Ancient Forouzak, now called Kheyrabad, has a long history behind it. At least, we can mention the hill of Dehveh, which shows its ancient history. On this hill, works have been found that were made five thousand years ago. From these signs we can trace the ancientness of this part of our land. Kheyrabad Chartaqi has cast its shade on this place.
Kheyrabad is in Gachsaran district, Kohkeylouyeh va Boyer Ahmad province. 50 km off the road connecting Gachsaran to Behbahan, signs of Kheyrabad Olia village will appear. After walking another 10 km we will see a roaring river and a historic bridge. Just nearby the Kheyrabad Chartaqi is built and still standing. Kheyrabad bridge was constructed by order of sassanid kings. this is a warm area in the southwest of Kohkiloyeh and Boyer Ahmad province; although in the historic past, it was considered a part of ancient Fars and a royal road, in the country divisions of the past decades, it has been considered as one of the regions of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad provinces.
The Kheyrabad Chartaqi (Forouzak) was built in the Sassanid kingdom. There is some history about the, which says that this quadrangle structure was built by Ardeshir Babakan to commemorate the defeat of Ardavan V of Parthian dynasty, in the Ramhormoz plain and its surroundings. The victory of Ardeshir Babakan in 224 AD took place in Hormuzdagan Plain.
This Chartaqi was a small fire temple, same as other chartaqi structures, but the point here is that this structure was built far from the city. Maybe they used it as a guard structure. The small pits near and far from the Chartaqi, and archaeologists have found burnt ones at a depth of 50 meters indicate that fires were also lit in those pits.
Another important use of Kheyrabad Chartaqi has been its use as an annuity. They used this quadrilateral and its construction method to identify the calendar days. Its quadrilateral construction was used to define the days of the calendar. How that was possible needs to be searched in chronological reports and writings of this type. One example to prove this is that the central ais of this structure, built to face where the sun rises.
All four pillars of the structure are still standing, but its dome has collapsed over the centuries. Even so, it still has a dazzling splendor and is very impressive. The materials used in this structure are stone, plaster, and rubble, and it is so strong that it has kept the building standing for hundreds of years. The rocks have been hammered, and simple geometric lines can also be seen on the top of the quadrangle, near the remains of the roof dome.
Today, the remains of this Chartaqi’s original glory, i.e., the days when the holy fire was burning in it. Unfortunately, one of the damages that happened to this beautiful structure goes back to the heavy rains of 1991. The subsequent earthquakes were also influential in destroying parts of the quadrangle. If reviving repair had been done at that time, this structure would have lasted longer, and its foundation and the walls would not be damaged. In 2012 the foundations were rebuilt with cement mortar; a work that was more harmful than beneficial. Those in the know considered this reconstruction as a “non-expert work” that “doesn’t match the rest of the structure” (Report of the Cultural Heritage Agency, September 2011). Of course, this was not the only damage inflicted on the quadrangular; the stones used in the foundations’ non-expert revival need to be more balanced and consistent with the structure and have harmed the harmony and order of the entire building. Chahartaqi of Kheyrabad (Forouzak) was registered among Iran’s historical and national monuments in 1948.
