Rayen Castle

Rayen Castle (Arg-e Rayen) is a walled mud-brick town and citadel at Rayen, about 100 km south-east of Kerman. Smaller than Arg-e Bam but similar in plan, it is thought to have pre-Islamic roots and was lived in until the 19th century; because it survived the earthquakes that destroyed Bam in 2003, it is now the best place in Iran to see an old adobe citadel largely intact.

A trading town on the edge of the mountains

Rayen sits where the mountains south of Kerman meet the plain, at about 2,200 metres, on old routes between Kerman, Bam and the south-east. Local tradition and Iranian sources place the first fortress here in the Sasanian period, and the town is mentioned in the history of Kerman in the first Islamic century. A popular story says the Arab armies could not take it because of its high walls; it is hard to prove, but it shows how proud the town was of its defences.

Written sources describe Rayen as a market for fine textiles and a centre for making swords and knives, and later guns. Knife-making is still the craft Rayen is known for, and small workshops in the modern town sell hand-made knives. The citadel is thought to have been inhabited until about 1868, when the people moved out to the newer town below. The older history of the region is outlined on our page on the Seljuks of Kerman and on Kerman.

What to look at

The walls and gate

The plan is roughly square, enclosed by a high wall with sixteen watchtowers. There is only one entrance, through a large gateway on the east side. Before going in, walk a little way along the outside of the walls: the battered mud-brick surfaces, rebuilt in places, give a good sense of how such defences were built and maintained.

The governor’s quarter

Inside, a lane leads past the main parts of the town to the governor’s quarter (حاکم‌نشین), raised above the rest. Its rooms around small courtyards, with wind openings and niches, have been restored, and from the upper levels you get the classic view: the honey-coloured walls and towers in the foreground and the often snow-capped Hezar mountains behind.

The town

The rest of the walled area was divided into quarters for the well-off and for ordinary people. Look for the bazaar lane, larger houses with courtyards, storehouses, a quarantine building, a schoolroom (maktab) and a building that guides describe as a fire temple. Some houses are still roofless ruins; others have been rebuilt. Because the town is smaller than Bam, it is easier to understand as a whole.

Rayen and Bam

Before 2003, Arg-e Bam was the famous one and Rayen a quiet side trip. After the earthquake, Rayen became the citadel that visitors could still walk through more or less as it had been. The two make a good pair: see the rebuilt walls and the ongoing work at Arg-e Bam, then Rayen to see how a mud-brick town looks after centuries of slow change rather than a single disaster.

Practical notes

• Rayen is about an hour and a half by road from Kerman and can be combined with Shazdeh Garden in Mahan on the same day, or visited on the way to Bam.
• At this altitude it is cooler than the desert towns; spring and autumn are the most comfortable times. Winter can be cold.
• Paths inside the citadel are uneven and some roofs and stairs are fragile; keep to marked routes. Check current opening hours and tickets locally.