Urmia is a unique and beautiful city in northwestern Iran, which is an interesting and popular destination for many people due to its unique natural attractions. Considering that Lake Urmia is one of the most famous attractions in this city, but there are other places of interest and history, some of which date back to more than 3,000 years ago. This fortress, which is known as one of the most famous sites of Urartu, is about 800 years old.
Bastam Fortress in Urmia is one of the most important historical fortresses of West Azerbaijan. In Iran, castles were built with various functions, some of which had a military function and others were used as the residence of the governor of the city or state. The location of the forts has been very influential in their importance and function; The castles outside the city and the village, which are located in the mountains, have military and defense functions and were built to face the enemy and to defend the people. One of these famous mountain castles is Bastam Fortress. Although Bastam Fortress is a mountain fortress, it has the size of a city in which the inhabitants had all the facilities of their time.
Bastam Fortress is located in the neighborhood of Bastam village in Urmia, inside the city of Qarah Zia al-Din. The city of Qarah Zia al-Din is located in the central part of the city of Chaipareh in the province of West Azerbaijan and this historic castle in Bastam dates back to 800 BC and is one of the largest castles of the Urartian civilization in Iran. According to the inscription, Bastam Fortress in this area was built by order of the “second Rusay” who was considered king of Urartu around 645 BC. This fort was built at that time with the aim of controlling trade routes that traveled from the east of the Turkish government to the cities of Tabriz, Ardabil and Lake Urmia. It should be noted that experts consider Bastam Fortress in Urmia to be the third Urartian region in Iran.
By now, you may be wondering what Urartu was. In fact, Urartu was the name of a civilization that existed in western Azerbaijan today and in other parts of eastern Anatolia and northern Kurdistan, as well as around Lake Van and the highlands of Armenia. Its inhabitants were part of the ancestors of the Georgians and modern Armenians, who ruled the region from about 1500 BC to 600 BC, this civilization actually belonged to the Iron Age. According to the results obtained from the excavations of archaeologists and researchers in this area, it is estimated that Bastam Fortress consists of three parts: the lower part, the middle part and the upper part. The first part is dedicated to soldiers and horses, the second part is dedicated to the temple and the third part is dedicated to the King of Urartu. The discovered inscription from Bastam Fortress, which is in Urartian language, is kept in the National Museum of Tehran for the study and exploitation of researchers.
Bastam Fortress is one of the most famous and important areas of Urartu, which is also known as the city of Rusay. The city has an area of about 32 hectares, which also includes the area around the castle. This fortress remained abandoned and useless after the Medes conquered the region. In the Middle Ages, at the same time as the Mongol period, it was used by groups of Christians, and from their remains, carvings of the cross can be seen on the rocks of the city. The works of the Urartian period on the architecture of the castle, including the eastern building, the residential area of the castle, the works behind the fort and the water supply canal have been seen. Archaeological excavations show that the fortress was built in 50 years in three stages and had a temple, a bazaar, a tower and a gate and secret passages.
Bastam Fortress in Urmia has strong stone walls that are located on high cliffs and have been built facing a large plain and valley. This historical fortress has three floors with different functions and it is interesting to know that the golden floor of the castle is one of its parts, which includes the castle gate, guest house, stables and soldiers’ quarters. The middle floor is a shrine with various rooms. The upper floor of the castle, which is the pinnacle of Urartian architecture, has a residence, a command post and exits outside the fortress.
Bastam Fortress in Urmia has strong stone walls that are located on high cliffs and have been built facing a large plain and valley. This historical fortress has three floors with different functions and it is interesting to know that the golden floor of the castle is one of its parts, which includes the gate, guest house, stables and soldiers’ quarters. The middle floor is a shrine with various rooms. The upper floor of the castle, which is the pinnacle of Urartian architecture, has a residence and exit passages to outside of the fort.
A group of German archaeologists, based on their research on the historical and valuable monument of Bastam Fortress in Urmia between 1969 and 1978, also found that there are 4 Urartian forts in Bastam area and its surroundings, one in Bastam and 3 others In Oglu Castle, Ozub Tappeh and Ashaqi Qoril. They also found a damaged inscription and significant quantities of pottery and metal vessels. To the east of the castle are the remains of an old settlement that was inhabited in the Urartian period as well as in the Middle Ages and was supplied by an old water spring which branched off from the river and is currently unusable.
According to the inscription left by the second Rusay in Bastam Castle, this fortress was used again during the Seljuk period. Bastam Fortress is of great historical importance and the file of this historical monument has been prepared for registration in the World Heritage Sites List.
