Qal'eh Dokhtar

On the slopes of Mount Tangab and Near the Tizreh river, a castle was built to defend the Sassanian cities against enemies, which called Qal'eh Dokhtar.

Qal'eh Dokhtar is located near the Firuzabad city of Fars province. This castle was a defensive fortress and a significant obstacle to prevent the enemy from crossing the Tangab valley. Qal'eh Dokhtar was built on King Ardashir's I order, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty in 224 AD. He built this castle before the war with the Parthian King, Artabanus V, and to dominate Fars.

The shape of the castle is Trapezoid. The area of Qal'eh Dokhtar is about 2,300 square meters and made of rubble, chalk, and Sarooj. Qal'eh Dokhtar has a dome that designed unique, but now a little bit of it remains. There is a cave in this castle. In line with what had been said, this cave was linked Qal'eh Dokhtar to Palace of Ardashir to receive essential supplies and soldiers at the imprisonment time. This castle is made up of three levels. After entering the castle, there is a spiral staircase that leads to a courtyard. There are two yards in this castle. In the upper yard, there is a part called Mahtabi. Mahtabi is a no-roof space above the courtyard. This space resembles a porch that has removed the ceiling. There were some rooms in the castle used for guards.

• What is the best time to go?

The best time to go to Firuzabad is the spring season. Go there from 7 Am to 6 Pm to visit this marvelous castle.

• Getting there?

You can get there from Firuzabad, then take the Kavar - Firuzabad Rd to Qal'eh Dokhtar. It takes about 15 minutes to reach the Qal'eh Dokhtar.