Mardakan and Ramana castle

History of Absheron castles and fortresses After the devastating earthquake in Shamakhi in the late 11th century, the capital of the Shirvanshah state was moved to Baku. Since that period, Baku has turned into a major trade and seaport on […]

     

History of Absheron castles and fortresses

After the devastating earthquake in Shamakhi in the late 11th century, the capital of the Shirvanshah state was moved to Baku. Since that period, Baku has turned into a major trade and seaport on the Caspian Sea.
To prevent foreign conquests in the territory of northern Azerbaijan, many fortresses and signal towers were built. Such structures were built on the Absheron peninsula on the hills surrounding the city of Baku. In the XI-XIV centuries on all these towers on the Absheron peninsula, were a single defensive complex, which stretched from north to south. This included the famous Maiden Tower, Sabail Fortress, Ramana Fortress, Mardakan Fortress, Shih Fortress. Up to now, two fortresses have reached, which once were part of this defensive complex.

Mardakan Castle

The quadrangular Mardakan fortress is one of the ancient historical monuments in the territory of the Baku settlement of Mardakian. The fortress in the form of a quadrangle was built in the middle of the 12th century by the son of the Great Manuchera II, Akhsitan I. The name of Achsitan and the date of 1187/8 also bear the inscription on the quadrangular tower. The heir to the Kesranid dynasty thus wanted to perpetuate his victory over the enemy. The place for building the fortress was chosen in such a way that from here you could see the seaside shores as well as the fortresses of Gala and Ramana. The fortress was used as the location of the military garrison and observation post. The wells located in the courtyard of the fortress were used to store food. At the entrance to the fortress, you can also see a water well 25 meters deep. The height of the fortress is 22 meters, the thickness of the walls at the base is 2.10 meters, and above 1.6 meters. The yard area is 28×25 meters. From the inside, the fortress is divided into 5 tiers.
As a result of archaeological excavations conducted around the circular fortress in 1952, the remains of fortress walls surrounding the monument were discovered. Cultural layers belonging to the XIII century, were excavated, and the inner part of the fortress was cleaned. During the excavations, many ceramic products were discovered, most of which date back to the 11th and 13th centuries. However, the ethnonym of the settlement – Mardakan (Mard – brave) and the rock paintings around it refer to the ancient history of the settlement.

Ramana castle

In the village of Ramana not far from Baku, there is another fortress that belongs to the 13th-14th centuries. – Ramana. This magnificent monument, built on a high rock, is visible from all surrounding villages. Fortress Ramana was built on the orders of the Shirvanshahs for defensive purposes. There are written testimonies that in the Middle Ages from the fortress of Ramana to the Maiden Tower there was an underground road. The tower was built on the basis of other similar structures of Absheron, but, unlike other fortresses, have a long-rectangular plan. In the middle of the fortress walls surrounded by a tower. The gate is on the west side, and the entrance was decorated with a portal. The rectangular tower is divided into four wings, one of which is covered with a stone dome, and the other two are covered with wood material. They are currently unavailable. Among the floors, there is a winding staircase. Along with the walls of the castle, the length of the long side is about 30 meters, and the shortest – 20 meters. The height of the walls is 7.8, and the height of the central tower is 18 meters. All parts of the monument are made of white limestone. The remains of the tower were not preserved, but according to the structure and nature of the plan, the researchers suggested that they were built in the 14th century. Nevertheless, the fortress looks like a four-story fortress in Mardakan.

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