Firouzabad, located 100 kms south of the Fars province capital of Shiraz in southern Iran, is one of the most attractive and at the same time little known Iranian tourist towns.

Alexander of Macedonia destroyed the city. Centuries later, Emperor Ardeshir, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty, revived the city before it was ransacked in the Arab invasion.

Firouzabad is situated in a low land compared to its surroundings. Alexander drowned the city by directing the flow of a river into the city, turning it to a lake that remained for a few centuries until Ardeshir drained the water by building a tunnel, founding a new city in its place.

The new city was named “Kuh Ardeshir” or “Ardeshir Khoreh” after the Emperor. The city was destroyed in the Arab invasion before it was revived in the reign of Azadol-doleh of the Deylamid dynasty who overpowered the Arab caliphs and began developing areas left in ruin by the Arab occupiers.

Since then the city was named Firouzabad. Among the attractions in the city are the Dokhtar castle, the Sassanid palace, the fire temple tower and the remains of the Gur city.

The Dokhtar castle is located on a mountain slope near the Firouzabad-Shiraz way. Despite damages sustained by the castle, its majesty still produces awe in its visitors.

The people of Firouzabad are mostly from the Qashqai tribe. They used to live beside the Amudarya river before fleeing Genghiz Khan to Fars.

The 1800-year-old castle has lost some four meters of its height over the last century and experts warn if urgent measures are not taken to restore it, the castle may soon be gone for ever.