“Gortan Castle” Varzaneh; 1100-year-old military fortress

The head of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department of Varzaneh said: Based on the evidence, it seems that Qortan Castle was a strong fortress and it was used as a military fortress in different historical periods.

In an interview with ISNA, Ahmad Shahbaz said about the historical Qortan Castle: Qortan Castle is located 10 km west of Varzaneh and 90 km east of Isfahan, next to Zainderud River. The area of ​​this historical and beautiful castle is 42 thousand square meters. Qortan Castle is a brick construction from the Dilmian period (1100 years ago) and the structures in it have undergone many changes in different historical periods and during the Ilkhani, Safavid and Qajar dynasties, but the original foundation of this castle, which is its high walls, is still It is the same as the original form.

He added: Currently, four families are living inside Qortan Castle, and one of the houses has become an ecotourism facility and offers tourism services to travelers. The father’s house of these families has existed inside this castle for a long time, and for this reason, and with the advent of modern facilities, they did not leave it.

The head of cultural heritage, handicrafts and tourism department of Varzane city said about the use of Qortan castle in the past: Based on the evidence, it seems that this castle was a strong military fortress and it was used as a military fortress in different historical periods. Of course, there are strong buildings of the Daylam period in Isfahan, such as Tabrak Castle.

Shahbaz clarified: In several historical periods, we have had golden periods in terms of the construction of magnificent structures, so that in some of these forts, representatives of the government of the time resided or they were used for military and barracks. For example, during the Seljuq and Ilkhanid periods, the Varzaneh region was considered a Suq-e-Jishi region, and the Qortan castle had a military use based on the available evidence, which can be seen from the name of the castle.

In this regard, he added: The name of this fort is derived from Gorkhan and Qorkhaneh (armoury house), and the name of Qorkhaneh was originally used to refer to military barracks where weapons and ammunition were kept, and military forces lived in these forts. Anyway, the physics of Qortan Castle with its 9 and 12 meter walls indicates its military use, which has two gates. The holes in the walls of the castle were used for archery, but over time these holes became smaller so that the barrel of the gun could pass through it.

The head of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Varzaneh city said: The walls of the historical Qortan citadel and the materials used in it are clay and layered clay, which has taken a large amount of materials. Qortan Castle is a completely adobe and beautiful structure with an unbalanced Hosseinieh built inside it, which does not match the physical structure of the castle.

Shahbaz said: The water required for the castle was supplied from the Zainderud river in the old days, and because it had high security, the house was built there. There are some hills next to Qortan Castle that are not known to have been inhabited or not, and research is needed to discover this.

Stating that Qortan Castle needs emergency restoration, he added: The restoration of this castle must be done in several stages, and the first stage of the castle restoration needs 3 billion Tomans to lighten the roofs and strengthen the building. The participation of the private sector in the restoration of the building is necessary, as more than 50 billion tomans of credit is probably needed for the complete restoration of the castle.

The head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department of Varzaneh noted that: on average, about 40,000 tourists visit Qortan Castle in Qortan village every year. The problem we have now about Qortan Castle is the small ownership of the buildings inside the castle, which is important to solve, and currently most of the people of Qortan district share the ownership of this castle. 80% of the problems of Qortan Castle can be solved by culturalizing the local community, and the problems will not be solved just by the government spending money on Qortan Castle.

Shahbaz added: Qortan Castle has been registered in the national register and has the legal support of the Cultural Heritage Department, but its owner is separate. The northern and southern ramparts of the castle are 250 meters long and have 14 watchtowers, one of which and a part of the castle fence were destroyed in the past due to the flooding and diversion of the Zayandehroud route.