Saturday, 28 July 2001

TEHRAN Sorkh-Qal'eh in Taroud, a historical monument dating back to Sassanid era is located in the village of Saraanzaa, on the outskirts of the town of Firouzkuh 135km east of Tehran.

Sorkh-Qal'eh in Taroud is the remnants of a historical castle located on top of a red hill 16km to the east of the city of Firouzkuh.

According to a report released by the Media Center of Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization (ICHO) on Tuesday, this monument comprises eight defensive towers made of raw brick and clay in three stories, IRNA said.

The first floor of the castle is considered as the basement and includes several rooms, connected to each other through corridors, while the second floor comprises several rooms, the in-between spaces, and corridors, which upon making contact with the surrounding towers provide the means of supplying the needs of the tower's inhabitants as well as manipulating the manpower.

The uppermost floor of the tower consists of spaces provided for sight seeing and establishing contact with the surrounding watchtowers, while its highest point is the red round tower three meters high used as watchtower.

According to the report, Kikaavar hill dating back to Islamic period located in Karaj, Chakhmaaq Tappeh (hill), and Aalaard hill dating back to pre-historic era are among the monuments registered as national monuments simultaneous with Sorkh-Qal'eh.