Tag: Fars

Firuzabad (Gur)

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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Bishapur

Bishapur was a Sasanian city in the Fars region of Iran, located just off the road connecting the Sasanian capitals of Istakhr (close to Persepolis) and Ctesiphon. The site is known for its Sasanian-era bas-reliefs and the ruins of a royal city. In June 2018, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of the Fars Region.

Coordinates: 29° 46′ 40″ N, 51° 34′ 15″ E

Bishapur was built near a river crossing in AD 266 on the orders of King Shapur I by Roman soldiers who had been captured after the defeat of the Roman emperor Valerian. The city, surrounded by walls that may have stood some ten metres high, was inhabited by some 50,000 to 80,000 people. It had a rectangular plan with a grid pattern of regular intra-urban streets, resembling Roman city design. The Sasanian king had the sides of the nearby gorge decorated with huge historical reliefs commemorating his triple triumph over Rome.

Bishapur remained an important city until the Arab invasions and the rise of Islam in the second quarter of the 7th century. Under the Umayyads, the city became a centre of Islamic learning (a madrassah and a few mosques have been excavated).

PORTFOLIO

The city

The PALACE

The mosque

The reliefs

The first bas-relief

Badly damaged relief depicting the investiture of Shapur I. The king on horseback reaches for the beribboned ring held by Ahuramazda.
Detail of Roman emperor Gordian III, who was mortally wounded during his campaign against the city of Ctesiphon in AD 244.
Right side of the badly damaged relief depicting the investiture of Shapur. Ahuramazda’s horse tramples upon the devil (Ahriman), and a kneeling Roman emperor (Philip the Arab) is shown pleading for mercy.

The second bas-relief

Relief depicting Shapur I’s investiture and his first victory over the Roman army. On the left were two rows of advancing Persian cavalry, and on the right, the two registers with delegates bringing objects

The third bas-relief

Relief depicting, in five horizontal registers, the triple victory of Shapur I over Gordian III, Philip the Arab, and Valerian. The relief was damaged because of water erosion.

The fourth bas-relief

Relief made under Bahram II (r. 276-293) depicting the king receiving delegation of Arabs (the future conquerors of Iran) accompanied by a dromedary and a horse.

The fifth relief

Sasanian relief depicting the investiture of Bahram I (r. 273-276), the fourth Sasanian King of Kings of Iran.
Having lost Mesopotamia and Ctesiphon to the Romans, it is surprising to see Bahram depicted as a victorious king trampling a dead enemy beneath his horse. It is likely that the dead man did not belong to the original design and was added by King Narseh (r. 293-303) after a victory.

The sixth relief

Relief with two registers made for King Shapur II (r. 309-379); it depicts a triumph over the Indians or the Kushans, or the representation of the repression of a revolt.

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