Walled city
Photo essay: Izadkhast in Fars Province
Abbas Soltani
August 15, 2005
iranian.com
Two years ago, as I was driving
on my
way to Shiraz to see Persepolis and Pasargade, I noticed this fortress
that dates back from the Sassanian era (224-651 CE) in
the Shahr-Reza area in a small village/town called Izadkhast, which
is also known
az Yazdekhast. So, I made a point to go there on my next trip.
So, two years later, I made it to Izadkhast.
The fortress is actually much bigger than I had imagined and going
inside it, I can tell you that it's easily a
walled city.
There are alleyways and passages that criss-cross
it. Right by the front
gate that goes over a moat, there are many homes that are now fully
deserted. Some are completely destroyed. When I inquired, I was
told that up
to 2-3 years ago, people still lived in the old part of Izadkhast
but due to
floods in the past two years, the homes were destroyed and people
moved to
other areas of Izadkhast and built homes there.
As you may notice
in the
photos, parts of the Izadkhast fortress have been destroyed as
they have
collapsed due to erosion and flooding. Inside the walled city,
there are
clear signs of damage from treasure hunters and also "yadegari" grafitti
on
the walls.
Across from the fortress, you will see a caravanserai
that dates back to the
time of Safavi Dynasty (1502 - 1736). The front gate was burned
down by Nader Shah's
soldiers camping there during a cold night as they were looking
for
firewood. Here again you will find signs of damage by treasure
hunters. :-(
If you wish to visit Izadkhast, please note that
the fortress is closed to tourists and you will have to have special
permission to enter. Due to collapse of parts of the fortress,
it is deemed unsafe for general public to wander around. However,
you can get special permission to enter. I'd like to thank Mr.
Rahimi, the custodian of the fortress, for his kindness and information.
His help shall never be forgotten. If you wish to visit Izadkhast, please note that
the fortress is closed to tourists and you will have to have special
permission to enter. Due to collapse of parts of the fortress,
it is deemed unsafe for general public to wander around. However,
you can get special permission to enter. I'd like to thank Mr.
Rahimi, the custodian of the fortress, for his kindness and information.
His help shall never be forgotten.
Caravanserai near Izadkhast
Click on image to see 40
Click on image to see 40
Photo pages
* Izadkhast
* Caravanserai
|
