The Ancient City of Darabgerd

In Iranian mythological texts, the establishment of Darabgerd is attributed to Darabshah, a descendant of Esfandiar, who was the eighth king of ancient Iran. However, some historians believe that Darius the Great (reigned from 522 to 486 BC) was the founder of Darabgerd.

Darabgerd was one of the five regions of ancient Persia, where the Achaemenid government was founded in 550 BC. It housed a military camp where Roman prisoners of war were kept but gradually expanded and became a developed city.

In the Bisotun inscription, Darius, the Great, has mentioned the names of some Iranian cities, including Darabgerd. Therefore, this inscription is considered the first written document in which the name of this city has been mentioned.

Darabgerd reached the peak of its importance and prosperity during the Sassanid rule (224 to 651 AD). Ardeshir Papakan was the ruler of Darabgerd before he rebelled against the Parthian government and founded the Sassanid dynasty in 224 AD. Darabgerd was considered one of the most important centers of Persia during the entire Sassanid rule.

The Ancient City of Darabgerd after the Advent of Islam

Being one of the big cities of ancient Persia and due to its successful economic activities, Darabgerd continued to be an important city after the advent of Islam and paid a lot of taxes to the government of the time. The name of this city has also been mentioned in the peace treaty between Imam Hasan inn Ali AS), the second imam of the Shiites, and Mu’awiya (the Umayyad caliph).

Darabgerd suffered a lot of damage during the Mongol attack (1219 AD) and Timurid rule (1370 to 1506 AD). During those years, the inhabitants of the city migrated to another area, and it was in the 8th century AH (14th century AD) that the current city of Darab was established.

Darab flourished during the Safavid period (1501 to 1736) and was one of the most important cities of Fars until the time of the Zand Dynasty (1751 to 1794). However, during the Qajar period (19th century), due to certain conflicts over who should govern this city, it stopped developing and progressing.

The Structure of the Ancient City of Darabgerd

The structure of Darabgerd was similar to the military camps of the Assyrians. It was built over an area of 32 square kilometers and in the form of a circle with a radius of 1020 meters.

There was a huge conical wall made of clay, stone, and lime mortar around the city the height of which reached 10 meters. This wall was gradually eroded over the years, but today its remains are nearly seven meters high. The length of this wall reached 6400 meters and had a number of watchtowers.

A large moat with a depth of 10 meters and a width of 50 meters had been dug behind the wall and filled with water from the nearby rivers to increase the security of the city.

Entry to the city was done through four gates. The two main gates of the city were located in the west and east, and two secondary gates were located in the southeast and north parts. Each of these gates had a movable bridge that was dismantled in times of danger.

There are two hills inside the city. The bigger hill is known as “Shahneshin” and there was a palace or citadel on it in the past. There is an artificial cave at the foot of Shahneshin hill. Experts believe that this artificial cave was used as a place to keep prisoners or store water and essential goods. The roof and walls of this cave are made of carved stones.

Salt Dome of Darabgerd

There was a salt dome right in the center of the ancient city of Darabgerd that was surrounded by a round wall. It is said that this salt dome had a decisive role in preventing the salinization of the agricultural lands of the city. In fact, the salt that could penetrate the surface water was collected in this salt dome.

This ancient city was inscribed on the list of Iran’s national heritage in the year 1931.

Being one of the big cities of ancient Persia and due to its successful economic activities, Darabgerd continued to be an important city after the advent of Islam.