Alisha Citadel is one of the most famous buildings of this historical city of Iran, which dates back to the patriarchal period and today is known as one of the symbols of Tabriz among the people. Of course, what can be seen in Tabriz now are the only remnants of the south porch of the main structure of Alisha Citadel, which with a height of 5.33 meters, shows only a corner of the greatness of the original building.
The most important feature of Alisha Citadel, which is also known as Alisha Arch, Alisha Mosque, Tabriz Citadel or Alisha Arch, is its large arch, which has a width greater than Kasra Arch and distinguishes it from other historical monuments in Iran. In 1310 AH, the citadel of Tabriz and its ancient site with the number 170 and the title of Alisha Mosque has entered the list of national historical monuments of Iran.
The citadel of Tabriz is a brick structure with a U-shaped plan, which is made in the style of Azeri architecture and very durable materials such as lime, mortar and brick have been used in its construction. What remains of the old citadel is three high walls in the shape of a porch. This section had the function of a nave and was considered the main element of Alisha Mosque. Now only 21 meters of it remains. Its total width reaches 51 meters and its height is 33, although according to various studies, this building was about 63 to 65 meters high at the time of construction. The altar of Alisha citadel is 30 meters high and is one of the unique examples of Iranian architecture.
Alisha’s citadel was built during the reign of the eighth patriarch king, Sultan Mohammad Khodabandeh Al-Jaito.
There is not much historical information about the fate of the citadel from the patriarchal period to the Safavid period; But in 1194 AH, during the Safavid rule, an earthquake with a magnitude of seven shook Tabriz, which razed the city to the ground and only a few limited buildings such as the Blue Mosque and the south porch of the Arg Mosque, which was built very strong, remained. Thirty years after the earthquake during the Qajar period, the Iran-Russia wars took place in Tabriz. Abbas Mirza, Crown Prince of Fath Ali Shah, during the war, ordered the construction of a barracks, the war headquarters of the Iranian army and a foundry and artillery factory in the citadel of Tabriz, and even a moat was built in the southern part of the citadel porch. It is during this period that Alishah’s structure became known as Alishah Citadel.
Alisha citadel maintained its military function after this war and during the second Russian invasion of Iran and after the constitutional period, the people of Tabriz were used to defend themselves against the invasion of enemy forces. During this defense, a large ball was moved over the citadel to maintain their defensive positions. During their travels to Iran and Tabriz, Flanders and Quest, famous French tourists, mentioned the citadel of Tabriz as a market for gunsmiths and arms dealers; But all the heroism and resistance did not end and Tabriz fell and was occupied by Russian forces. Jahangir Mirza Qajar wrote in his book “New History” that General Aristotle of Russia, after the occupation of Tabriz, deployed Tsarist Russian forces in the citadel. The Russians, dissatisfied with the defense of the people of Tabriz, closed the citadel; But this did not satisfy them either. Part of the citadel tower and fortress caught fire as artillery shells were moved by Russian forces. After that, with the end of the occupation of Iran and Tabriz, new structures were built in the citadel. Towards the end of the Qajar rule, towers and fortifications were added around the citadel and used as the main garrison of the city. Other buildings include the Rescue School, the Pergola Mansion, and the Lion and Sun Theater in the vicinity of the citadel.
In 1310 AH, Alisha Citadel was registered as one of the first historical monuments in Iran in the list of national monuments and its military use was terminated. During this period, the annexes that had been created in the citadel during the Qajar rule were destroyed. Bagh-e Mellat Park in the southern part of the citadel was added to the complex in the years 1353 AH to 1357 AH during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
With the victory of the Iranian Revolution, the place chosen for the establishment of the Friday prayer mosque in the city of Tabriz was the area around the Alisha Citadel. In 1981, in order to build this mosque, the northern wall of the patriarchal era of the citadel along with the stairs that were added to the complex during the Qajar period were destroyed using explosives and in 1997, a deep excavation was done in the eastern wall of the citadel and exposed the structure to new threats. Between 1379 and 1391 AH, the Cultural Heritage Organization removed the remaining signs related to the constructions of the Qajar period from the citadel; Thus, part of the history of the citadel was destroyed. What remains of the greatness of Alisha’s citadel is the single porch and its two side walls, which, considering the current condition of the building, seems to be taking its last breaths.
