Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region

Sassanid (224 – 650 CE) Archaeological Landscape comprises of eight ancient archeological sites in south Iran; City of Bishapur, Shapur cave, Ardashir Khurreh, Palace of Ardashir, Qal’eh Dokhtar, Ardashir Investiture Relief, Victory Relief of Ardashir, and Sarvestan Palace.

City of Bishapur: Under the command of Shapur I, the second Sassanid king, the city of Bishapur was constructed as one of the five administrative centers of Fars. Natural topography was employed to determine the north and east boundaries of the city. Most importantly, the Shapur River passing from east to west had created the northern border. In addition, moats had established other regions boundaries.  The rectangular shape of the city consisted of crossroads joining the city’s two main roads. Having had four gates at the end of these perpendicular straight roads; they intercepted each other at the heart of the city. Main walls, Palace of Valerian, Anahita temple, Fire temple, Defensive towers, Commemorative Columns, historical Bath, and Ceremonial Hall are central parts of the city.

Valerian palace façade was made of carved block stones fastened by iron champs. The architecture of the palace is Sassanid. The interior façade of the palace consisted of patterned carved stones, and numerous reliefs, whereas its exterior façade was covered with white plaster.

The square building known as the Anahita temple was, in fact, a ceremonial purification center to enter the fire temple. Stone blocks are used in the construction of the temple, simple in outside and carved in the interior. The temple’s ceiling was made of wooden beams.

The fire temple is a cruciform building opens to other places through four narrow corridors. With a diameter of twenty meter, this building had the largest Sassanid dome purportedly.

Two 6.7-meter high commemorative columns stand at the heart of Bishapur city, at the intersection of the two main city roads. A 16-line stone-carved inscription in both Parthian and Sassanid languages on one of the columns narrates the establishment of Bishapur.

The Ceremonial Hall with a cruciform structure opens to four iwans that had a vast 23-meter high dome on top. Besides, in the Hall, there were sixty-four niches all decorated with astonishing stuccos of geometric and floral patterns in various colors.

Shapur Cave and the statue of Shapur I: Situated in the high lands and the right side of the Shapur River, the cave is accessible through 230 -step stairs.  The cave houses a giant 6.7-meter height stone statue of Shapur I, the most prominent Sassanid stone statue. The statue was carved from a single stalagmite.

Ardashir Khurreh: The circular plan of the ancient city of Gur or Ardashir Khurreh was the idea of Ardashir I, the founder of Sassanid, of a utopic urban planning in which the king and his administrative sectors as well as religious structures were in center of a circle and surrounded by other parts of the city in next circles based on their importance. The city center was easily connected with other parts of the city and four gates were located at the end of two main city roads. The city fabric was mostly constructed with mud bricks, a 35-meter wide moan surrounding the city.

Takht Neshin, the remains of a brick-made Chahartaqi, is probably the fire temple of Ardashir I that he mentioned in his book Kar-Namag. It is postulated that this structure is a prototype for next Chahartaqi inspired Sassanid religious structures.

The palace of Ardashir: This palace located on the north of Ardashir khurreh had no fortifications. This could have been probably because Ardashir Papakan had already established his supremacy and so, no need for military arrangements was felt. A pond in front of the palace reflecting its image was a common characteristic of Sassanid architecture.

The Ardashir palace has a quintessential Sassanid design with a symmetrical layout around the entrance iwan, a public reception hall, and an iwan with surrounding rooms. Barrel vaults with pitched courses are the main architectural features of the palace. The dome of the main hall was mounted through squinch techniques that were first invented by its architects. The main hall opens to other spaces from four sides.

Qaleh Dokhtar: Qaleh Dokhtar was a strong fortress and indomitable barrier built by Ardashir I to fight with Artabanus V of Parthia, the last Parthian king. Qaleh Dokhtar had a strategic location on a dominating rock peak to the valley of Tang Ab.

The fortress of Qaleh Dokhtar includes a small fortressed palace inside, containing residential and royal sections. The architecture and decoration of the inner palace are astonishing yet straightforward. The palace consists of a main hall and several dominating rooms on the second floor to the hall and surrounding areas. This quality later became the main attribute of Persian palaces.

The Investiture Relief of Ardashir: Two still extant reliefs in Firuzabad reveal the establishment of this tradition of Sassanid by Ardashir I. One of the reliefs illustrates the victory of Ardashir I over Artabanus V of Parthia, and the other one represents Ahura Mazda providing Ardeshir with the sovereignty ring.

Sarvestan Monument: A monument close to Sarvestan is called palace of Sassan or Chahartagi by locals and generally known as Sarvestan Palace. Nonetheless, the monument’s actual function is still disputable.

The general layout of the building is composed of a main entrance iwan connected to a square hall with a fired-brick dome. A courtyard situated behind the domed hall is surrounded with lateral spaces. Inside the building and beside the lateral rooms, a series of short circular twin columns are attached on short walls, which ultimately shape rectangular bases on their top. Furthermore, throughout the building, there is abundance of large niches with Barrel vaults. Enormous stones and Gypsum mortar are chiefly employed in the construction of Sarvestan Palace.