Robat Castle of Abarkuh

Even though it is one of the small cities of Yazd Province, Abarkuh has more than 400 historical monuments, which have made it one of the ideal tourist destinations in Iran. This city is located in a beautiful plain and has a hot and dry climate. Robat Castle od Abarkuh is one of the historical monuments of this city, which is located in the current urban area of this city.

History of Robat Castle of Abarkuh

Robats were military and defensive buildings. “Robat” means connecting item, and for this reason, at one point, the defense fortifications located on the border of the country were called Robat. In addition, in the cities, the buildings that were built as the first defensive fortifications at the point of connection between the city and the outside were known as Robat. In a more general sense, caravanserais were also called “Robat”. Thus, many robats were gradually turned into caravanserais and were used as the resting place for caravans. In some others, a niche was created and they were made a place of worship.

Robat Castle of Abarkuh has undergone various changes over time. There is evidence in the castle that it was used as a residential area at least at some point in history. This may have happened when the villagers took shelter inside the castle to protect their lives from attacks by some tribes.

Architectural Features of Robat Castle of Abarkuh

Being constructed in the Safavid style of architecture, Robat Castle has 9 circular towers decorated with geometric designs and cruciform, square, and rhombic patterns all around the castle. The towers were used as watchtowers in times of danger, a place to light fires and guide caravans at night in times of peace. The towers were made of three parts: the head of the tower, the middle tower, and the base. Thick poles had been placed in each part of the tower to increase its strength. In some towers of Robat Castle of Abarkuh, these poles are used only in the top part.

This castle is a type of plain castle. Plains castles were located in flat areas that were surrounded by heights and were usually built in a square or rectangular shape. Some circular towers were also built on the four sides of these castles. The walls around such forts were built with very thick bricks to protect them against attacks by invaders. To increase the security of the plain castles, a moat was dug around them so that it would only be possible to go to the castle through movable bridges.

The main entrance of the castle is on its eastern side. Two towers are also around it, which are bigger than the other towers. This had been done to increase the security of the entrance and to deploy more troops on the towers during an enemy attack. The height of the main entrance to the castle is about eight meters.

Since the castle is located in a lower place than the surrounding area, it has been vulnerable to floods and stream flows as a result of which some parts of the walls of the castle have collapsed.

Rabat Castle of Abarkuh, which is one of the historical monuments of this city, was inscribed - as a national monument - on the list of Iran’s national heritage in the year 2002.

Robat Castle of Abarkuh is a historical castle located in Abarkuh County of Yazd Province, the longevity of which dates back to the Safavid era (1501 - 1736 AD) and was, once upon a time used as a residential place.