Sarmaj Stone Building, a Fortress from the Hasnavian Period on the Structure of Sasanian

Based on the archaeological studies conducted in the Harsin County, there are large number of stone reliefs, grottoes and rock structures such as palaces, bridges and stone carvings. There-fore, the region and especially Mount Bisotun in terms of the stone carvings and stone work on different historical periods of utmost importance and index among is the archaeological regions of Iran. Easy access to limestone mountains of the area in places like Bisotun Mount., during the Parthian and specially Sasanian periods has caused to be created the stone carvings produc-tion mines. Abundance of cut carvings stones on buildings and bridges and even gravestone some graveyards can be seen. There are stone reliefs and carvings stones with mason’s mark in some of buildings, which its study, promote regional archeology and could be specify some ar-chaeological problems on the masonry and stone reliefs resolved. In the 4th century A.D., coin-ciding with strong government Ale-Buyeh in Iran, western Iran region was controlled by Hasnavian kingdom. Of the most important monuments remaining from the Hasnavian is locat-ed in the village of Sarmaj. The castle at 7 km southeast of Bisotun is located mountainous re-gion, overlooking of Chamchamal plain. Very favorable geographical conditions of the region, including large and small intermountain valleys with suitable height of the sea level, and final-ly, vegetation and pastures rich and abundant water resources such as rivers, streams, and springs mirage so much that these factors is make the area suitable for the formation of differ-ent settlements and structures such as the castle Sarmaj. Probably around the year 348 AH Sarmaj castle. By the Hasnavieh founder of the dynasty, has been constructed on a large stone building from the Sassanid era that It can be seen wall remains, including large and small stones. Sarmaj castle was built by Hasnavian that has been square shape similar to the Sassanid architecture monuments and all the important features of this fort such as material, form and plan, gate way, tower and buttress was built in the same style and structure of the Sassanid pe-riod. Similar Sassanid monuments in the region can be named of Sassanian unfinished palace of Bisotun and the building known as the Anahita temple of Kangavar. Other architectural as-pects of the Sassanid buildings of the area such as Anahita temple, Bisotun and even the Harsin park with the castle of Sarmaj, are rock blocks, which is one of the main elements of the Sassa-nid era architecture. In all of these sites, cut of block stones have the same style of construc-tion. Today’s cut of block Stones, it can be seen inside some residential houses of village or in the walls of these houses and also in the cemetery inside the village.he most important archi-tectural spaces remaining Sarmaj castle, large and small stone walls, which it is the largest re-maining stronghold of the southern wall. Moreover, ornamental stones with floral Kufic in-scriptions were obtained from the castle of Sarmaj which influenced by the Abbasid art clearly were belongs to the Hasnavian period. However, this hypothesis needs further research, espe-cially it carrying out for scientific excavation.