Noushabad Kashan
The underground city, that has been used as a shelter in the case of danger when the enemies attacked and is about 12m under the ground leve is called Noushabad of Kashan, Isfahan province. The city including of a vast dense and complex area full of narrow corridors and small rooms. Oee is considered to be one of the most outstanding and biggest underground cities in the world and a masterpiece of ancient architecture, which is shaped under the old city and has been expanded up to the present city size. The underground city area has been extended horizontally and vertically to save the people’s lives and protect their properties in dangerous situations.
History
Oee underground city was only discovered 15 years ago in 2004. Archeologists believe the subterranean structure city dates back 1500 years to the pre-Islamic Sassanid era. Historical evidence indicates that it was mainly used as a shelter by people during the Mongol invasion in Iran in the 13th century. This remained in use in emergency cases until late Qajar dynastic period. People could live in the underground tunelss and room for several days without the need of going outside. One of the reason for this underground city being built is thought to be to escape from the daytime high temperature of the region.
This city is a handmade complex, that the reason why this city is called Noushabad (meaning the city of cold tasty water) is because in the ancient times one of the Sassanian kings who were passing through this area stopped here to drink water from a well and he found this water extremely clear and cold. Therefore he ordered to build a city around this well and name it Anoushabad which eventually turned into current name.
Structure of Noushabad underground city
A perfect wonder about the city is impressive ventilation of this three-level underworld which was made possible through the channels provided in the first level. They let in the fresh air and the wells circulated it in the lower levels. Apparently, fat-burning lights placed in recesses carved in the walls in short distances used to light the dark, complicated corridors and chambers. Archaeologists have found evidence that the underground city was hand-carved using a sharp diamond-hard object. Overall, the city shows a vivid picture of a people under siege.
Different levels of this city were connected to each other through vertical and horizontal canals. The depth of this city varies from 4 to 18 meters. In order to reach the underground city, there were several various openings. Some of these openings were located inside the houses of people while others were located in important gathering places such as the main fort just outside the city. Except for the main entrance, all the other parts of the city were about 170-180 centimeters in height. Each entrance of the city is about 120 centimeters high, and only one person can pass through it. Also, it should be mentioned that only the first level and some parts of the second level are now accessible to the visitors. Some of the wells which connect the different levels of the city are covered with something like millstone with a hole in the middle in order to let the air pass through.