Belqeis ancient city

Belqeis ancient city

The historical city of Belqis, also known as the ancient Esfarayen, is one of the largest brick and mud buildings in Iran, which is located 3 km southwest of the current city of Esfarayen. The city has an area of ​​more than 180 hectares.

This historical complex includes the remains of a citadel and ditches around it, fortifications, Sharestan, bazaar, caravanserai, Ab Anbar, the tomb of Sheikh Azari and Yakhodan. This building had 29 towers with a height of about 11 meters. Sharestan actually included different neighborhoods of the city that are surrounded by a wall made of clay and mud. In this part, buildings such as Minar Hill, which is the most important part of civilization, bazaar, industrial and workshop area, cemetery and etc. are located. The citadel, which is about 1200 years old, is one of the most important surviving works in this collection, which is also called Narin Qala.

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According to historical texts, the flourishing and antiquity of the historical city of Belqeis is attributed to pre-Islamic times and the oldest traces of its settlement are related to the late Sassanid period according to the architectural style. Historians and geographers have considered Esfandiar, the son of Garshasb, as the founder of this city. The city was conquered by the Muslims in 31 AH and was last captured by the Afghans and completely destroyed, but until the end of the Qajar period, families lived there independently. Archaeological excavations to identify and date the historic city of Belqeis in 1986 uncovered pottery similar to the pottery of ancient Neishabour, which was very similar to the pottery of Merv and Samarkand that strengthened the possibility of civilization in the second century AH in this area. During the archeological excavations in the historical city of Esfarayen, many works of tile pieces have been found, which show that the art of tiling in this city has flourished and efflorescence during its lifetime, and this art has been used to decorate significant buildings. This historical monument of North Khorasan province has been registered in the list of national monuments of the country in 2001, number 4497.

Tags: Attractions, Belqeis ancient city, North khorasan province

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