Description of the attraction
The centuries-old Citadel of Herat rises above the Old City. This is the oldest building in Herat, it is believed that it stands on the foundations of a fort built by Alexander the Great. At various times, the government, a military garrison and prisons were located here, until the Afghan army handed over the citadel to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
The citadel is built on an artificial hill and stretches for 250 m from east to west. Its 18 towers rise 30 m above the average level of the streets, the walls are 2 m thick. The surrounding moat completed the complex of defensive fortifications. It was drained in 2003 to create a public park at the foot of the fortress.
The existing buildings were mainly built by order of Shah Rukh in 1415, after Timur defeated the small forces of Genghis Khan stationed here. At that time, the outer walls were completely covered with kufi letters from a poem proclaiming the greatness of the castle, "resistant to the passage of time." Unfortunately, most of these tablets have been lost, leaving only a small area on the northwestern wall, the so-called "Timurid Tower".
Time has done great damage to the citadel. Subsequent conquerors plundered the fortress, and the locals stole roof tiles, beams and burnt bricks. The greatest destruction occurred in 1953, when the commander of the Herat army ordered the fort to be completely demolished in order to place a military base on this site. Only the direct intervention of King Zahir Shah stopped the rout. Lack of maintenance and conservation measures led to the ruin of several sections of the fortress. An extensive excavation and reconstruction program was launched by UNESCO in the 1970s, completed just two months before the Soviet invasion.
The Citadel of Herat was completely renovated between 2006 and 2011. The latest restoration involved hundreds of Afghan craftsmen, using funds from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and about $ 2.4 million from the US and German governments. In the northern part, traditional living quarters have been restored. There is a small museum near the western gate, which currently houses about 250 artifacts found during excavations in the Herat area.
The fortress consists of two fortified buildings. Visitors pass through the modern western entrance to the lower building of the citadel. Further, through the imposing wooden gate, tourists move to the upper building. This is the most fortified part of the citadel with its own wells. On the left there is a small hammam with beautifully painted but damaged walls, depicting flowers and peacocks. The biggest attraction is the huge section of the citadel wall topped with battlements. It offers a panoramic view of Herat. You can also see the last remnants of the walls of the Old City. Archaeological research is still ongoing in the main courtyard.
