Introducing the castle of Rudkhan Foman Address and cost + visiting hours

Are you ready to start a journey to the heart of history and the wonders of nature by climbing a thousand brick steps? Rudkhan Castle, with an age of a thousand years and in the heart of the green forests of northern Iran, is one of the most attractive tourist destinations that takes you to a unique challenge with the complexities of nature and history. In this article, a unique and valuable experience is waiting for you with the full introduction of Rudkhan Foman Castle and paying attention to its amazing details. To discover all these attractions and benefit from complete information, with us in tourism magazine fly today come along

Where is Rudkhan Castle?

Rudkhan Castle, the largest brick castle in Iran, is located at the highest altitude and the most cozy spot in the forests of Gilan. If you go 25 km west from Foman city, you will reach Rudkhan village. This is the last place you can go by car.After reaching the village, you have to climb the stairs of this 1500-year-old castle to reach the main building. You see a castle in the middle of thick trees and surrounded by fog, which is 700 meters above the sea. But what is the story of this mysterious castle? How has it survived all these years in the heart of the forest and what stories has it lived through? It is not bad to start with the history of Rudkhan Castle.

• Address of Rudkhan Castle on Google map

Geographical location of Rudkhan Castle

Rudkhan Castle is geographically located in Gilan province and you are in the country. This historical castle is located near the city of Foman and is located in a mountainous and forest area.

• Latitude: 37.0729 degrees north
• Longitude: 49.3119 degrees east

Visit information

• Address of Rudkhan Castle: Iran, Gilan province, 20 km southwest of Foman, above Rudkhan village
• Working hours of Rudkhan Castle: From 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m
• Ticket price of Rudkhan Castle 1403: Domestic tourists 40 tomans, foreigners 30 tomans

History of Rudkhan Castle

Nearly 200 years ago, a Polish Iranologist revealed a secret that had never been discussed anywhere else before! He wrote about a mysterious castle hidden in the middle of the forests of Gilan. Alexander Buriko Khuchko wrote in his book:“It is a fort on top of a mountain in the upper part of a river with the same name, its roof is stone, and the sides of the entrance have two strong defense towers, and the inscription on the entrance gate says that this fort was built for the first time in 918-921 AH for Sultan Hossam Al-Din Amir Debaj bin Amir Alauddin Ishaq was rebuilt.”That river was called Rudkhan, and the castle that this old Polish man was talking about was called Rudkhan Castle! If this strange writing is true, the date of construction of Rudkhan Castle goes back to 500 years ago. It took years for this castle to emerge from the dense forest again, new stairs were built for it and people could see the strange building built at the highest point of the forest. But who really built this castle? Why in the heart of the forest and at the highest possible point?Most experts believe that the history of the construction of Rudkhan Castle is related to the Sassanid era and the time of the Arab invasion. This means that Rudkhan Castle dates back to 1500 years ago. They believe that the Sassanids built this fort to defend against the Arabs. During the Seljuk period, Rudkhan Castle was rebuilt once again, and the Ismailis of Alamut Castle used it as one of their bases.

History of Rudkhan Castle

Nearly 200 years ago, a Polish Iranologist named Alexander Buriko Khochko revealed a great secret that no one had spoken about before. In his book, he wrote about a mysterious castle hidden in the forests of Gilan. This castle, which was located on top of a mountain near a river called Rudkhan, had a stone roof and two strong defensive towers at its entrance. In his writings, Khuchko mentioned an inscription that was engraved on the entrance gate of the castle and showed that this building was rebuilt for the first time in the years 918-921 AH by the order of Sultan Hossam al-Din Amir Debaj bin Amir Ala al-Din Ishaq.According to the writings, this castle is 500 years old. Years after this revelation, Rudkhan Castle emerged again from the thick forests and people could see this amazing structure at the highest point of the forest. But the question remained: by whom and why was this castle built in such a spot of the forest? Many experts believe that the history of the construction of Rudkhan Castle dates back to the Sassanid era and the time of the Arab invasion, that is, it is more than 1,500 years old. According to them, this fortress was built by the Sassanids to defend against Arab attacks. During the Seljuk period, Rudkhan Castle was rebuilt once again and even the Ismailis of Alamut Castle used it as one of their bases.

