Marivan City
Marivan is the capital of the Marivan district and one of the most important cities in the Sina province, East part of Kurdistan. Marivan is 125 kilometers from Sina, the center of the province.
It is bordered by Bana and Saqqez in the north, Sina in the east, Hawraman in the south, and Penjwen, the south part of Kurdistan, in the west.
Marivan has a charming and interesting nature, especially in spring and May attracting the attention of most people from other regions. There are many natural, historical, and touristic places in the city, one of which is Halo Khan Castle.
Halo Khan Castle
The historical castle of Halo Khan or Imam Castle is located in the southeast of Marivan. According to historical evidence, it was built in the 8th century AH during the reign of the Ardalans (Safavid rule in Iran) on a mountain called Imam Mountain which is 1600 high. It was built by Amir Hamza Baban and later rebuilt by Sorkhab Beig Ardalan in 902 AH.
This castle later became known as Marivan Castle and was the main center of the government of the Babans and Ardalans for three centuries. Imam Mountain dominates the plain and the present city of Marivan.
The presence of various and strong castles shows that Marivan is one of the most important regions of Kurdistan. Later, on the orders of Amir Hamza Baban, they built a mosque with red bricks next to the Marivan Castle on Imam Mountain, which was the center of the Kurdish family government, and it was known as Red Mosque.
The name of Imam Mountain is derived from the name of Shaykh Ahmad ibn al Anbar al-Na'imi al-Hassani, who was appointed teacher of the Red Mosque by Amir Hamza Baban in the 8th century AH.
This mountain contains three high and strong peaks, each with historical monuments. On one of these peaks, there are a number of historical monuments that take us back to the depths of the history of this region and tell good and bad stories.
Among the historical monuments of this castle, we can mention: The old cemetery, the Red Mosque, an old tree, the old water reservoir, the royal courtyard, bathrooms and people's houses, etc. The remaining houses have been destroyed throughout time or by enemy attacks.
The second castle, or in other words the middle castle, known as the "Kingdom Castle", was surrounded by collapsed walls until a few years ago, and now part of its bricks and walls remained. In this castle's farthest and most glorious part, a stone has been carved and a courtyard has been built on which the beautiful plain of Marivan and Zrebar Lake can be seen. The width of this courtyard is 18 to 20 meters. The walls of this courtyard are decorated with "Sarooj"
The highest peak of Marivan Castle is known as the "Prison Castle" where prisoners were imprisoned. It is possible that because of the height and distance, they turned the castle into a prison so that no prisoners could escape. The height of the prison castle dominates the entire Imam Mountain and may have been an important place for guarding other forts of the mountain. This fort was habitable till 1023 AD.
The name of Marivan
The city of Marivan was called Karsharukin during the Assyrian period, later called Shabad Castle, Shapur Castle, and Mehravan. The oldest historical sources indicate that after conquering the area, the Assyrian king rebuilt a city that later became known as Marivan.
They also date this history back to the Medes period and indicate that the ancient name of this city "Mehrawan", meaning the country of Mehr (love), was the birthplace of light and Mithras, a remnant of the old Kurdish religion of Mithras that its roots are still seen in our country.
