Firuzabad is a city in the Fars Province of Iran, situated about 110 km south of Shiraz. It is the location of the circular citadel city of Gur, the first capital of the Sassanid Empire. The capital is said to have been constructed by Ardashir I, the first king of Sassanid dynasty, on the site of an Achaemenid city destroyed by Alexander the Great, as a circular town with gates at the four cardinal points. Firuzabad was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in June 2018 as part of the Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region.

A reconstruction of the circular city of Gur.

The ensemble at Firuzabad comprises, within a 14 km diameter area, of a monumental memorial to the founder of the Sassanid state with archaeological sites including the ancient city of Gur, the Palace of Ardashir, the Qal’eh Dokhtar fortress and reliefs from the time of Ardashir, as well as the 5th-century Pahlavi inscription and bridge of Mihr Narseh (see here). Fifty kilometres away from Gur, south of modern Kavar, stands a 125-meter-long bridge spanning the Qara Aqaj River. It was built on arches during the time of Ardashir, probably by Roman engineers. This ensemble embodies the political, historical, cultural and artistic developments of the early Sassanid period. Gur and its surrounding structures, were part of the Ardashir-Khurrah (“Glory of Ardashir”), one of the five administrative divisions (kūra) of the Fars province of Iran.

Ardashir’s new city covered a perfect circle 2 km in diameter and was divided into 61 sectors by 20 radial walls and three concentric circles. It was also protected by a trench 50 meters in width. At the centre of the town, there was an elevated platform or tower, called minar. About two kilometres away from Gur, the Palace of Ardashir stands on the bank of the western branch of Tangab river. The structure consisted of several parts opening to a garden with a pool and contained three domes, resembling the Parthian palace at Ctesiphon. Although some sources state that the capital was established after Ardashir’s victory in 244 over the Parthian king Artabanus V, archaeological evidence confirms that it was established before the battle.

The Qal’eh Dokhtar fortress stands atop the mountain adjoining the river, four kilometres away from the palace of Ardashir. At the foot of the Qal’eh Dokhtar fortress are the remains of a Sasanian bridge, and on its opposite body a bas-relief depicting the crowning of Ardashir (see images here), the Pahlavi Sasanian inscription of Mihr Narseh (see image here), from the time of Yazdgerd II, and at a small distance, the bas-relief depicting the victory of Ardashir over Ataban V, the last Parthian king (see images here).

Coordinates: 28°51’24.3″N 52°32’08.1″E

PORTFOLIO

Ardashir-Khurrah

Palace of Ardashir

Qal’eh Dokhtar

KARVAR BRIDGE

Links:

October 29, 2020November 1, 2021 by followinghadrian Categories: IranTags: Ardashir, Ardashir-Khurrah, Fars, Firuzabad, Iran, Persia, Sassanid Leave a comment

Shushtar is one of the oldest cities in Iran, well known for its many historical and architectural wonders. It is located in the Khuzestan Province, approximately 92 kilometres of Ahvaz, and crosses the large river Karun (the ancient Pasitigris), Iran’s most effluent river. Known as Šurkutir in the Achaemenid period, the old city was situated on the Persian Royal Road which connected Susa, the capital of Elam, and Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenids. Its modern name is connected to the city of Shush (the ancient Susa) and means “greater than Shush”.

During the Sassanid era, Shushar was a fortified island town formed by the river Karun. The Sassanids, whose economy depended largely on agriculture, developed large irrigation systems in the region. They diverted the river Karun through large-scale civil engineering structures such as water canals, watermills and dam-bridges. One of these structures, known as the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, was registered in UNESCO’s list of World Cultural Heritage Sites in 2009, referred to “as a masterpiece of creative genius”. It comprises of fourteen mills and waterfalls flowing downstream from tunnels and cascading over rock cliffs.

In its present form, the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System dates back to the 3rd century AD, but it was probably originally undertaken by Darius the Great, the Achaemenid king in the early 5th century BC.

After the defeat of Emperor Valerian who was captured with his entire army by the Sassanid ruler Shapur I in AD 260, numerous Roman soldiers were brought in to build and expand the irrigation system of Shushtar. They were also ordered to build a 500m-long dam-bridge, known today as Band-e Kaisar (“Caesar’s bridge”). The dam-bridge was used to control the powerful river Karun which raised and stabilised the water level by forming an impounding reservoir. Modelled on the Roman example, the arched superstructure was repaired in the Islamic period and remained in use until the late 19th century. It is considered today as being the easternmost Roman bridge.

Bridge-dam of Shâdorvân in 1880s, (Dieu la Foie and from the nomination file, SP of Iran)

For many centuries, the Shushtar multifunctional hydraulic system provided water supply to the city, operated a series of mills, irrigated vast farming zones, provided facilities for fish farming, river transport, and served as the town’s defence system. Several of these hydraulic functions are still in use.

Coordinates: 32° 2′ 44″ N, 48° 51′ 24″ E