Babak Castle in Iran is a magnificent and beautiful building that in the past was the base and stronghold of Babak Khorramdin, the Iranian general against the Arab invasion.
Babak Khorramdin and his companions, with the help of the ancient Castle known as Babak Castle, made the Arab soldiers who had come to besiege and suppress the Khorramdin movement, wander in the mountains for 20 years. Then, with their sudden attacks, they killed them or forced them to flee. The strategic location of Babak Fortress is such that, according to Balami, a handful of warriors can protect it against a corps of several thousand people.
Babak Khorramdin was one of the Iranian commanders from Azerbaijan who rose up against the oppression of the Abbasid caliphs. For twenty-two years, he led the Sorkh Jamegan movement. At the same time, Maziar from Mazandaran, Abu Muslim Khorasani and Yaqub Laith from Khorasan and Sistan were among the other Iranian commanders who revolted against the oppression of the Abbasid caliphs.
The fame and bravery of Babak and his companions spread beyond the region and the story of the Khorramdin uprising spread in the form of magical legends from the Indian subcontinent to the Roman Empire and from the Arabian Peninsula to the land of the Slavs. Although Babak’s fate was very shocking and bitter due to the betrayal of people like Afshin, but it should be remembered that at the height of his honor and manhood, he sacrificed his life like his other comrades for the exaltation and honor of Iran.
This building is probably a defensive fortress that was built during the Parthian period or during the reign of the Sassanid kings and is very similar to the architectural style of the Suleiman complex related to the Sassanid period. From the architectural works and some stones and the method of fastening the stones and mortar and plastering the walls with a kind of plaster and soil, it can be stated with certainty that the building of this fortress and castle was built in Parthian and especially Sassanid times. In the second and third centuries and until a few centuries later, it was repaired and altered, and additions were made to the building. Therefore, after settling in this fort, Babak repaired its main parts and added some parts to it. Now, more than 1,200 years later, parts of that fort have still survived.
Jomhoor Castle, known as Babak Fortress, is located 50 km north of Ahar city and in the western heights of a branch of the great Qarahsoo river; An area known as Kleiber. Babak Khorramdin castle is a fortress on top of a mountain peak about 2300 to 2700 meters above sea level. This castle is surrounded on all sides by deep valleys with a depth of 400 to 600 meters, and there is only a narrow and difficult road to reach this castle. Babak Castle is also known as Babak Fortress, Baz and Jomhoor Castle.
The distance from Kleiber to the castle, although it does not exceed 3 km, is very difficult and dangerous paths must be crossed when going. Before reaching the castle gate and entering the stronghold of the fort, you have to cross a passage which is in the form of a corridor and is formed of regular natural stones and has a capacity of only one person and two people can hardly cross it. The distance from this passage to the fort is about 200 meters and it is located in front of it. It is from this point that the difficulty of the road and the special grandeur of this lofty castle and its dazzling position amaze the viewer. The visual extension of the passage eventually ends at the castle gate and is exactly in its direction, which makes the entrance of every newcomer and the army, etc., visible through the two watchtowers on the side of the entrance gate.
The only way to enter is through the main gate and it is not possible to enter the castle from the mountains. Passing through the entrance gate, to reach the main fortress, you have to pass through a narrow passage that has about 100 meters of elevation, to reach the entrance of the castle. The impassable route, overlooks a valley from one side, with narrow and deep forests of about 400 meters, which continues as a wall to the bottom of the valley.
In the natural supports of these walls and the four directions of the building, four places for the watchtowers are made in a semi-cylindrical manner. These are the headquarters of soldiers who monitored every movement for miles, from the valleys and foothills. After the ascent, to enter the main fortress, you have to cross another entrance with irregular stairs. The sides of the entrance to the fort are marked by two columns.
The fortress has two floors and three floors and is located after the entrance, and then there is the main hall, which is surrounded by seven rooms, rooms that lead to the central hall. In the eastern part of the fort, other facilities have been built consisting of rooms and water reservoirs; The water reservoirs’ roof is sometimes supported by a truncated and cradle-like arch. Their interior has been made impermeable and has been filled with snow and rain during the winter, and their water has been used during the summer and sieges. On the northwest side of the fort there were stairs that are now ruined and parts of it are out of the ground and this is the only way to climb to the higher parts of the building.
Regarding the objects and tools obtained from Babak Castle, it should be said that the first objects were painted and glazed pottery, which showed a period until the early seventh century AH. Also, a number of copper coins were discovered, some of which are unreadable due to wear and rust, and among these coins, some belong to the Atabaks of Azerbaijan and Hezar Siban (sixth and seventh centuries AH).
