Iranica Antiqua, vol. LVII, 2022 doi: 10.2143/IA.57.0.0000000 QALEH QAMCHOQAY: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION INTO A DEFENSIVE CASTLE IN THE PROVINCE OF KURDISTAN, IRAN BY *Amir SAED MUCHESHI 1 , Mohammad E. ELIASVAND 2 , Shoaib FAIZI 1 , Amir ESNA-ASHARI 3 , Shreya SARMAH 4 , Mojgan SEIF PANAHI 2 and Ali BEHNIA 2 ( 1 Department of Art and Architecture, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran; 2 C.H.H.T.O. of Kurdistan Province, Kurdistan, Iran; 3 Department of Geology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran; 4 Department of A.I.H.C. & Archaeology, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune, India) Abstract: The cultural materials recovered from the Castle of Qamchoqay in Kurdistan Province during the preliminary exploration brought to light certain remarkable facts. The subsequent archaeological survey in the summer of 2019 that aimed at mapping the entire site and documenting its material remnants led to the discovery of a man-made ‘room’, fragments of stairways of the castle, a few water reservoirs, a rock-cut tunnel, mortar, potteries, and scattered bricks. The historicity of the castle is traced back to the Sassanid period. The castle was reset- tled in the Middle Islamic period. The defence wall was evidently built during the Sassanid era, whereas the upper portion of the castle seemingly built over an early structure belongs to the last phase of the Middle Islamic Period. This paper endeavours to introduce the readers to the architecture and other aspects of the Qaleh Qamchoqay. Key Words: Qamchoqay Castle, Kurdistan Province, Sassanid and Middle Islamic Period Introduction Field explorations of ancient architectural activities and subsequent identifications of monumental structures and castles could be expedient in multiple ways for the perusal of the past. These buildings are either royal or defensive in nature, which is why they tend to reveal comparatively more institutionalized aspects of the bygone days, than the settlement sites which effectively reflect the diverse aspects of everyday lives of the people. 103693_Iran_Antiqua_57_05_Saed Mucheshi ea.indd 113 103693_Iran_Antiqua_57_05_Saed Mucheshi ea.indd 113 18/11/22 14:49 18/11/22 14:49