Khorramabad Falak al-Aflak Castle, solid but in need of strengthening

Falak-e-Aflak Castle is a jewel of tourism and represents the history of Lorestan for several thousand years. The Sassanid period was built on ancient hills in the center of Khorramabad city and the amazing beauty and architecture of this castle has led to it being called by many experts as one of the engineering and architectural masterpieces of the world.

Due to its strategic location, this fort became the seat of the rule of Al-Hasanawiyyah and Ganjour in the time of Al-Buwayh in the fourth century AH, and from the sixth century AH, after the construction of the new city of Khorramabad, it became known as this city. The celestial sphere has been referred to in the Qajar period.

The ancient site of the castle is about 120,000 square meters and the height of the hill, including the height of the walls of the building from the level of adjacent streets is about 40 meters. The west of the castle is visible.

The approximate area of ​​the building is 5,300 square meters, including eight towers, 2 courtyards and 300 towers, and its current architecture shows many additions that have been added to it in different periods, and most of these developments are related to the Safavid to Qajar periods.

Inside the Falak al-Aflak castle, four large halls, two backyards, several small halls, rooms and gates were built to the north. .

The architecture of the celestial sphere and the materials used in it are unique. Due to the fact that Khorramabad is a city with a pleasant climate and floods, the castle of Falak al-Aflak is built on a hill and has a dehumidification system.

This unique building has been registered in the list of national monuments of Iran with the number 883, which has been a concern for the global registration of this valuable work for decades, which unfortunately has not been resolved yet and the world architectural masterpiece is still in the temporary temporary registration list.

Sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List are the property of all human beings, regardless of race, religion or nationality, in accordance with the Convention for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage, and governments are responsible for the preservation of these works. .

Restoration and strengthening of this historical castle has been done during the past years and in recent years, studies have been done on the restoration of this historical castle and the repair and expertise of the towers of this historical monument has been done in several stages.

On the other hand, the plan to liberate the privacy of this historical monument and its global registration has been seriously pursued during the past years, and during the president’s visit to the province, emphasis has been placed on securing this monument.

While in recent days, discussions about the subsidence of this historic castle are heard in cyberspace, but the officials of Lorestan Cultural Heritage, emphasizing the need to provide the necessary funds for the restoration and strengthening of this historical monument, record any observations based on the subsidence of this building. They deny.

No subsidence has been observed in the celestial sphere

Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Industries of Lorestan said: Falak al-Aflak Castle has been built on a hill overlooking Shapurkhast for more than 15 centuries during the Sassanid period and has been completely reconstructed in different historical periods, especially the Qajar period.

Seyyed Amin Ghasemi added: This historical building is half made of stone and mortar and then of raw clay and was restored at the end of the Pahlavi era.

He continued by stating that this historical monument has been continuously restored and strengthened since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution: This historical monument is built on a rock and rock bed and so far based on the documents and testimonies made in no way Has not suffered subsidence and drift.

Ghasemi stated: Nowruz 98 flood caused surface washing on the castle hill and the Qajar period restoration deposits spilled on the bed, but due to the creation and construction of the initial structure of the castle on a rocky bed, fortunately the castle structure remained intact.

He stated: From the side of the 24-meter street, the washed place of the Qajar period restoration debris is clear, but because the main hill is rocky and rocky and it is quite clear on the north and east sides, no subsidence has been observed in the structure and rock bed.

He continued: “This historic castle is witnessed annually and any cracks and subsidence are observed in it, so far not even one millimeter of subsidence has been observed and recorded based on the experts and testimonies of the castle.”

Ghasemi said: “After the flood, the earthquake of May 1998 also caused damage to the building, which was quickly rehabilitated and rebuilt, and since then, according to the evidence installed in the complex, such a thing has not been observed.”

He specified: The castle of Falak al-Aflak, with a history of construction of more than 1,500 years, has been reconstructed and rehabilitated in different periods of history, and the installed evidence showed only the damage of the May 1998 earthquake, which was immediately reconstructed and rehabilitated.

The plan to strengthen the celestial sphere will be completed soon

The Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Lorestan said: The general plan for strengthening the castle and integrating the bed and structure is also being finalized with the least executive interventions, which we hope will be approved and implemented soon.

He added: “The earthquake in May of 1998 caused the cracks in the walls of the castle to open, which were immediately sewn, dosed and reinforced by a reputable company with specialized materials, and now the consultant is discussing the integration of the castle bed.”

Ghasemi continued: the plan is in the final stages of approval and the restoration of this historic castle, which was left unfinished in 1983 and 1986, will be implemented soon.

The historical monument of the celestial sphere needs credits and the attention of the authorities

The director of Qala-e-Falak-e-Aflak base also stated: During the past years, there were cracks in the body of Falak-e-Aflak castle. Is.

Ramin Ebrahimi said: “In 1998, the castle was repaired using a technology method from the Czech Republic, which has recently been used to eliminate the danger of cracks in historical monuments.”

Ebrahimi said: “We have the issue of strengthening the bed (hill and foundation of the castle) and the castle itself on the agenda. The consultant has prepared a plan for this strengthening and studies have been done and are in the final approval stage in the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts .

He added: “It is likely that the fortification plan for the castle will be finalized within the next month and we will start work immediately. Of course, the reason for the delay was the closure of universities due to the corona outbreak, which was supposed to be studied by Sharif University of Technology.” .

The director of Qala-e-Falak-e-Aflak base pointed out: In 1984, a plan was prepared to strengthen the castle by using concrete and similar methods, but due to administrative and technical problems, it was costly to review and update this plan after reviewing the foundation consultant. We are pursuing a new project with materials that will not damage the castle.

He continued by stating that the most important concern of Lorestan cultural heritage is the issue of Falak al-Aflak castle: considering the condition of this historical monument, the officials should pay more attention to its permanence because it may increase the volume of cracks on the body of this building at any moment. Validate the victim’s date.

Performing renovation and revival of Golestan Garden complex based on historical patterns

The director of the historical castle base of Falak al-Aflak stated: In 1997, after the acquisition of the officers ‘club in the castle area, the complex was repaired and protected, readable and pathological, and the additions, cement facade and buildings that are inconsistent with the complex and the officers’ club were strengthened according to the pattern. The initial was done.

Ebrahimi added: the improvement of Golestan spring was done by creating 14 drainage units with standard materials, water was directed to the canals of the complex and landscaping and improvement of five thousand square meters of the complex was done using the previous patterns and design.

He stated: Golestan Garden Pool with an area of ​​900 square meters has been added to this complex by dredging and reviving the walls and previous and traditional canals.