1,700-year-old Saryazd Castle, first of its kind equipped with bank safe-deposit boxes
Saryazd Castle is one of the strangest historical castles in Iran, designed and built it 1,700 years ago by the Sassanids. It is one of the oldest and largest bank safe-deposit boxes in Iran and the world.
The fortress was constructed at the intersection of the Silk Road and the Spice Route, where merchants used to commute while thieves were waiting for them.
The very first idea of depositing valuable objects was the reason behind building such a magnificent and impregnable fortress that, albeit made in ancient times, it was used by the people of Saryazd up until 80 years ago.
All the castle’s 468 chambers were to store valuable objects, money, gold and jewelry, as well as food supplies such as grains. There was no one living in the castle, which was strongly guarded by several soldiers. The large number of rooms was indicative of a huge trade which was going on in the region.
The castle nests concentric walls with impregnable high towers that are surrounded by a moat, six meters wide that has a depth of four meters. All the walking paths, including the main and secondary corridors, ramparts and fences were constructed to safeguard objects during invasions.
Inside the fortress, dark tunnels are made so narrow that only one man can pass at a time. The castle has two doors, a main door and a guardian’s door. The castle’s three floors are made with mud bricks.
It is the only three-storey structure that still exists in Yazd Province. The fortress is built so that each floor has a narrow, hidden entrance that made it almost impossible for intruders to enter.
Access to the main tower was not easy because the enemies should not have been able to destroy the castle. That is why the corridors are not built one after another. At the top of the tower, all the castle and surrounding lands can be seen well so that the enemy can be seen before approaching the castle and everyone can prepare for battle.
The castle’s structure is also highly fortified so that it has been secured from devastating earthquakes which occurred in the ages.
Thus far, nothing has been said about looting the castle. Its magnificence and glory is still visible. This castle was a safe deposit box that could not be conquered easily; only the rooms’ occupiers could open the safe deposit boxes of the castle.