Kurdshop - Bastam Castle is located next to Bastam village near Qaraziadin city in Urmia province. It is said to be the largest castle of the Urartian civilization in the eastern part of Kurdistan and Iran. It is also said to be the third largest castle of the Urartian civilization in the world. Bastam Castle was built about 2800 years ago by the people of Urartu and for a while was one of the most important protected and inaccessible places of Urartu civilization that no one could enter. The historical Bastam Castle is one of the places worth visiting in the city of Chalderan in the East part of Kurdistan, and in 1972, it was registered on the Iranian National Heritage List.
Bastam Castle is considered to be one of the historical and tourist sites of Urmia province and is located near the village of Bastam near the city of Qaraziadin. Bastam village is located 10 kilometers west of Qaraziadin.
Bastam Castle is considered to be the third largest historical site in Urartu. According to the inscriptions found, it was built by the king of Urartu, Rosa II, between 645 and 685 BC.
A German archaeological team discovered four Urartian castles in and around Bastam from 1969 to 1978, including a lost Urartian inscription and several metal plates.
Urartu was a Kurdish civilization from 1500 to 600 BC and its capital was Tushba or Van in the northern part of Kurdistan. The state of Urartu included the borders of Kurdistan and the highlands of Armenia.
Located on a hill next to the village of Bastam, the castle has thick walls built in the architectural style of the Urartian period that completely dominates the valley below. Bastam Castle was built at that time to control the trade routes used by the northern part of Kurdistan, the cities of Tabriz and Ardabil in Iran, and Lake Urmia. According to locals, the castle was in the form of a defensive tunnel connected to the city of Churs, the fifth largest city at the time, and had small watchtowers around it. Churs is now a historical and tourist village next to Qaraziadin in Urmia province.
The castle was abandoned after the Madan domination of the area, although it was used by a group of Christians in the Middle Ages as well as during the Mongol period, and the remains of them still remain.
The historical castle of Bastam is of great historical importance. In this regard, the case of this historical work has been prepared for registration in the list of world sites. In 1972, the castle was registered on the Iranian National Heritage List.
Different parts of Bastam Castle:
According to archaeologists and researchers, Bastam Castle consists of three parts: lower, middle, and upper. The first part was dedicated to soldiers and horses, the second part to the temple, and the third part to the king of Urartu.
The Urartian text found in Bastam Castle is kept in the National Museum of Tehran.
The architecture of Bastam Castle:
Bastam Castle was one of the most famous cities in Urartu, which is why it is known as the city of Rossai. The city of Rossai, including the castle’s environs, covered an area of about 32 hectares.
Archaeological research shows that the castle was built in three stages over 50 years and has a temple, market, government throne, tower, dam, gate, and secret way.
Bastam Castle has a strong stone wall built on a high cliff overlooking the plain and valley in front of it. Several different parts of the castle were used for visitors, soldiers, and temples. It also had residence and management places.
The castle was built to protect the historic area and has been surrounded by 620 meters of stone in recent years.
