Fakhrigah Rock Tomb

As the visitors get closer to Fakhrigah rock tomb, they will see a signboard, which will astonish them: “Date: one thousand years B.C.”. After this, a rock tomb becomes visible in the heart of the mountain. There are two stone pillars in the opening, or the porch, which have protected it during many years. Except for the porch itself, there is no other way to enter the tomb. A visitor will have to climb the rock to reach the tomb.

Upon entering, the visitor will see two pillars of the tomb that have gradually been weathered by sunlight, rain and wind. Now only the base and the capital of the pillars are remaining. The pillars differ in diameter, the lower part being wider than the upper part. It seems that they were designed to look like upside-down vases. As one passes through the pillars and goes deeper into the tomb, the main space becomes visible. It is a rather big room that is separated from the entry by two steps. The interesting point is that the height of the tomb, from terrace to the top of the carved ceiling is five hundred and thirty centimeters, and the tomb itself is ten meters higher than the mountain plain. However, reaching the tomb needs special climbing skills as there is no pathway towards it.

It is speculated that the front porch of Fakhrigah rock comb was specifically used for burial ceremony as the tombs are located in the inner space. In this case, there are three tombs one of which is bigger than the others. The bigger tomb is located parallel to the terrace, and the two smaller ones are perpendicular to it. The tombs have been carved into the rocks and are about fifty centimeters deep. There are four other pillars inside the tomb. Compared to the ones on the porch, they are thinner. All four have bases and capitals in forms of rectangular.

Many rock tombs can be found all over the mountains of Iran, amongst which Fakhrigah is located in the northernmost point. It belongs to the Medes heritage that has remained in this area. Shirin o Farhad rock tomb in Sahneh County and Dokan-e-Davood near Sarpol Zahab are two other renowned Medes rock tombs. Fakhrigah is located in a mountain made of limestone sediments. It should be mentioned that this rock tomb was registered as a national heritage of Iran in 1937 by the efforts of Ministry of Culture and Arts. Fakhrigah rock tomb is located in West Azerbaijan close to Mahabad County and next to Inderqash village.