| Map of Gorgan
wall, northern Iran |
manuscripts
northern Iran
Gorgan wall
Gorgan w
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| Old Persian VARKANA ("Wolf's Land"),
ancient region located southeast of the Caspian Sea. Its capital
was Zadracarta (Astarâbâd, modern Gorgân), and it
formed part of the Median,
Achaemenian
(559-330 BC), Seleucid, and Parthian (247
B.C.-224 A.D.) empires, either as
an independent province or joined with Parthia. In the list of Persian
satrapies given by the Greek historian Herodotus, the Paricanians may
have
been the Hyrcanians. Under the same name of Gorgân, two cities of old Gorgân (Jorjân) and Astarâbâd are considered. In 9th AC, the city of Gorgân had its own importance and glory especially in the region of Qâbus Ebne Wošmgir. But it graduaitly lost its importance and finally was destroyed due to Mongols attack. Before Islam (716 A.D.) Gorgân was also one of the important states of Iran that had relative independence most of the time. But in some period has been a part of Parthian (247 B.C.-224 A.D.) territory and greater Xorâsân. The town, in existence since Achaemenian (559-330 BC)
times, long suffered from inroads of the Turkmen tribes who occupied
the plain north of the Siâh âb River and was subjected to
incessant Qâjâr-Turkmen tribal conflicts in northen Iran. The surrounding area, the ancient Hyrcania, was captured by the Arabs(716 A.D.) and conquered by the Mongols(13th cent.). Aqâ Mohamad Xân(1742-97), the founder of the Qâjâr dynasty, was born there, and the town flourished (c.1800) with the rise of the dynasty. Gorgân Defense Wall Gorgân's Defense Wall(155 km long and 6 to10 m wide) is one of the most outstanding and gigantic architectural monuments in "Dašte Gorgân & Gonbad" Steppes (Gorgân Plain) history. This wall which is the largest defensive wall in the world after the Great Wall of China, starts from the Caspian coast, circles north of Gonbade Kâvous, continues towards northwest and vanishes behind Piškamar Mountains. See map . A logistical archeological survey was conducted regarding the wall in 1999 due to problems in development projects specially during construction of the Golestân Dam, which irrigates all the areas covered by the wall. At the point of the connection of the wall and the drainage canal from the dam, architects discovered the remains of the above wall. At parts, this wall is 6 m wide and in other parts the width is 10 m, which proves that the thickness of the wall differs in various regions, according to the natural features and soil configuration. Castles have been built at different distances. The longest distance between castles is 50 km and the shortest is 10 km.The 40 identified castles vary in dimension and shape but the majority are square fortresses. Due to many difficulties in development and agricultural projects, archaeologists have been assigned to mark the boundary of the historical find by laying cement blocks. The Gorgân Wall has been named Alexander Dam, Anuširvân Dam, Firuz Dam and Qazal Al'an in various historical texts. Dr. Kiani who led the archeological team in 1971 believes that the wall was built during the Parthian Dynasty simultaneously with the construction of the Great Wall of China and it was restored during the Sassanid era (3-7th c. A.D.). |
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Wall of Gorgan in
the 15-th cent. manuscripts |
Gorgan wall, northern Iran |
A view from Gorgan wall |
A view from Gorgan w |
| Torang Tape With the onset of the Bronze Age in early 3000 BC, Aryan tribes settled in the northern Iranian plateau, bringing with them a new culture, as reflected with the use of grey clay in pottery. Pieces from this period were found in Yanik Tape, Hesâr (Dâmâqân), and Torang Tape (Gorgân). Excavations in 1932 revealed five distinct layers, the earliest dating back to the 6th millennium BC and the latest to the 630-1050 A.D. From mid-2000 BC, Aryan culture spread to other parts of the Iranian plateau. Aryan art is characterised by plain designs on pottery, relief and the combination of sculpture with pottery. The more important items of pottery and figures, founded in Torang Tape, are now on display at the National Museum of Iran in Tehrân. Torang Tape is 22 km south eastern Gorgân. Turkemans |
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| Nomadic Turkeman
immigrants camping on the ruines of Ancient city of Gorgan. |
Related links: Names of Gorgân during the history The History of Alborz Place Records Mosques of Gorgân Decorative arts from Gorgân Hyrcania & Syrinx Hyrcania, part of the ancient Persian empire Iranian resistance aganist arabs in Gorgân (in Persian) Book Tips: A Glimpse at Iranian History (B.Atabai,1997) Parthian Sites in Hyrcania (Kiani, 1982) The Islamic City of Gurgan (Kiani, 1984) "The Swedish expedition to Iran, 1932-1933", by T. A. J. Arne, Copenhagen 1935. M.Y. Kiani. Parthian Sites in Hyrcania. The Gurgan Plain. Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran. Ergänzungsband 9. Berlin, 1982. 78 p. + 41 plates + maps. Astarâbâd va Gorgân(A. Matufi, 1995), in Persian Other Links: Indo-European
languages and genetics Persian
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