Firuzabad is a city located in the Fars Province of Iran, approximately 110 kilometres south of Shiraz. It is home to the circular citadel city of Gur, which was the Sassanid Empire’s first capital. Legend has it that Ardashir I, the first king of the Sassanid dynasty, founded the capital on the site of an Achaemenid city destroyed by Alexander the Great. The city was designed as a circular town with gates positioned at the four cardinal points. In June 2018, Firuzabad was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of the Fars Region.

A reconstruction of the circular city of Gur.

The ensemble at Firuzabad includes a monumental memorial dedicated to the founder of the Sassanid state, all within a 14-kilometre diameter area. Notable archaeological sites in this region include the ancient city of Gur, the Palace of Ardashir, the Qal’eh Dokhtar fortress, and reliefs dating to the time of Ardashir. Additionally, there is a 5th-century Pahlavi inscription and the bridge of Mihr Narseh. Fifty kilometres south of modern Kavar, near the ancient site of Gur, stands a 125-meter-long bridge that spans the Qara Aqaj River. This bridge, built on arches during the reign of Ardashir, was likely constructed by Roman engineers. It represents the political, historical, cultural, and artistic developments of the early Sassanid period. Gur and its surrounding structures were part of Ardashir-Khurrah, which means “Glory of Ardashir,” one of the five administrative divisions (kūra) of the Fars province in 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 50-meter-wide trench. At the centre of the town stood an elevated platform or tower called a minar. About two kilometres away from Gur, the Palace of Ardashir stands on the bank of the western branch of the 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

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October 29, 2020March 15, 2026 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 from 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 derived from the city of Shush (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 Karun River through large-scale civil engineering structures such as canals, watermills, and dam-bridges. One of these structures, known as the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, was registered on UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage list in 2009, referred to as “a masterpiece of creative genius”. It comprises 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, raising and stabilising 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 to be the easternmost Roman bridge.

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

For many centuries, the Shushtar multifunctional hydraulic system provided water to the city, operated a series of mills, irrigated vast farming zones, supported fish farming and 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