Fīrūzkūh

Firuzkuh was a fortified town in the Alborz mountains of northern Iran, on the approaches between the interior and the Caspian country. Its elevated surroundings also served as summer pasture for the Ilkhanid and Timurid courts. The fortress and the seasonal encampments placed this mountain locality within the movements of rulers, armies and ambassadors.

In 1404, the Castilian envoy Ruy González de Clavijo passed through on his journey to Timur's court at Samarkand. His account describes a stronghold occupying an isolated height, with three successive defensive circuits, towers and houses climbing the slope. A spring supplied water within the fortifications, while a river almost encircled the hill below. Clavijo also reported that Timur had recently besieged the fortress after its commander defied an arrest order. The garrison eventually surrendered the rebel commander and escaped by night. The envoy encountered a damaged fortress whose impressive defences had failed to protect its lord from imperial punishment. Firuzkuh's mountain strength was therefore closely entangled with the unstable loyalties of Timurid commanders.