Naqsh-e Rostam

Naqsh-e Rostam is the name of an ancient complex in the city of Marvdasht (Fārs region) located at 6 km from Takht-e Jamshid. In this historical site that since ancient times was considered a religious and sacred place, there are the tombs of the Achaemenid kings, the Ka'aba of Zoroaster, epigraphs and Sassanid bas-reliefs, stone hearths and religious paintings belonging to the Elamite period.
In the past the name of this place was "Se Gonbadān" or "Do Gonbadān" and probably the name "Naqsh-e Rostam", was attributed to him after the Iranians, have recognized a link between Rostam, hero of the Shāhnāmeh and the incisions on the stone of Sassanid kings.
The most ancient relief present in this complex is related to the Elamite period and portrays two gods and a goddess with the king and queen but later, in the Sassanid period, parts of it were erased and replaced by other paintings.
Here we present the works left at Naqsh-e Rostam:

Tomb of Darius the Great

Darius was an Achaemenian king originally from Pasargad, Persian and Aryan race who at 64 years in October 489 a. C. went out and was buried in a stone mausoleum which by his own wishes had been prepared for him in the "Naqsh-e Rostam mountain".
This mausoleum is cross-shaped with four arms equal to 26 meters away from the ground level and is located in the heart of the rock at 60 meters in height. On the upper arm of the mausoleum is engraved a religious or royal verse, the carved image of Darius the Great erected on the great royal throne that the peoples of various nations carry on their shoulders, the symbol of farohar (symbol of Zoroastrianism) above him and the a regal fireplace in front and on the two central arms the façade of a palace very similar to the exclusive palace of Dario in Takht-e Jamshid is portrayed.
Among these reliefs a corridor leads into the mausoleum inside which there are three small rooms, each with three tombs similar to a sarcophagus that show Dario also the burial of his relatives. The lower arm of the cross has no paintings and to create difficulties in the climb has been made smooth and its inferior rough battlements prove that the carving work was left unfinished.
The outer part of the mausoleum has two stone inscriptions in ancient Persian, Elamite and Akkadian that sound like a testament and a guide.
Under the mausoleum of Darius there are two large carved stones from the Sasanian period that show both show the battle of the royal knights who have subdued the enemies. The inferior relief probably and the higher one doubtless has been attributed to Bahram II.
The mausoleum of Darius the Great is the model of the other mausoleums and the foundation of our knowledge on those. Of the four rock tombs of Naqsh-e Rostam only the attribution of that of Darius the Great is completely certain because it has an epigraph while for others it is based on comparison and deduction.

Tomb of Xerxes

Xerxes was the son of Darius the Great and of Atousus, daughter of Cyrus the Great. He was born around the year 520 BC and in 465 BC he was killed. He was buried in a mausoleum that had been prepared for him by his own will, at 100 meters from that of Darius the Great in the heart of a vertical cliff.
This tomb in general has the same characteristics as that of Darius and the cross shape. In the upper part of the cross the symbol of Farohar and the moon has been engraved and in the lower part Xerxes is represented with the hand extended towards the Farohar and the hearth which is in front of him and in this part there is an epigraph. Under the feet of the king is the great royal throne that is carried on the shoulders by the peoples of various countries.
In the two directions of the upper arm of the cross the relief of a lance door, an arch door and another lance door (one on top of the other) on the left frame, and three Persian on the frame on the right, have been sculpted symmetrical to those, three rows of two Persian lance port on the left wall and three Persian on the right one.
The mausoleum has an entrance corridor and only a small room that is right in front of the entrance, where three tombs have been excavated and it is not clear which people were buried together with Xerxes.

Tomb of Artaxerxes I

Artaxerxes I, son of Serse, reigned in the year 465 BC and died in 423, at the age of about 60 years. He was buried at Naqsh-e Rostam, in a tomb near that of Darius the Great.
His mausoleum, like that of Darius, is shaped like a cross but is very damaged. Here are the foundations of a smaller fireplace and the regal power is represented only by a smooth ring without a seal. The interior of the mausoleum was excavated in imitation of that of Darius, has three small rooms and in each there is a sepulcher.
The construction of the tomb of Artaxerxes I, which presents differences from that of Darius, is between the years 450 and 430 BC Under the tomb you can see two bas-reliefs from the Sassanid period and both portray "the equestrian battle".

Tomb of Darius II

Dario II reigned from the year 423 to 404 BC His tomb is the one farther west from those of Naqsh-e Rostam and has been carved in the shape of a cross. The entire facade is like the other mausoleums of Naqsh-e Rostam. Above the tomb of Darius II, which is located exactly in front of the "Ka'ba of Zoroaster", the king is portrayed in front of the hearth, under the shadow of the "royal power" and the crescent and on its two sides there are people good-looking, court dignitaries and thirty men carrying the great royal throne.
The paintings are very damaged. The inside of the tomb is very similar to that of Darius I and has three small rooms. The date of construction of this mausoleum is thought to be between the years 420 and 404 BC. Below the mausoleum is depicted the scene of the battle of Shapur II.

Elamite relief

At the foot of the mountain and at 10-15 meters to the north-east there is an Elamite relief deeply carved into the stone in the shape of an uneven pentagon that seems to have been excavated to collect water.

