Ecbatana was an ancient city and the capital of the Median kingdom, making it the first capital of Iran. It later became the summer capital of the Achaemenid and Parthian empires. It was also an important city during the Seleucid and Sasanian empires. It is believed that Ecbatana is located in the Zagros Mountains, the east of central Mesopotamia, on Hagmatana Hill. Ecbatana's strategic location and resources probably made it a popular site even before the 1st millennium BC. Along with Athens in Greece, Rome in Italy and Susa in Khuzestan, Ecbatana is one of the few ancient cities in the world that is still alive and important, representing the current-day Hamadan.
Khorasan, also called Traxiane during Hellenistic and Parthian times, was a province in northeastern Iran until September 2004, when it was divided into three new provinces: North Khorasan, South Khorasan, and Razavi Khorasan.
The Arg-e Bam, located in the city of Bam, Kerman Province of southeastern Iran, is the largest adobe building in the world. The entire building was a large fortress containing the citadel, but because the citadel dominates the ruins, the entire fortress is now named Bam Citadel.
Ardashir I, also known as Ardashir the Unifier, was the founder of the Persian Sasanian Empire. He was also Ardashir V of the Kings of Persis, until he founded the new empire. After defeating the last Parthian shahanshah Artabanus IV on the Hormozdgan plain in 224, he overthrew the Arsacid dynasty and established the Sasanian dynasty. Afterwards, Ardashir called himself "shahanshah" and began conquering the land that he called Iran.
South Khorasan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in the eastern part of the country. Its capital is the city of Birjand.
The Rayen Castle is a historic adobe fortress situated on the outskirts of the Hezar Masjed Mountains, about 100 kilometers south of Kerman province, Iran. The castle and the mudbrick city it protects display numerous architectural elements and design strategies recognized as hallmarks of Iranian citadels. The complex is well preserved despite numerous natural disasters that have destroyed similar structures nearby, including Arg-e Bam, which was destroyed in an earthquake in December 2003.
Arg of Tabriz, is the remnants of a large acropolis fortification and city wall in downtown Tabriz, Iran. Its structure is visible from far distances in downtown Tabriz, if not blocked by the newly erected highrise buildings.
The Citadel of Tus is a citadel from the Sassanid era, located in Tus, in Razavi Khorasan province of Iran.
An iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and geometric designs. Since the definition allows for some interpretation, the overall forms and characteristics can vary greatly in terms of scale, material, or decoration.
Nehbandan County is in South Khorasan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Nehbandan.
The Fortress of Van is a massive stone fortification built by the ancient kingdom of Urartu during the 9th to 7th centuries BC, and is the largest example of its kind. It overlooks the ruins of Tushpa, the ancient Urartian capital during the 9th century, which was centered upon the steep-sided bluff where the fortress now sits. A number of similar fortifications were built throughout the Urartian kingdom, usually cut into hillsides and outcrops in places where modern-day Armenia, Turkey and Iran meet. Successive groups such as the Medes, Achaemenids, Armenians, Parthians, Romans, Sassanid Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Safavids, Afsharids, Ottomans and Russians each controlled the fortress at one time or another. The ancient fortress is located just west of Van and east of Lake Van in the Van Province of Turkey.
Nehbandan is a city in the Central District of Nehbandan County, South Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Zahhak Castle is a castle in Hashtrud, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. It is named after Zahhak, a figure in Persian mythology. According to various experts, it was inhabited from the second millennium BC until the Timurid era. It was first excavated in the 19th century by British archeologists. Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization has been studying the structure in 6 phases.
Erbil, also called Hawler, is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is in the Erbil Governorate.
Shusef District is in Nehbandan County, South Khorasan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Shusef.
The Central District of Nehbandan County is in South Khorasan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Nehbandan.
Estand is a village in Neh Rural District, in the Central District of Nehbandan County, South Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 101, in 29 families.
Mazar-e Seyyed Ali is a village in Shusef Rural District of Shusef District, Nehbandan County, South Khorasan province, Iran.
The Izad Khast Castle is located in Izadkhast in the Fars Province, central Iran. The castle was built during the Sassanid Empire and functioned as fortified walled city on the ancient Silk Road that ran through central Iran. It is the second largest adobe building in the world after Arg-e Bam.
