Pāpak Fort or Babak CastleBurke, Andrew and Elliott. Mark (2008) ''Iran'' Lonely Planet, Footscray, Victoria, Australia
page 159
(), is a large citadel on the top of a mountain in the Arasbaran forests, 50 km from Ahar, one

parasang The parasang, also known as a farsakh (from Arabic), is a historical Iranian peoples, Iranian unit of Walking distance measure, walking distance, the length of which varied according to terrain and speed of travel. The European equivalent is the ...

from

Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...

, 6 km southwest of Kalibar City in northwestern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. According to Ibn al- Nadim, it was the stronghold of Javidhan and

Babak Khorramdin Bābak Khorramdin (, , from , ''Pāpak/Pābag''; 795 or 798 – January 838) was one of the main Iranian revolutionary leaders of the Iranian Khorram-Dinān ("Those of the joyous religion"), which was a local freedom movement fighting the Abbasi ...

, the leaders of the

Khurramites The Khurramites ( , meaning "those of the Joyful Religion") were an IranianW. Madelung, "Khurrammiya" in ''Encyclopaedia of Islam''. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianchi, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. ...

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan (, , ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq and Turkey to the west and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani exclave of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republ ...

who fought the Islamic

caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Abbassids The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

. The fort was conquered and ruined by Afshin′s army in 837.

Access

The castle is built at an altitude of 2300–2600 meters. The surrounding Arasbaran oak forest, jagged cliffs and mountains in the distance can be seen from the castle. The last stretch to the main castle is a narrow passageway and a 200-meter corridor-shaped temple. The castle is nearly impossible to capture, due to its elevated location in the mountains and being protected by ice and snow.

History

The castle is believed to belong to the Parthian dynasty, with modifications under the Sasanid dynasty.

Khurramites in the fort

The movement of

in Azerbaijan was associated with Javidhan who was a landlord leader of one of the two Khurramite movements in Azerbaijan (from 807-808 to 816-817), with his headquarters being in Badd, located close to the

Aras river The Aras is a transboundary river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, fin ...

. The leader of the other Khurramite movement was Abu Imran, who often clashed with Javidhans forces. During one of the clashes, in probably 816, Abu Imran was defeated and killed, whilst Javidhan was mortally wounded, dying three days later. Javidhan was succeeded by his apprentice

, who also married Javidhan's widow.

Tabari Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present-day ...

records that Babak started his revolt in 816–817. In 827–828 Moḥammad b. Ḥomayd was sent to overcome Babak. Despite several victories, his troops were defeated by Babak during the last battle at Hashtadsar in 829. Caliph Al-Ma′mun's moves against Babak had failed when he died in 833. Babak's victories over Arab generals were associated with his possession of Badd fort and the inaccessible mountain stronghold, according to Arab historians who mentioned that his influence also extended to the territories of today’s Azerbaijan Republic- "southward to near Ardabīl and

Marand Marand () is a city in the Central District of Marand County, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Marand is among the major cities of East Azerbaijan province. It is in the northwest of ...

, eastward to the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

and the

Shamakhi Shamakhi (, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving its name to th ...

district and Shervan, northward to the Mughan (Moḡān) steppe and the Aras river bank, westward to the districts of Julfa, Nakhchivan, and Marand". The last battle between the

Arab caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entir ...

and the Khurramites took place in the fortress of Badd on 837. The Khurramites were defeated and Afshin reached Badd. Afshin had additional forces from the Caliphate under the Arab magnate Abū Dolaf and settled in a camp six miles away from Badd fortress. He used this camp as a base for mountain attacks against Badd. After setting up siege machinery and naphtha-throwers, he was able to invade Badd. The Khurramites were defeated and after capturing the Badd fortress, Babak escaped, but was later captured and executed.

Present day

The remaining parts of the fortress are currently known as Qaḷʿa-ye Jomhūr. It is situated 50km from Ahar on the left branch of Qarasū river. A castle and a palace on atop a mountain remain from the Badd fort. At the site has been found 13th-century coin and pottery samples as well as carved and glazed pottery, dating to the beginning of the 7th century.

Gallery

File:Babak Fort - panoramio (1).jpg, Babak Fort File:Babak Fort - panoramio (6).jpg, Babak Fort File:Babak Fort - قلعه بابک.jpg, Babak Castle File:Babak fort back view.jpg, Babak Fort File:Babak Castle.jpg, Babak Fort File:Babak Catle 2.jpg, Babak Castle File:Babak Fort - panoramio.jpg, Babak Fort

Notes

External links

More Pictures in Tishineh
{{coord, 38.8369, 46.9812, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd century BC Castles in Iran Buildings and structures in East Azerbaijan province Tourist attractions in East Azerbaijan province Buildings and structures on the Iran National Heritage List Parthian architecture Sasanian castles Rock castles