The reason for naming Rudkhan Castle

People change with changing circumstances, with their failures and even with their victories, they change color and take on new forms. But the fact is that this feature is not only for humans. Historical monuments, buildings and simple objects can also change throughout history and with the tides of time. Just like what happened to Rudkhan Castle.If you ask the Gilkis what is the name of this strange castle that is located above the forest, they will say: Rokhan Castle or Rokhon Castle! Some believe that because the river castle is built next to a river, it is called a river castle. Some others believe that the name of the river on the right side of the castle is Rakhun, and that is why they named the castle Rudkhan Castle.But did the Sasanians also call this fortress Rudkhan? In the distant years, the fortress of Rudkhan was known as Dezh Rudgan or Rogan. Rogan fortress means a fortress located by the river, some people believe that the name of Rogan has been spread by word of mouth over the years and now it has become Rudkhan.Due to the strange geographical location of Rudkhan Castle and its location at a height, a large number of stairs have been used to build this peak. This issue caused this building to be called “thousand-step castle” in different historical eras. When Amir Hossam rebuilt this castle, he named it Hesami Castle, and in some writings, this castle is also referred to as Seksar, Segsar and Segsal. Maybe because it was built in the year of the dog and maybe there are other reasons that it is hidden from us like many secrets that Rudkhan Castle hides in its heart.

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Architecture of Rudkhan Castle

If until this part of the story you are also curious to know what is going on inside this castle, or how this castle has not been conquered even once in 1000 years, it is not bad to take a tour inside the Rudkhan Castle together. Rudkhan Castle was built in an area of ​​2.6 hectares and 500 meters long. The height of the columns and towers of Rudkhan Peak is nearly 1500 meters and has a strange architecture.

Rudkhan Castle and surrounding attractions

Rudkhan Castle is built on two of the highest hills of Rudkhan forest. This made the architecture of this castle a bit strange! In this way, the citadel or royal residence of the castle is located on one hill, the Qurkhaneh is located on another hill, and the middle part, which is lower than the other two parts, is dedicated to the reservoir of Rudkhan Castle.Of course, let’s not forget the guard towers. The castle is surrounded by guard towers. But what is a citadel and what is its use in this mysterious building? Stay with us.

Attractions of Rudkhan Castle

The building of Rudkhan Castle has two parts. One is the place where the king resides and the other is the place where military activities are carried out. The part of the citadel was for the residence of the king and the courtyard was dedicated to military activities. At the end of the stairs, you will come across a very large wooden entrance door. A door that, if you were facing it 500 years ago, would probably look scary and a little scary. There are two high platforms on both sides, which were probably used by the protectors of the peak many years ago. But apart from the platforms, there are two tall and cylindrical towers on both sides of this wooden money. A tower from the top of which the watchmen could recognize the entrance of anyone to Rudkhan Castle, even from the bottom of the mountain.Now you have to enter the castle. Don’t forget that if you were born in the Sufi or Sassanid era, you never had the chance to see the inside of Rudkhan Castle, so enjoy everything you see. After entering the castle and crossing the corridor, you will come across some stone steps, go up a few steps, now you are literally inside Rudkhan Castle.

Citadel of Rudkhan Castle

If you move to the west, you will see the citadel of Rudkhan or Shahneshin castle, which is at the highest point of the castle. The citadel has three parts: upper, lower and terrace. The most beautiful part of the citadel is the terrace; A balcony at the highest point of the forest. A view that cannot be found even today in the best luxury hotels. Although many parts of Rudkhan Castle have been destroyed over time, it is said that in the past, the fortress of Rudkhan Castle had two rooms and a porch. The upper room looks cylindrical from the outside and an octagonal building from the inside.

Qorkhaneh Qala Rudkhan

If you go to the east from the entrance, you will see the armory, which was a place for making and storing weapons and ammunition. Qorkhaneh of Rudkhan Castle has different parts such as entrances, prison, emergency exit, bathroom, watershed, garrison house and a place to accommodate senior soldiers. Rudkhan Castle is one of the few places where you can see a real thousand-year-old military base up close.

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Observation towers of Rudkhan Castle

Now that you have reached the top of the castle, you only need to look into the forest to notice the watchtowers that are built around the castle and in the middle of the forest. Rudkhan Castle has 40 watchtowers. Cylindrical towers that are octagonal inside and were a place for observation. The architecture of Rudkhan Castle is in such a way that the openings of these towers, in addition to being windows for inspecting the surroundings, were also used as a place for shooting and pouring molten materials on the enemies.

Rudkhan castle reservoir

The reservoir is located in the lowest part of the Rudkhan Castle building, and the water needed for it in the past was supplied from Zardkhoni summer house. Unfortunately, after the earthquake of 1369, this reservoir dried up, and now the water required by Rudkhan Castle is transferred to the castle and reservoir through plastic pipes.

