Qahqaheh Castle is located 85 km northeast of Meshkinshahr city in Ardabil province of Iran. This fort is famous in history because it was the place of imprisonment of important political figures – such as Safavid princes – in the past. According to archeological research, the fortress dates back to pre-Islamic times. It was very important during the Babak and Safavid eras and has been used as a royal treasury and the most important prison for many years.
Qahqaheh Castle is one of the most stable and unconquerable castles in Iran, which after many years still retains its glory and strength. This fort consists of units of defense facilities, guards, prisons, tanks and warehouses, and all security points in the construction of this fort have been observed to keep prisoners.
The castle was located on a rocky hill at an altitude of approximately 300 meters from the surrounding land. A strong and impenetrable fence has been built around it, which after many years is almost impossible to enter and is only possible in suitable weather conditions. The area of the castle is about 5 hectares and the level difference in the upper level of the castle is less than 30 meters.
The most amazing architecture of the castle is its water network. The only way to extract water in this fort is to collect surface water from rain and snow. To store water, the guards dug holes such as a pond in the path of rainwater on a horizontal plate in the heart of the rock, including four reservoirs five meters in diameter in the northeast and 11 reservoirs in the western part of the castle. At first glance, the reason for using these ponds in the heart of the mountain and in the heights that have been dug is unclear to the viewer, but a study of the history of this area shows that these ponds were really used for providing drinking water.
The highest part of the fort is its southern part. There are artifacts in this area that indicate the existence of a 22 x 24-meter building that has now been razed to the ground and was most likely a guard post; Because this part completely overlooks the neighboring castles and valleys. This building was built with lime, brick and mortar.
The fort consists of three walls or three overlapping fences and the fourth fence was used as a prison. The only way to climb the castle is from the northeastern route, which can be reached at the entrance of the castle after about an hour. This entrance is a corridor with an arch made of stone and brick and from there, there is a way to the castle grounds. The fortress prison is located at the eastern end of the castle and its entrance is a natural hole in the heart of a huge and thick boulder, and by placing another stone in front of it, such as the door, they surrounded the prison. 3 parts of the prison space is to the precipice and to the valley of 80 meters.
Perhaps none of the Safavid kings used this fort as much as Shah Tahmaseb. It is said that Laughing Castle was one of the most prosperous castles in Iran during the reign of Shah Tahmaseb I of Safavid dynasty. Shah Tahmaseb, who was very authoritarian, had made the castle so busy by imprisoning most of his entourage in this prison! He would kill anyone who was subjected to the slightest suspicion or misunderstanding, or send to the dreaded castle!
Shah Ismail II is the most famous prisoner of the castle. Ismail Mirza, who later ascended the throne as King Ismail II, is the son of Shah Tahmaseb I of Safavid dynasty. He was a brave man, a warrior and a relentless swordsman, and he was arrested for over-interference in his father’s affairs and for disobeying his father’s orders. He was kept in a dreadful prison in the castle for 19 years, 6 months and 21 days until his father died. Eventually, with the passage of time, he came to power and killed many people and relatives who had not mediated during this period.
The last important event that happened in Qahqaheh Castle is the revolt of the prisoners in 1019 during the reign of Shah Abbas I. In this year, some of the Ottomans who were captured during the Iran-Ottoman wars and were imprisoned in the castle, managed to get the weapons of the castle, closed the castle doors and resisted against the royal army for two months but finally, Shah Abbas captured the castle and killed them all.
