Ruin
Babak Castle
🇮🇷 Iran · 9th century
Pāpak Fort or Babak Castle (Persian: قلعه بابک, romanized: Ghal’eh-e Bābak), is a large citadel on the top of a mountain in the Arasbaran forests, 50 km from Ahar, one parasang from Ardabil, 6 km southwest of Kalibar City in northwestern Iran. According to Ibn al- Nadim, it was the stronghold of Javidhan and Babak Khorramdin, the leaders of the Khurramites in Iranian Azerbaijan who fought the Islamic Abbasid Caliphate. The fort was conquered and ruined by Abbasid general Afshin's army in 837.
Text adapted from “Babak Fort” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Babak Castle ranks #1,158 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #15 of the 169 mapped in Iran. Founded c. 810, it is older than 95% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 61 atlas entries founded in the 9th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,878 times in the last 60 days, more than 74% of the atlas. See how Iran compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Babak Castle?
Babak Castle stands in Iran, at 38.83722°, 46.98083°.
When was Babak Castle built?
The atlas dates its founding to c. 810. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
How famous is Babak Castle?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #1,158 of 7,738 worldwide, and #15 in Iran. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Babak Castle?
Qahqaheh Castle, about 49 km away.
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