Day 2 - Citadel of Tabriz

History

  *2  Arg-e Ali-Shāh also known as Arg of Tabriz and citadel of Tabriz, is the remnants of a big unfinished 14th-century mausoleum and a 19th-century military castle and barrack in the center of Tabriz, Iran.

The original construction was made between 1318 and 1339, during the Ilkhanate. Within the construction, the roof of the mausoleum collapsed and the construction was stopped afterwards. Centuries later, by the eruption of the Russo-Persian War, 1804-1813, and the Russo-Persian War (1826-1828), the compound was quickly reconstructed as a military compound. During the reconstruction of the Arg compound, a foundry factory for the manufacturing of cannons for the Iranian Army was built, as well as a military headquarter, a barrack for the troops, and a small palace was added as well to the original plan of the Arg.

Samson Makintsev, better known as Samson Khan, a Qajar Iranian general of Russian origin, lived inside the citadel for years together with his wife the daughter of Prince Alexandre of Georgia.

3D modeling of the original citadel of Tabriz

Architecture ( Walkthrough and analysis )

As you enter the site which the citadel is located, you can see that the citadel is protected by a field about 200 times its area. Walls surround the building and on the opposite side of the walls is the busiest part of Tabriz. as you first enter you can see the South facade of the citadel which is being rebuilt by the national organization for preservation of ancient monuments. Heading towards the building itself the main thing that attracts ones attention are the bricks. Normal bricks were not used to build this enormous castle. As normal brick widths vary between 25-30 centimeters, the bricks used in this building were about 50 centimeters in width. For reasons unclear back in the day  when building this citadel, they used unorthodox architecture techniques but one thing that is clear is that the wider bricks were for stability and for damage tolerance as the citadel was once a military castle which was the first row of defense in this ancient city. 

Being one of the most interesting buildings in the city, the citadel has many features worth sharing. Another fact about the citadel is that, despite the architecture normally practiced in the time of the building of the castle, this building does not have sharp edges and the main rectangular part of the castle have soften and more round edges. Even though this technique was used, the rounded edges were also made of the 50 centimeter wide bricks, placed with a circumference to create the softened edges. 

To conclude not much is left of this huge brick edifice. There are facts that I personally found interesting about the citadel. 

Criminals were once executed by being hurled from the top of the citadel walls.

As mentioned the construction of the monument began under advisory of Ilkhanid minister Tajeddin Alishah, as a mosque. However, the construction was halted after the death of the minister and the collapse of mosque’s roof. The citadel was used as an educational center during Safavid era. The remnants of the citadel suffered further destruction during the occupation of Tabriz by Ottoman Turks. The citadel was used as military depot and storage for Iranian Army in Qajar dynasty. After the victory of 1979 Islamic Revolution, the citadel was turned into a new mosque for Friday prayers. The remaining structure stands 28 meters high. The latest restoration was conducted by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization in 2013.