Ziwiyeh Castle

Iran, Iran

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Ziwiyeh Castle (also spelled Ziwiye or Ziviyeh Castle) is an ancient hilltop fortress located about 42–50 kilometers southeast of Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, Iran, on a high natural rock near the wide Ziwiyeh Cave and above the village of Ziwiyeh, at an altitude of about 1,835 meters (6,020 feet) above sea level. The site dates to the 1st millennium BC and is most famously associated with the Mannaean kingdom (10th–7th centuries BC), which used it as a major capital and defensive center before being attacked by the Assyrians; later, it served as a residence and strategic stronghold for the Medes and Scythians, and some sources even suggest it may have been considered their capital. The fortress is built on a steep, rocky hill with an approximate length of 450 meters, width of 118 meters, and a rise of 80–110 meters from the surrounding plain, and it is organized into three main floors accessed by 21 stone steps: the lowest floor, partly preserved, is thought to be a religious area or temple with a level easily reachable from the hillside; the middle floor, set on a triangular stone bench due to the slope, was residential and includes rooms painted in blue, cream, black, and brick colors, and was possibly the residence of military forces given the presence of archery equipment and bronze arrows; the upper floor, called the ruler’s residence, is the most elaborate, with large rooms, wide doors and windows, structural columns (including 12 stone capitals), barns, and high-level security suitable for times of siege and war.