Parigala (, literally Fairy Castle) is considered one of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
's lesser-known archeological treasures and historical mysteries. The site consists of a limestone brick structure of three rooms with a window, built 300 metres up the side of a cliff in the foothills of the
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains
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* is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...
near the village of Chardaghlar in northwest Azerbaijan.
The structure is believed to have been built during the
Caucasian Albania
Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus, mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...
n period sometime between the fourth and eighth centuries. Few visit, as it sits in a remote part of Azerbaijan and requires much effort to access. The site includes a forty-metre stairway reinforced with oak beams and also a covered walkway. Local guides have erected a ladder to access the site, which requires considerable strength and mountaineering skill to access. The site is in a state of good repair, although the top of the stairway has been separated from the rock, perhaps by an earthquake. Wear on the limestone suggests that the structure was long inhabited.
History
Origins of the site
Parigala is a literal translation of "Fairy Castle", and Pari is also a female name. According to legend, Pari - a beautiful woman during the
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
(1155-1227) period - became the focus of a
Mongol
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...
warlord who requested permission of her father that she join his harem. Pari had other plans. She had the castle built to allow her to flee the warlord and eventually she leapt from it to her death on the rocks below.
It has more realistically been speculated that the structure was built as a monastery for harried monks during the early Christian period, although much archaeological research remains to be done to determine the origins of the site.
References
Monuments and memorials in Azerbaijan
Castles and fortresses in Azerbaijan
Tourist attractions in Azerbaijan
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