Gyaur Kala Fortress

Western hill of Mizdakhan

Gyaur Kala (Gyaur-Kala) marks the oldest core of Mizdakhan: a natural mound of more than nine hectares, founded in the 4th century BCE, ringed with thick walls and towers. Many scholars link the site to early Zoroastrian burial practice — ossuaries and dakhma-like mounds — before Islam reshaped the landscape. Nearby Antakiya (“Kohi Antakiya”) may echo a Seleucid-era frontier name from the age of the Antiochus kings.