There is an old castle with a tower and a huge rampart, which people believe belongs to Zuhak, located in the ancient province of Bamyan. It means good-laughing or laughing, and according to Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, his father was named Mardas, who fought against Jamshid, the legendary king of Ghorid kingdom.
It is also known as The Red City, which is a historic city ruins used to be primary defense for the basin. Estimates put the red city’s origins into the 6th century, built by the Ghorids.
By 1215 the Ghorids would fall to the Khorezemids due to instability, overthrowing the dynasty. Bamyan Valley would fall under the leadership of the final Khorezemian ruler, Jalaludin Mingburnu.
The Mongol Horde descended on the Bamyan Valley in the spring of 1221 in pursuit of Jalaludin Mingburnu. During the Siege of Bamyan, Mutukhan, the beloved son of Genghis Khan was killed by an arrow cast from inside the beleaguered walls of Zuhak City.
News of the death of Mutukhan enraged Genghis Khan who swiftly made the journey to Bamyan to obliterate everyone and everything in his path. His first target was the Zuhak City to avenge his grandson’s death.
Genghis destroyed the ancient citadel shortly after his arrival. Legend has said that the pink-red hues of the citadel and mountainside came from the blood of Genghis’s victims as he reigned terror on the Zuhak City, gaining the nickname of the Red City.
Crumbling from years of neglect, reminders of the recent warfare, and baking in the harsh sun Shahr-e-Zuhak sits falling into ruin. A path from the farm fields below at Shashpul winds up past the disintegrating red towers to the gates of Shahr-e-Zuhak through a rock tunnel.
According to the country’s historians, jars have been found in Zuhak city, on which the faces of some Turkish kings have been painted, and it is predicted that the life of these objects goes back to the Sassanid era.
Although the city had been completely destroyed, tourists and visitors of Bamyan are still interested in visiting this ruined city. Local people say unfortunately, with each passing year, the city of Zuhak is more damaging. Spring rains and winter snow play a decisive role in the destruction of this city.
Shahr-e-Zuhak is located about 9km east of Bamyan city. It is worth mentioning that Bamyan has become more popular with several famous monuments such as Buddha idols and the surrounding caves, including the castles of Zuhak, Ghalghaleh, and Band Amir. Saida Ahmadi
Bamyan’s Zuhak Castle at the verge of ruin
