February Fortress: Shahnameh, From Myth to Reality

This is a scholarly article that uses archaeological studies to locate a place mentioned in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. The Shahnameh refers to a fortress called Dej-e Bahman, described as a demonic stronghold somewhere in the vicinity of Ardabil, during the Kiani era. The fortress appears in the story of a succession dispute after Kavus, in which competing factions support either Fariborz or Kay Khosrow as heir; Kavus resolves the conflict by declaring that whichever of the two can conquer the magical Dej-e Bahman will succeed him. The article attempts to identify the actual archaeological site corresponding to this legendary fortress.