Meybod Narin Castle
Meybod Narin castle or Narenj castle is the most important and spectacular historical monument of Meybod city.
This castle is one of the buildings related to the Parthian dynasty and before Islam, and some repairments were done during the Mozaffarian period. There were a moat around it and some tunnels below it which sometimes extend up to a mile. In Muharram 744, a decisive battle that led to the victory of Al-Muzaffar over the shepherds took place in this place.
The area of Meybod Castle
The area of Meybod Castle is 3 hectares and the building has 7 floors and several towers, fortifications and gates. It is located on the hills dominating the city of Meybod. Narin Castle or Narenj Castle has 4 tall round towers and its central part is left today. There are remnants of towers and fortifications in the small village (Kushk). Kushk or small village was the closest part to the fort and most of it was surrounded by gardens and aqueducts and mills. In fact, it can be said that Narin castle consists of two main parts for living, which are known as the upper and lower parts. This is while in the upper part, which is known as the Shah Neshin (the king habitation). Buildings and places have been built in three floors, starting from the third gate and ending in the royal section with a spiral movement, which is known as the Mozaffari Shah Neshin.
The most beautiful wind catchers in the world and very old houses and sheltered alleys can be seen in this beautiful district. Narenj castle had several rooms, some of which are now nested, and many of which have not yet been discovered due to their location on the lower floors and the collapse of the corridors. Some consider Narin castle to be the white fortress of Shahnameh (epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi). The fort is built on a hill and dominates the surrounding area and has been dug around it. There is a legend that the castle was built in the time of Kiomers and the first people entered it through water and sea. Some people believe that it was made by Sassanid lieutenant general “Mahbod”. Mahbod was one of the commanders of Ghobad and Anoushiravan. Near Narin Castle Meybod, colored and patterned potteries from the Elamite period have been found, which are more than 4000 years old, and because of this antiquity, the castle building is similar to Elamite ziggurats or temples.
This castle, which is made entirely of clay and mud, was used as a government citadel or military fortress, in different historical periods. The peak of the power of this fort before Islam is related to the Sassanid dynasty and then to Al-Muzaffar dynasty.
Some consider this ancient fortress as the beginning of the development of Yazd city. The nesting corners of the castle have had many conflicts and wars. The fort was a military fort, but based on its five-story form some people suggest that it was a ziggurat and used as a temple.
