A Review and Introduction of Ottoman Castle in Tabriz Based on Written Sources and New Archaeological Findings

During their military campaigns to the borders of the empire, the Ottomans always followed a "fortress-centered" system. In this system, the progress of conquests and the road map for territorial expansion were based on the capture and reconstruction of castles to advance their military and political objectives. Through field and library research conducted by the authors, three castle in Tabriz and its surroundings have been identified as utilized by the Ottomans according to this 1-Rashidiyye Castle 2-Jafar Pasha Castle 3-Khameneh Castle. This research is based on a combination of library and field methods. The studied sources were compared with archaeological evidence obtained. From a theoretical perspective, Colin Renfrew's dominance theory(the relationship between political and military centers) was used to analyze the research findings. By examining the mentioned castles, it is concluded that each of these castles had specific political and military potential and influence on the developments of this period. This can be analyzed within Renfrew's theory of dominance, suggesting that although each castle operated as an independent political-military unit, it functioned as a coordinated system within the Ottoman political structure in the occupied northwestern regions of Iran. Thus, the Ottoman castles in Tabriz, operating within this castle-centered system, contributed to the 20-year political dominance of the Ottoman state in the occupied regions of Azerbaijan, particularly Tabriz, from 1585 to 1603 A.D.