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CAIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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Ardeshir's Qale Dokhtar Trembles with the Constant Explosions
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24 September 2006 |
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(Click to enlarge) |
LONDON,
(CAIS - edited by Shapour Suren-Pahlav) -- The
explosions in the vicinity and under the Sasanian Qale Dokhtar, causes further
damage beyond salvation to the ancient monument.
“It is nearly 10 years that some people with permission from the Islamic Republic Ministry of Industries and Mining, have conducted mining expeditions in the vicinity and under the ancient Qale Dokhtar. Although their permit for mining is currently out of date, they are still continuing their works”, said Azam Kazemi.
With
regard to the 2004/2005 explosions, which resulted in collapse of a large
section of the monument, he said: “in fact the mining began under the nearby
architectural remain known as Nāqāreh Khāneh. Their tunneling now being
extended to the mound, which the castle is located on top. The current constant
explosions directly underneath the castle are the main threat.”
According
to Kazemi, the cultural heritage’s night watchers are being intimidated and
threatened, and as a result the illegal excavation is also another crisis that
the ancient monument is facing.
“We
are absolutely hopeless; we cannot do anything about the illegal excavations nor
the explosions. Anytime that we have submit a complaint to the local Islamic
Court, they do not take any action to resolve it; and when we persist, they ask
us to resubmit again – it is unknown to us for what reason we should resubmit
another complaint over and over again, and has taken years, with no constructive
outcome to protect the site”, concluded Kazemi.
Qale
Dokhtar (The Maiden Castle), in Fīruzābād (ancient Ardeshir-Khurra/Gur) is a
fortified palace, built on a high bluff, by the order of Ardashir I (d. 241
CE),
the founder of the fourth Iranian dynasty and the second Persian Empire, the
Sasanians (224-651 CE).
The
fortified palace is splendidly coherent and a confident building containing many
of the recurring features of Sasanian palaces and civic architecture: ayvans,
arches, domes, recessed windows, and
stairways. The construction is uniform of roughly shaped stone and mortar, but
the surfaces were obviously all finished with a thick coating of plaster or
stucco, giving a smooth and elegant appearance, which could have been decorated
with ornamentation or painting.
The name implies it was dedicated to the Goddess Anahita, to whom the term
"Maiden" refers.
The
1800-year-old castle, despite damages it still produces awe in visitors. Experts
warn if urgent measures are not taken to enforce it the castle may soon collapse
and will be lost forever.
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"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
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Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
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