Dimdim Castle | |
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Kurdish: قەڵای دمدم (Qelay Dimdim) | |
Mount Dimdim, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran in Iran | |
Site information | |
Type | Fortress |
Open to the public | Yes |
Location | |
Coordinates | 37°23′26.1″N 45°10′57.77″E / 37.390583°N 45.1827139°E |
Site history | |
Built | 1609 |
Built by | Emîr Xan Lepzêrîn |
In use | 1609–1610 (sieged by the Safavid Empire) |
Fate | Rebuilt after siege |
Battles/wars | Battle of Dimdim |
Events | Siege by Safavid Empire forces in 1609 |
Dimdim Castle (Kurdish: قەڵای دمدم, romanized: Qelay Dimdim, Persian: قلعه دمدم) was a Kurdish fortress located on top of Mount Dimdim in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran, just west of Lake Urmia.[1] This fortress was the location of the Battle of Dimdim.
According to Kurdish oral tradition the fortress was built in the pre-Islamic era.[2] The castle suffered an attack by the Safavid Empire and was sacked in 1609,[3] then rebuilt by the Amir Khan Lepzerin in the same year.[2] Other source mentioned that the siege of Dimdim Castle was in 1610.[1]
The word "Dimdim" may be onomatopoeic for the noise which the stones of the castle made when they dropped from the castle into the valley.[4]