castle was built on the highest point of the city of Khoram-abad, so that the wind could penetrate the building and dry its foundations.

Current status

The castle is managed by the Iran Cultural Heritage Organisation and a protected site.

References

External links

Lorestan Province Cultural Heritage Organization
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapur Khast Buildings and structures completed in 651 Sasanian castles Castles in Iran Prisons in Iran Military history of Iran Tourist attractions in Lorestan Province 3rd-century fortifications Buildings and structures in Khorramabad Tourist attractions in Khorramabad National works of Iran