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The forests of Shaft and Fuman counties in Gilan province have several attractions. In this nature tour, we intend to visit some of these attractions, which are: Rudkhan Castle, the villages of Imamzadeh Is’haq and Imamzadeh Ebrahim, and the Saqalaksar Lake, respectively.

Rudkhan Castle, a historical fortress among the Gilan forests

Rudkhan Castle  (Qaleh Rudkhan ) is the name of a fort or historical castle that was built on the forested heights of Fuman city. This fort has an area of ​​2.6 hectares with 65 towers and fortifications and a wall with a length of 1500 meters. Rudkhan Fortress is located 30 km from Fuman city in Gilan province.

Some experts have considered the construction of Rudkhan Castle during the Sassanid era and at the same time as the Arab invasion of Iran. During the Seljuk period, this castle was rebuilt and was one of the Ismaili fighting bases. During the Safavid period, this fort was rebuilt by one of the rulers opposed to the Safavid government.

Rudkhan Castle is located at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level in the heart of Gilan forests. Every day, many tourists come to visit this castle and the green and forested nature around it. This castle is located in the forest heights of this area and to access the castle, you have to go up the slope of the forest mountain. For this purpose, the access road to the castle has been prepared as a stepped road.

Rudkhan Castle has a appearance similar to European historical military fortresses, and due to the humidity of this region, the stone walls of the castle are covered with moss, which has given it a beautiful view.

Rudkhan Castle consists of two parts: the citadel (the residence of the ruler and his harem) and Qorkhaneh (the place of military activities and the lives of soldiers). The citadel is located in the western part of the building on two floors and is made of brick. The Qorkhaneh in the eastern part has two floors with numerous skylights and openings around it to master enough around. There is also a spring in the castle on its deepest place.

The eastern part of the castle includes an entrance gate, a prison, an emergency gate, the baths and the catchment area. The western part has a gate. A spring, a pond, a reservoirs, a cold storage, bath, royal room and several residential units that are surrounded by towers and fortifications, make up the other buildings of this section.

 Forty watchtowers surround the castle, whose octagonal rooms are covered with domed arches. Sloping openings can be seen around the walls and towers, which are built for pouring molten material and firing . It should be noted that throughout the history of the castle, it has never been penetrated by an enemy and has not been able to conquer it.

Due to the large number of tourists who come to this area, a large local and open market has been created downstream of the castle, which is spectacular in its kind.

Google map link of Rudkhan Castel

Qaleh Rudkhan Local Market

Twenty-five kilometers south of Fuman city and above the forest heights of this part of Gilan province, there is a historic castle  named as Qaleh Rudkhan (Rudkhan Castle).  This castle is two and a half hectares in size and the towers and fortifications of this castle with a wall more than one kilometer long still have remained on the slopes of this  forest mountainous area.

The beauty and splendor of this castle, along with the natural charm of the forests of this region, has attracted many tourists to this place, and because the place of the castle is located on the slopes of forested mountains, to facilitate coming and going to the castle, many steps in a forest slope has been built that is said to be a thousand steps, although the reality is probably less.

The presence of a large number of tourists in Qala-e-Rudkhan (Rudkhan Castle) has led to the creation of   food and other local markets, restaurants, pavilions, photography studios and handicraft shops along the route of Rudkhan Castle. 

Google map link of Rudkhan Castle

Imamzadeh Is’haq village, Shaft, Gilan Forests

Imamzadeh Is’haq village is a small village in the heart of forested heights, 25 km south of Shaft city in Gilan province. This village is located at an altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level and is surrounded by beautiful and dense forests. Imamzadeh Is’haq and his sister Khair al-Nisa, who are the children of Imam Musa Kazem, are buried in this place.

The access route to the village of Imamzadeh Is’haq passes through the heart of a forest  mountainous area, and along the way and in the village, you will see the wooden, colorful and beautiful cottages of the villagers. Imamzadeh Is’haq village is located in the same forest area as the famous village of Imamzadeh Ebrahim. Of course, there is no direct road between these two villages because the area consists of valleys and mountains covered with forests.

To access the village of Imamzadeh Is’haq from Rasht, you can use Shaft Road or Agha Seyed Sharif Road in the south of Rasht.

Google map link of Imamzadeh Eshagh village

Imamzadeh Ebrahim village, a colorful wooden village in Gilan forests

Imamzadeh Ebrahim village is a village in the heart of the beautiful forests south of Shaft city in Gilan province. This village is located 57 km south of Rasht and 23 km south of Shaft. The inhabitants of this village are generally from the Talesh tribe.

Imamzadeh Ebrahim is a village with multi-storey and colorful wooden houses which you can not find in any other region in Iran. When visiting this village, you sometimes imagine that you are visiting a wooden village in Southeast Asia. A colorful wooden village in the heart of a forested mountain with a dreamy and unique atmosphere.

Numerous wooden buildings are also available for rent to tourists visiting this village. The space of the suites on each floor is without walls, doors and windows and overlooks the forest and plains from both sides. The rooms are separated only by colored curtains, although some rooms are enclosed by wooden walls. From the wooden terraces of each floor, you can watch the view of the surrounding  forest and mountain.

Most beautiful is the view of the dense forests on the mountain slope around the village of Imamzadeh Ibrahim, which surround the wooden huts of the village. This glory of nature is completed with a small but beautiful waterfall one kilometer from the outskirts of the village.

Google map link of Imamzadeh Ebrahim village

Imamzadeh Ebrahim Waterfall

Imamzadeh Ebrahim village in Shaft couny of Gilan province is about 630 meters above sea level and is located among the dense forests of Shaft and Fuman region.

The view of the dense forests on the mountain slope around the village of Imamzadeh Ebrahim is very spectacular. These forests surround the wooden huts of the village. This glory of nature is completed with a small but beautiful waterfall in one kilometer of the outskirts of the village. This waterfall comes out of the heart of a forested mountain gorge and its river continues to the village of Imamzadeh Ebrahim.

 Google map link of Imamzadeh Ebrahim  

Saqalaksar Lake, 15 km south of Rasht city

Sefalkarsar Dam Lake is located 15 km south of Rasht, capital of Gilan province, and near the village of Jirdeh.

This lake was created after the construction of an earthen dam on the waterways of the region. After that a suitable atmosphere created for recreation and holidays stay for the residents of Rasht and tourists. During the summer holidays, this lake is crowded with tourists.

To access this lake, come to Agha Seyed Sharif village near the southern suburbs of Rasht. Then come to Jirdeh village and before reaching the village, turn to the left side which will take you to Saqalaksar lake.

Google map link Of Saqalaksar lake

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Hadi Ansari

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