Iraj Castle, an unnoticed historical site in southern Tehran
Iraj Castle, which once served as military barracks during the Sassanid era, in the south of Tehran has long been neglected and is being threatened by farmers and unauthorized excavations.
The Research Institute of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO), quoted the archeologist Mehdi Mousavi-nia as saying the 200 hectares within the castle is under cultivation and agricultural lands in Varamin are irrigated using urban sewage three times a year, whereas there are many pools in Iraj Castle to meet the water demand for farmlands, IRNA reported.
Underlining the need to draw tourists to the historical site, Mousavi-nia considered Iraj Castle a distinct precinct of the Sassanid period and called for the presence of at least one guard to prevent further destruction of this ancient edifice.
In the meantime, the archeologist proposed that Iraj Castle should be turned into a museum, noting that in peer-reviewed study, led case the farmlands within the castle are purchased, steps could be taken to register it as a world heritage site.
He pointed to the structures in Rome and Byzantine which resembled Iraj Castle and said the only difference is that Iraj Castle of the Sassanid era is wider and larger than the mentioned structures.
Iraj Castle has an overall rampart in some sections and despite the passage of 1,500 years, a rampart with a height of over 20 meters can still be seen, he added.
The archeologist listed the works discovered in the exploration as pieces of pottery, fireplace and signs of Sassanid seals as well as a fetus burial grounds in the Sassanid era beside which there was a coal tong.
Pointing to the discovery of writings on the pottery in literary Pahlavi, the inscription which was common on the coins and later on pottery in the late Sassanid period, he noted that Iraj Castle was registered on the list of national monuments during 2003-2004. by