Darreh Shahr

Darreh Shahr stands in the Seymareh valley beneath the long ridge of Kabir Kuh. Nearby lie the remains of Seymareh, an important city of the Sasanian and early Islamic periods and the centre of the district of Mihrajanqadhaq. Its buildings were made of stone and plaster, with vaulted passages and richly decorated interiors. A mosque with a courtyard and plaster ornament belonged to the Islamic city.

Archaeological finds show occupation from the Parthian period through the early Islamic centuries, with particular prosperity in the ninth and tenth centuries. Historical accounts describe earthquake, disease and flooding in the period when the city declined. The settlement was eventually abandoned, leaving its streets and buildings to fall into ruin beside the river valley. Later communities inherited a landscape marked by the remains of a once flourishing regional centre.