Zurnabad castle

Zurnabad castle — a historic castle located in a forested area about 5-6 km from the village of Zurnabad, Goygol district. Archaeological research conducted at Zurnabad castle has confirmed that it belongs to the 13th-14th centuries. Because of its construction features, the castle can be said to be similar to the Mardakan, Nardaran, and Ramana castles in Baku. The castle, which has five towers, has its width, length, and height built proportionally to each other. Both the width and the height of the castle are 9 meters. Zurnabad was a feudal manor. This castle served to protect the family members of an ordinary feudal lord and his property and was not of a defensive character.

About

In 1938, researchers A.E. Paxomov and in 1989 A.M. Mammadov carried out archaeological excavations at the castle and determined that its construction dates to the 12th-14th centuries. In addition, exploratory work was carried out here in 2013-2014 by the Ganja archaeological expedition.

A. Mammadov noted that Zurnabad castle was a feudal manor, that the castle served to protect the family members of an ordinary feudal lord and his property, and that it carried a defensive character.

Within 500 meters of the castle, on the main road, there is a guard post that local residents and nomadic tribes previously used as a migration route.

Architectural features

Zurnabad castle resembles the Mardakan, Nardaran, and Ramana castles in Baku in its construction features. The walls of Zurnabad castle were built of river stone with a lime solution. The diameter of the largest tower in the castle is 9 meters. The second tower’s diameter is 8 meters, and the diameters of the third, fourth, and fifth towers are 4 meters. The castle’s towers do not have mazghals (holes placed in castle walls for shooting). This also proves that the structure was built not for defensive purposes but as a dwelling place.

The castle has a courtyard that opens towards Gəncəçaya. The length of the left wall surrounding the courtyard is 30 meters, and the length of the opposite side is 10 meters. There are two towers on the wall. The diameter of the large tower is 8 meters, and the diameter of the small tower is 3 meters.

Zurnabad Castle is included in the list of locally significant monuments.