LONDON,
(CAIS) -- A staircase and a double-floor building
were discovered during archeological excavations in Babak
fortress near Tabriz city.
Babak fortress also called Dež-ī Jāwēd (the Eternal Fortress)
is one of the most important historical sites of Iran,
located in a mountainous region in Eest Azarbaijan
province.
The
fortress was built during the Sasanid dynastic era;
however it is famous for the 23 years residence ( 816 to 837
CE) against the Arab invaders by Persian hero Babak-e
Khoramdin and his warriors. Eventually Babak, his wife,
and his warriors were forced to leave
their command post at the castle under very difficult
circumstances. He was betrayed
and was handed over to the Arab invaders.
During
Babak’s execution, the Muslim invaders first cut off his
legs and hands in order to convey the most devastating
message to Iranian residences. Legend has it that Babak bravely
rinsed his face with the blood pouring out of his wounds,
thus depriving the caliph and the rest of the invading army
the opportunity to see that his face had turned pale due
to heavy bleeding.
Following the recent excavations in Babak fortress and
removing of the debris, some important parts of this
fortress, which had previously been unknown, were
unearthed. “Archeological excavations in Babak Fortress
have started since 2002, and some parts of this fortress
have been unearthed so far. The most important discovery
has recently been made in this historical site which was
finding of a staircase with a double-floor building dating
back to the beginning of Islamic period,” said Mohammad
Pashayi, head of excavation team in Babak Fortress.
According to Pashayi, the main activities of the
excavation team was excavating and restoring the western
part of the main staircase of the fortress which dates
back to the Islamic period. Due to the large number of
visitors, this part of the staircase was not in a good
condition and if nothing had been done to preserve it, it
would have suffered a real harm in for sure.
“A 4.5x 5.5 meter room with two windows, which must have
been a guard room, was discovered during the latest
excavations in this historical site. There is a 35-meter
corridor beside the room. This corridor leads to two
towers which have already been unearthed. The discovered
staircase and the two-floor building at the back of the
corridor and towers all belong to the beginning of the
Islam era,” added Pashayi.
Since removing the debris has not been finished in the
two-floor building, the usage of this discovered staircase
may not be determined yet. Considering that the staircase
leads to the two-floor building with a steep slope,
experts believe that this building might have been a
reservoir or food storage.
“Stonework with mortar was used in the construction of
this double-floor building, a feature not found in the
construction of the staircase. Using stones and mortars in
the construction of buildings was an architectural style
common during the Sasanid dynastic era; therefore, we can
not say for sure that the staircase and the building were
constructed during the same historical period,”
explained Pashayi.
The discovered staircase is walled from both sides but
experts believe that it should not have been covered from
the beginning.
Every year in July 9th, tens of thousands of Iranian
pilgrims gather at Babak Fortress to commemorate and celebrate
their national heroes' lives and their hereon death.
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Source: CHN & MNA
