RudKhan Castle is one of the most important historical fortresses in Iran, which is located 30 km away from Fuman city, in the middle of forest. This strong and impregnable castle has gone through many ups and downs during its life. It is now considered as one of the most important sights of Fuman, which attracts many tourists.
RudKhan castle was first constructed during Sasanian era.
It is interesting that RudKhan Castle was not discovered until 1830!
For the first time, a Polish researcher and archaeologist named Aleksander Borejko Chodźko mentioned this castle in his notes about Iran and took the first step of introducing this monument .
The largest brick castle in Iran
This 6.2 hectares castle is considered as the largest brick castle in Iran. RudKhan Castle is located at altitude of 715 meters and its wall is 1500 meters high and has 65 battlements. This castle was named Roudkhan because it was located by the Rakhon River.
At first, this place was called Rakhon Castle. Later, it was changed to Roudkhan Castle.
40 watchtowers shaped like octagonal rooms, with domed roofs, surround the castle. Around the walls and towers, there are sloping holes which were used for pouring molten materials and shooting during the enemy attack. There is also steep slope around the castle to protect it. The solid architecture and the presence of this slope made it impossible for enemies to conquer this great fortress during its life. This castle is so strong that it wasn’t damaged by the earthquake of 1369 in Gilan province.
Thousand steps castle
To reach the structure of RudKhan Castle, which is one of the most famous sights of Gilan province, you have to pass through 935 steps that are located in the tea fields. For this reason, this castle is also known as Thousand Steps castle.
Small bazaar for resting
Beside seeing sights, it might not be bad to go shopping. The closest attracting place to Roudkhan Castle is a bazaar at the beginning of the road to the castle, which is located near the Rakhon River.
In this bazaar, you can rest for a while and buy all kinds of Fuman souvenirs, as there are several restaurants and shops selling local foods such as Fuman cookies, plums and fruit leather, local breads and Fuman women’s handmade things. Local clothes are being rented for photography to record your travel memories.
For your information
| What can you see ? | Monument, river, forest mountain |
| Where you can see ? | Fuman, Gilan Province |
| Closest City, village ? | Roudkhan Village |
| How much time from closest village ? | 3 Hours |
| Where to stay ? | Native residence |
| Place for camping? | Yes |
| Who to access ? | Walking |
| What you need ? | Anti-bite and sting cream, sun protection cream, camping equipment (like tent, sleeping bag, etc.) Walking shoes , Walking stick , Water |
| What to wear ? | Spring: having a light weighted jacket Summer: pants and t-shirt Fall and winter: heavy weighted jacket |
| When to travel ? | Spring and first weeks of summer |
Access way
First, you need to get to Fuman, then move to the RudKhan Castle village road.
The distance from Fuman to Roudkhan Castle is about 25 km, that takes about 40 minutes. You will pass through various villages, such as Gasht village, Kord Mahaleh, Gorab Pas, etc. Then you will finally reach Roudkhan Castle village. After passing Heydar Alat, you will see the parking of this monument by the mountain.
From there, you have to walk the path to reach the hillside. Then you will pass the steps of Roudkhan Castle. Reaching Roudkhan Castle with all its beauties requires effort and physical preparation.
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