Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Cultural heritage of Markazi province
Abstract
The building of Qale Dokhtar (Qiz Qala, Qazqaleh) is a mountain fortress located 25 kilometers southwest of Saveh on top of a single mountain in the Hendes mountain range. Different opinions have been presented in the researches about the formation of this building and its function. Some researchers have considered the construction of Qale Dokhtar to be related to the Sassanid period and its function as Anahita Temple, and others have identified it as a fortress related to the middle centuries of the Islamic period and related to the Ismailid sect. The lack of reliable documents and evidence from the researchers in presenting the two mentioned functions has raised the question of what was the function of Qale Dokhtar as a huge and magnificent building that was formed in the geographical and historical background of Saveh and when was it formed? Certainly, addressing this issue apart from providing suggestions for the dating and function of Qala Dokhtar in particular, in the field of architectural or archeological researches of the Islamic period, especially castles, raises challenges that will be necessary to be comprehensively addressed by researchers in the future. In this article, it is assumed that QaLE Dokhtar is an Ismailid castle and its function was based on the use of the followers of that sect. The method of conducting this research is historical-analytical which is based on field investigations and architectural evidence, archeological field excavations and the use of library resources. The conducted studies and researches have considered the Qale Dokhtar in connection with other Ismailid castles in Iran and suggested the 5th to 7th centuries AH as the period of formation and use of that castle in the service of the Ismailid sect.Qale Dokhtar, as one of the important castles, played a role in the creation of the network of castles and fortifications of the Ismailid sect in Central Iran and is considered one of the main castles.
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