TEHRAN – No potential threat poses Narin Qa’leh, an ancient mud-brick fortress, which is located in the city of Meybod, Yazd province.

“Narin Qa’leh is steady and there is no danger to this historical monument,” a local official in charge of cultural heritage protection said on Saturday, CHTN reported.

“A witnessing mark, which was installed on the fortress’s wall (the Iranian calendar year) 1379, has not been shifted at all,” Abdolmehdi Hematpour added.

This magnificent fortress is under constant monitoring and restoration…, the official explained.

His comments came after a video clip on social media websites that tried to display that the ancient fort is at risk of destruction.  

The monument rises imposingly above the oasis town that has grown up around it. Revealing three layers of construction, the oldest of which suggests some kind of settlement was built here as early as 4000 BC.

Legend has it that the fortress belonged to King Solomon and was built by jinns (spirits), but whatever the original provenance of its foundations, most of what can be seen today dates from the Sassanian era.

Standing near the ancient Silk Road, the fort was used by soldiers who provided an armed escort for passing caravans, charging a tax for their services, historical sources say.

The view from the top of the castle gives an interesting view of the town of Meybod and shows how the growing population of the citadel spilled beyond the castle walls. Watchtowers dotted around town until recently formed the further reaches of the urban area but these have since been breached as new houses stretch into the surrounding desert.

In many ways, Iran under the Sassanian rule witnessed tremendous achievements of Persian civilization. Experts say that during Sassanid times, the art and architecture of the nation experienced a general renaissance.

AFM