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The valley of Alamut is situated in the north – east of Qazvin province. The region is an enclave in the form of a U shape valley in the central Alborz chains and opening up to the fertile Qazvin plains. The mountains of Alamut were ideal for construction of castles. The natural heights contains a section of the defensive structure of the castles. In 1090 A.D, Hassan Sabbah , the leader of Ismailites in Iran , chose the Alamut region , as his headquarter to campaign , preach and convert new followers. This proved to be a turning point for destiny of Alamut Valley. The result of over two centuries Ismailite stronghold, the region witnessed innumerous castles throughout, of which at least 20 “castles “dating back to this era have been identified. The most magnificent castle in the Alamut Valley is the Alamut or the Hassan Sabbah castle, which is built on top of a high rock reaching 2163 m above sea level near the Gazor Khan Village .The rock is 200 m high, with its steep slope and deep and dangerous ravine, the rock is practically inaccessible and forms a part of the Fort’s structure. Covering an area of 20,000sq.m. Currently only ruins of the fort and some towers are apparent and it is only through archeological excavation the mains can be discovered. During the7 seasons of excavation (2001- 2007) more than 5000 Sq.m were unearthed. The discoveries include: main entrances, road networks, steps and stepsflanked, workshops, water reservoirs, depots, living quarters, significant main portal and mosque. With molded and carved delicated brick decoration, as well as broken pieces of turquoise glazed tiles, luster painted tiles, these findings speak of the magnificents architecture of the castle during the Ismailite. Excavations show that the castle has undergone at least four major alterations, first in the 11 century A.D (Hassan Sabbah period), and then during his seven successors ( until 13th century AD ) and before the attack of Hulaku Khan in 1257 AD during the reign of Roknoddin Khorshah , the last lord of Alamut, the Safavid era 16-17A.D; when castle was used as prison and exile for political opponents and was referred to as “oblivious castle” and finally during Qajar unfortunately ravaged for treasure hunting.

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The Khānegāh or the Shrine of Shaikh Safi al-Din in Ardabil, north-west of Iran, listed as the world heritage site ( by UNESCO) back in 2011 under the identification no. 1450. This ensemble is located at 38° 14´52/5" northern latitude, 48° 17´27/5˝ longitude, and altitude of 1365 above sea level in the center of city of Ardabil. The ensemble of Shaikh Safi al-Din is a well-developed prototype constituting social, religious, charitable, cultural, and educational functions. With range of versatile spaces, it has met the physical and spiritual needs of residents and pilgrims as such; it includes places to meet needs in fields of education and training, livelihood and healthcare. Relying on the diagram of De Morgan, it seems there are more than 67 spaces and courtyards attached to the Khānegāh, all of which have had a significant role in the training and educational philosophy of Safavid tradition. After decade of Safavid, most part of this magnificent structure damaged. F. Sarre, a German researcher, conducted one of the earliest studies on the architectural and archaeological history of Ardabil shrine in 1897. Some others such as Dibaj (1948), Ali Akbar Sar-faraz,(1974), Weaver (1974), Morton (1974) and Seyyed Mahmoud Mousawi (1995-6) have also carried out researches on this subject in recent decades. Archaeological works of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Islamic Republic also conducted a study under the leadership of Hassan Yousefi in 2007. These studies cleared so many unsolved historical questions about the general plan of the holy shrine.