Bayazeh village

Bayazeh castle\Photo by Nami Namvar

Base of Hassan al-Sabah Followers in Central Desert

‘Bayazeh’ is an ancient village located 130 kilometers from our village, Farahzad. There is a castle in Bayazeh called ‘Orange Castle’, which dates back to the Sassanid era (224-651) but it is not clear when exactly it was constructed.

Entering the five-storey castle, you will see many small connected rooms and covered passages. A moat was dug around the castle, traces of which can still be seen there. Part of the castle has been restored and is open to the visitors. For centuries, the ancient castle had defensive and residential functions and at the time of the Ismailis, it was a base for the followers of Hassan al-Sabbah (1050-1124), a missionary who converted a lot of Iranians to Islam.

Bayazeh Village and its castle are mentioned in the books ‘The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions’ by Muhammad ibn Ahmad Muqaddasi, ‘The Face of the Earth’ by Muhammad Abul-Qasim ibn Hawqal, Naser Khosrow’s ‘Book of Travels’ and a document attributed to Abu Muhammad Ibrahim (an Imam’s descendant who is buried in the same village).

There is a mosque next to the castle wall which was repaired in the eighth century by master Dehnavi. The ruins of ‘Seven Brothers’ and the tomb shrine of Ibrahim, attributed to one of the sons of Imam Musa al-Kazim (AS), 7^th Shia Imam, are other interesting places to visit in the area.