The castle of Ziwiyeh or Ziwiyeh Castle ( fa, قلعه زیویه) is an ancient and strong building situated on the top of a mount above the wide Ziwiyeh Cave in Saqqez,

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 Turkm ...

. Ziwiye tepe or castle is located 50 kilometers to Saqqez and the area now have been Somewhat rebuilt by Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization. It is located at an altitude of above sea level in Kurdistan province of Iran on the south of

Lake Urmia Lake Urmia; az, اۇرمۇ گؤلۆ, script=Arab, italic=no, Urmu gölü; ku, گۆلائوو رمیەیێ, Gola Ûrmiyeyê; hy, Ուրմիա լիճ, Urmia lich; arc, ܝܡܬܐ ܕܐܘܪܡܝܐ is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is ...

. Artefacts found there belong to the 9th century BC (belonging to the

Medes The Medes (Old Persian: ; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media between western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BC, th ...

era) and have been kept in some museums. A large golden

necklace A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as symb ...

with some mythical animals engraved on it is one of the most famous things found in the area.

History

This castle was the residence of the

and

Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Cent ...

and was considered their capital and its history dates back to the first millennium BC. Also before the Medes and Scythians, this castle was the capital of the Mannaeans who were attacked by the

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the As ...

ns.

the Structure of the castle

The building of this castle or fortress was three-story with 21 stone stairs. The foundation of stairs and columns was of the stone and walls were built of adobe. The first story a part of which has been still remained had a religious function and it is estimated to be a temple. Being located in the same level as the hillside made it easily accessible for people. The second floor was built on a stone triangular bench due to the slope and it was residential. Interconnected painted rooms in blue, cream, black and brick colors differentiated it from other parts. The archery and bronze arrow discovered in this floor lead to the possibility of the second floor to be the residence of military force and army ammunition. تپه زیویه

The third floor that is also called ruler residence has a barn that means it had been a secure place for the days of war and siege. This floor has wide rooms with large doors and windows and 12 stone capitals and some stone and wooden columns; Andre Godard has spoken about the table and chairs with bronze decorations in this hall. The ground of this building paved with brick or tiles in some parts. there are two north and south gates in this castle and the gate that is placed in side of the mountain peak has beautiful tile decorations. The castle had water piping that was supplied from the springs in the neighboring mountains.

Ziwiye Treasure

Ziviyeh treasure was found by archaeologists at the site of Ziwiye Castle at the beginning of the 20th century. This treasure was transferred to the world's major museums.Ziwiye treasures
wikimapia

History

the Structure of the castle

Ziwiye Treasure

References

See also