Kak Kahzad Castle

Iran, Iran

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Kak Kahzad Castle (also written Kak‑Kahzad, Kouhzaad, or Koochak Chel Ganjeh in different local names) is a pre‑Islamic fortress and palace complex on Mount Khajeh (Kooh‑e‑Khajeh) in Hamun County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, overlooking the seasonal Hamun Lake near the town of Zabol.

Mount Khajeh is a flat‑topped black basalt mountain that rises about 133 meters above the lake and is considered a sacred site for Zoroastrians, Christians, and Muslims, associated with the tomb of Khajeh Mahdi, one of the followers of the Alavi rulers. The Kak Kahzad structure is part of a larger ancient complex on the mountain that includes several forts (such as Ghagha Shahr, Rostam Castle, Kaferoon Castle).

A fire temple, palaces, pilgrimage sites, cemeteries, and water storages, with ruins dating from the Parthian, Sasanian, and early Islamic periods, and is sometimes called the “mud‑brick Persepolis” of the Sistan plain because of its scale and architectural sophistication. Kak Kahzad itself is described as a palace or monitoring and defending tower built on the edge of a cliff about 3 meters above the older fortress.