Leaning tower of Shiraz, a photo from Fars, East

Photographer's Note

The south-east tower of the Arg-é Karim Khani (Citadel of Karim Khan), which occupies a full city block in the middle of Shiraz, is often referred to by the locals as the “Leaning Tower of Shiraz”.

The tower is leaning at quite a pronounced angle. Some reports that I have read say that it was caused by earthquakes (of which Iran has more than its fair share), others by an underground river and one said it was caused by water seeping from the toilets in this corner of the citadel. Perhaps some of our Iranian TrekEarthers may be able to shed some light on this?

The imposing structure was built during the reign of Karim Khan Zand (1747 - 1779) when Shiraz was the capital of Persia, and on a information board inside the citadel it is described thus:

“The exalted stature of the Karim-Khan’s Citadel, amuses every new traveler for a long time, who arrives in Shiraz. The four reached high to sky ramparts and towers, which are impossible to be conquered, was Karim-Khan Zand’s house”.

Not the best English – but I got the drift!

Wikipedia provides an interesting account about Karim Khan:

“Karim Khan Zand, (Persian: کریم خان زند), (c. 1705- 1779), was a Shah of Persia who reigned from 1760 until 1779. He founded the Zand dynasty. Karim Khan was one of the generals of Nadir Shah. After Nadir Shah's death in 1747, Persia fell into a state of civil war. At that time, Karim Khan, Abdolfath Khan and Ali Mardan Khan reached an agreement to divide the country among themselves and give the throne to Ismail III. However, the cooperation ended after Ali Mardan Khan invaded Isfahan and killed Abdolfath Khan. Subsequently, Karim Khan killed Ali Mardan Khan and invaded all Iran except Khorasan, respecting Shah Rukh, grandson of Nadir Shah. Nevertheless, he did not adopt the title of Shah for himself, preferring the title, Vakil ar-Ra'aayaa (The Peasants' Regent). During his reign, relations with Britain were restored, and he allowed the East India Company to have a trading post in southern Iran. He made Shiraz his capital and ordered the construction of several architectural projects there. Following Karim Khan's death, civil war broke out once more, and none of his descendants were able to rule the country as effectively as he had, until Agha Mohammad Khan and the Qajar dynasty came to power. To this day, he has a reputation as one of the few just rulers in Iranian history. Whether this is merely in contrast to the infamous Nadir Shah, known for his atrocities, or based on fact is debatable. Nevertheless, a wealth of tales and anecdotes portray Karim Khan as a compassionate ruler, genuinely concerned with the welfare of his subjects.”

This was the best POV that I could find to show the leaning structure, and includes one of the other towers in the background which does not have a lean. PP: Adjusted levels, contrast + 8, saturation +8, USM at 350% (0.4).

abdolrashidi, fserajian, cjmm, dsidwell, ChrisJ, riclopes, PJE, capthaddock, fireflyz, elmec, Davoud, aloyho heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

fserajian (2299) 2006-06-10 4:14

Hi David,

Another nice one from you. What I can say, sharp, good contrast simply perfect.

Cheers,

Faramarz

kensimage (8563) 2006-06-10 12:23

Beautiful place, David, I love those intricate patterns built into the brickwork. The two women provide human scale. You've successfully made the lean very clear with your POV. Maybe you could have cloned out the green banner at lower left. But it's fascinating to see places like this that it's doubtful I'll ever get to go to. Regards, Ken.

cjmm (4479) 2006-06-14 17:23

Hi David,

Nice and sharp, with lots of details and a very good POV. (As you say in the noye, the leaning on the tower is very clear, even to the point that when I saw the thumbnail image, my first thought was that the photo was tilted!).

It seems that it was a challenging exposure (bright light, high contrast), but you managed it very well.

My only doubt is how the image would look if cloning the fabrics on the lower left corner.

Best regards,
Carlos

dsidwell (9783) 2006-06-14 22:30

Very intriguing and clear capture, David. I love the deep and rich colors here. Nice placement of the tower in the frame, too.

ChrisJ (171852) 2006-06-18 6:29

Hi David

Interesting geometric patterns & designs. A superb polarised blue sky, with excellent sharpness. Tfs!

riclopes (35577) 2006-06-18 8:23

Spectacular one David. I love it!
Must not have been easy to make sure that this image was straighten, he,he,he. Your POV is magnificent and the note is excellent (perfect English is not much of a requirement in this site...;), although I try to improve my own, with native English speakers, as yourself).
Excellent quality of the image, where we can apreciate the architectural details in a fine clear image and good inclusion of the muslims passing by. Beautiful blue sky and perfect composition.
Cheers,
Ricardo

PJE (20758) 2006-06-18 10:16

David I can see in the distance the tower on the other corner of the building. It doesn't look like its leaning. I would say poor foundation is one factor and earthquakes helped it along its tilt. We have these companies here that can raise a sunken drivway by drilling holes and applying pressure upwards from underneath to raise concrete slabs to re level them. I don't think that would work here. A bit of a challenge for sure.
I like your angle viewpoint here David. Excellent details nicely framed in. I also notice how attractive the stone inlay looks around this tower. The sign of true craftsmanship and skill. Nice one David...thanks for sharing!

capthaddock (28790) 2006-06-19 11:55

Hi David - OK this would have been more impressive had the tower been taller, but still the pronounced lean, especially at the left side of the tower, is inetersting enough, and the figures are necessary to put the size ogf the tower in perspective.

sergio1 (12152) 2006-06-21 6:39

Hi David
Excellent compo to the castle, and great perspective. I like the lights and texture.
Regards
Sergio

fireflyz (2097) 2006-06-23 19:02

Hi David,
what i like the most here is the intricate brick works on the tower. very lovely! i think you did well to capture the details and conveying it's impressive size by capturing the human subject for scale. As always, wonderful note! TE admin must be proud to have a member such as yourself.
best wishes,
skye

elmec (12210) 2006-06-26 13:28

Hello David!
Great photo of the architecture!
It looks like postcard!
Very good composed! The people tells us about tower's vertical!
Best regards!

Albanian (248) 2006-08-09 14:56

I loved your perspective of the Citadel. It really ephasises the lean on the towers and crack on the wall.

The colours are great and nice to have people in the frame.

Good job with this.

Davoud (243) 2006-08-09 16:46

Hi David , Dear Guest :)
I love it
excellent ... everything is ok
Best Regards
Davoud

aloyho (6798) 2006-08-20 21:41

Hi David,
The natural lean of the tower certainly make this a dynamic composition and I am really attracted by the rich earth colours of the tower and the very intricate patterns. The clear blue sky also helped to bring out its beauty and splendour. Well done!! Have a nice day.

jbweasle (9393) 2006-09-03 9:04

Hello David, this is a nicely detailed shot of the old building. A fascinating picture and one of those places I really ought to see myself.