The number of stairs to Rudkhan Peak

If you want to reach Rudkhan Castle, you have to go up 1620 steps! Of course, these are not the main stairs of the castle, these are the stairs that were built in recent years for tourists. The main stairs of Rudkhan Castle are along the walls and towers, which were dug out of the ground during archaeological research, and there are 935 steps. Maybe that’s why Rudkhan Castle was known as Thousand Steps Castle in the past.

The best time to travel to Rudkhan Castle

Rudkhan Castle, one of the most beautiful Sightseeing places in GilanLike all parts of this province, it has its own beauty in all seasons of the year, but maybe it is not bad, know the mood of Rudkhan Castle in different seasons of the year and then decide to choose the best time to travel to Rudkhan Castle.

The weather of Rudkhan Castle in spring

Spring is the best season to travel to Gilan. The season when everything is completely fresh and green, the weather is not too cold, on the other hand, the summer weather has not yet started and nature is in its most beautiful and alive form. All this has made spring the best season to visit Rudkhan Castle.

The weather of Rudkhan Castle in summer

If you are looking for a place to escape from the summer heat, the forests of Gilan can be a good choice. But when it comes to climbing 1,600 steps in the Sharjahs of the north, the issue may be a little different. The summer season is not a good time for climbing the stairs in Rudkhan Castle due to the heat and humidity.

The weather of Rudkhan Castle in autumn

If you love the autumn foliage, the yellow and orange face of nature, a bit of cold air and forest fog, pack your bags and go to Rudkhan Castle in autumn. Watching a castle while it is hidden in the fog and orange leaves of the forest is a picture that you can only see in the fall of Rudkhan Castle.

The weather of Rudkhan Castle in winter

A trip to Rudkhan Castle in winter is similar to a trip to the Snow Queen’s Palace. A white castle that sits on top of snowy mountains and has an icy and magical appearance. Of course, the view of Rudkhan Castle may be attractive in winter, but the snowfall and rain make climbing the stairs more difficult than ever in this season. If you plan to travel to Rudkhan Castle in winter, do it with full equipment. You can travel to Rasht a few days before, in one of Rasht hotels Stay and then leave with the equipment.

Tourism information of Rudkhan Castle

First of all, you should remember that you want to climb 1620 steps on this trip. This means you should go to Rudkhan Castle with the most comfortable clothes and shoes possible. Do not forget that you are going to be on the road for 3 hours. Leave heavy backpacks, formal clothes or anything that makes walking difficult at the bottom of the mountain. You only need water and some sweet snacks to reach the highest point. Of course, if you think you might get tired, you can buy a walking stick at the bottom of the mountain. Children, the elderly, or people with heart and respiratory problems may have difficulty climbing the stairs, so you should take care of your physical fitness and that of your companions.

The cost of visiting Rudkhan Castle

In addition to the parking fee, you are also required to pay the entrance fee when you enter the castle. We recommend that you carry cash with you. If the card reader fails or the credit card is not activated, you have to go back down 1600 steps without seeing Rudkhan Castle. Visiting time of Rudkhan Castle Every day is from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, although this time can change a little in different months of the year.

Amenities of the region and Rudkhan Castle, Gilan

The good news is that even if you don’t plan to climb the stairs and see the castle, the trip to Rudkhan Castle is still fascinating. Before climbing the stairs and at the foot of the mountain, you can visit handicraft stores, take souvenir photos with local Gilan clothes, or invite yourself to a bowl of pomegranate, tarshi tere or any of the local dishes of Gilan at the restaurants at the bottom of the mountain. Of course, if you have decided to climb 1600 steps, you can get drinking water in the area of ​​Rudkhan Castle. On the other hand, there is a toilet and a prayer room in the castle.

Stay in Rudkhan Castle

There are many hotels and tourist accommodations around Rudkhan Castle. On the other hand, you can book accommodation in Fuman city or nearby villages. But you have another attractive option; Camping in the forests of Gilan! If you like camping in nature, the forests around Foman and Rudkhan Castle are good places for camping.

Frequently asked questions about Rudkhan Castle

How much is the entrance ticket to Rudkhan Castle?

The cost of visiting Rudkhan Castle is 40 thousand tomans for domestic tourists and 30 thousand tomans for foreign tourists. The entrance fee to the area is 10 thousand tomans per car.