15 Sassanid Castles Identified in Bastak

Tehran, 19 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archeologists succeeded in discovering 15 ancient castles dating back to the Sassanid period (226–650 AD) in the city of Bastak in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.

“The architectural styles of these castles and the material used in their constructions as well as the pottery found in the area together with other archaeological findings confirm that these monuments must have been constructed during the Sassanid era,” said Ali Asadi, head of the excavation team at the city of Bastak.

“These castles were not very big in size, and it seems that they had been built to control people’s entrance to and from the city,” added Asadi.

In addition, archaeologists were able to find four other relatively bigger castles with complex architectural style near other castles found in Bastak. “Near these castles there were residential areas which were probably residence to ordinary people who either lived or worked there. One of the major features of the discovered castles is the existence of at least one water reservoir in each of them. The number of these water reservoirs reach to three or four in some bigger castles. Since marine trade was very important during the Sassanid period, these bigger castles probably played a defensive role during that time built to protect trade routes which connected to Bastak from the Persian Gulf,” explained Asadi about the discovered castles.

During their excavations in the city of Bastak, archeologists also found several ancient sites in mountain-skirts and plains of the city which go back to the Sassanid dynasty as well and show that Bastak was a flourished city during that time. Studies on these sites also resulted in the discovery of a forgotten Sassanid city with a 40 hectare area.