Sar Yazd Castle () alternatively spelled Saryazd is a

Sassanid The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

fortification in the village of Sar Yazd, Yazd Province,

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 ...

. It is located 50 kilometers south of the city of

Yazd Yazd (; ) is a city in the Central District of Yazd County, Yazd province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. At the 2016 census, its population was 529,673. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is rec ...

. The fortress was constructed at the intersection of the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

and the

Spice Route The spice trade involved historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices, such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and turmeric, were known and used in antiquity and traded in the Eas ...

Background

was a major city and

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

religious center in Sassanid times and the castle was used as a safe deposit box in the case of invasion, in which the residents could store valuables such as gold and jewels as well as other items such as food or grain. In the ancient world, invasion or raiding parties would look for valuable loot, while also pillaging for food for sustenance - therefore it was of importance to keep such commodities out of enemy reach.

Construction

The fortress was constructed during the Sassanid era, sometime between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD and is made of

adobe Adobe (from arabic: الطوب Attub ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is use ...

. Its defences are two concentric walls, the outer wall being six meters in height and the inner being nine meters tall. In addition to the walls a moat was also constructed. The structure contains 480 rooms which could only be opened by its occupiers.

Modern Condition

The structure is in varying states of ruin. In modern times the castle has become a tourist attraction and is located near two caravansaries. Saryazd Castle was registered in national index by the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization with number 1084 in 1975.

Gallery

File:Sar Yazd castle-1.jpg File:Saryaz castle.jpg File:Main Corridor (8906626134).jpg File:Saryazd Castle 2019-06-09 16.jpg

References

{{Sasanian castles Castles in Iran Buildings and structures on the Iran National Heritage List Sasanian castles