Bas-relief and epigraph of the sacred area

The sacred area had a non-uniform rectangular shape, was long 200 meters and 70 wide, its northern part was leaning against the mountain and the other three sides formed a bastion of raw bricks. The wall of the bastion had a thickness of 9 meters and at the distance of 21 meters a 10 meters high tower was built and of a cylindrical shape facing the outside of the area.
7 towers were located on the south side and two on the west side and probably two on the east side. Behind the tower wall to the south was a long cavity that was probably the site of the moat.

Royal bas-relief by Artaxerxes

In the east corner of the sacred area of ​​Naqsh-e Rostam, on the rock was depicted the ceremony of the investiture of Artaxerxes I sasanides known as Artaxerxes Bābakān, founder of the Sassanid dynasty.
In this historical work, which is one of the most beautiful and well preserved of the Sassanid period, Artaxerxes and Ahuramazda on horseback, stand opposite each other. The god offers the king the diadem of royalty.
Behind Artaxerxes there is a young man with a fly-swatter and under the legs of Artaxerxes' horse the soulless body of Artabanus, the last king of the Parthians and Ahriman has been portrayed under the paws of the horse of Ahuramazda, his obscure adversary.
Artaxerxes and Ahuramazda, through the inscriptions on their horses are presented in three languages, Greek, Partisan and Sassanidic.
In this very beautiful work whose dating can be estimated around the year 235 AD, one of the first human images of Ahuramazda is depicted and to affirm its greatness and that of Artaxerxes, the dimensions of the horses are much smaller than they and they look natural.

Stone hearths

In Naqsh-e Rostam two fireplaces in the shape of an imperfect pyramid have been carved from the stone of the mountain, one is a little larger than the other, but the characteristics and decorations of both are identical and their distance is only 80 cm . Near these hearths is a platform which has three steps in the southern section.
Almost all scholars suppose that these stone altars were temples of fire. There are divergent opinions on their dating; some make them go back to before the Achemenids, others to the Achaemenids and others to the Sassanid period.

Bas-relief of the triumph of Shapur on Valeriano and bas-relief and epigraph of Kartir

The bas-relief of Shapur has been excavated in a very protruding way to the extent of about 11x 5 meters, near the tomb of Darius the Great. The king is represented with the crown and the great royal sphere, a king dress, a necklace at the neck and an earring on horseback.
His straight and long sword is in the lining, the left hand is placed on its handle and the right hand is stretched. Shapur's horse has a saddle and an ornate saddle, in front of the horse there is a man with a Byzantine dress, with his left knee on the ground and the right one bent and holding out his hands to the king.
His robe is a tunic by a Byzantine emperor, on his head he has a crown of leaves and next to him there is another character standing with a Byzantine habit, the sword hanging from his belt and his left calf grasped by Shapur.
From the tunic and the crown one understands that it is an emperor. The presence of Valeriano in this bas-relief allows us to date it around the year 262 AD and its realization took place at the will of Shapur I. This bas-relief is a memory of the triumph of the Persians on the army of Rome and shows the scene of the king holding prisoner Valeriano and receives the homage of Philip the Arab.
For the precision of details and refinement, it is one of the best bas-reliefs of the Sassanid period.
On the right of the bas-relief of the victory of Shapur on Valeriano, there is the epigraph of Kartir or Karder / Kartir Hangirpe Kerdir), a very influential Zoroastrian priest of the Sassanid period around the 280 AD by his will was engraved in this place.
In this work Kartir is portrayed, without beard, with a tall hat in the mid-cylinder that has a symbol similar to a large scissor, a necklace at the neck and the index of the right hand is stretched towards Shapur as a sign of acclamation and respect.
The symbol of the great scissors on the hat of Kartir was considered an emblem of its decision-making power in the highest judicial office of the country that had the power to resolve the most important issues.
Below the bust of Kartir is an epigraph in Persian middle of 79 very damaged lines. This inscription presents Kartir and mentions its ascension (among the four epigraphs of Kartir probably the epigraph of Sar Mashhad is older and probably is the original writing and after that in order comes this inscription, then that of Kartir at the Ka'ba of Zoroaster and finally the inscription of Kartir in Naqsh-e Rajab).

Bas-relief of Bahram II and his courtiers

After Shapur I, his eldest son Ormisda Artaxerxes, then Bahram I and after him in the year 276 AD his son Bahram II became king of Iran. Two bas-reliefs were carved in the mountain of Naqsh-e Rostam in Bahram II and a remarkable and realistic one near the tomb of Darius the Great in which Bahram is portrayed with a crown, a sword hanging from his belt, a particular dress, a necklace neck with circles together with his courtiers.
In this scene three half-length people are shown behind the king and all look at him and have the index of his right hand extended towards him in a sign of respect. In front of the king are shown five other people: the royal family, Kartir and Narsete half-length and they also look at him.
The date of the bas-reliefs of Bahram is estimated around the year 290 AD

Bas-relief of Anahita and Narses

The bas-relief of Anahita and Narsete (transliterated also Narseh, Narses and Narseus), son of Shapur I, is one of the most beautiful sculptures left of the Sasanian period which shows the coronation and sovereignty of Narses.
In this bas-relief which is near Darius's tomb, Narsete has a very beautiful crown on his head and his left hand is taut and takes the union ring or royal crown from Anahita, goddess of water, fertility and of the battle while the right hand is placed on the handle of the sword.
In this work the king is portrayed with a long beard, a necklace around his neck, a tight dress and shoes with a bow. Behind him one of the dignitaries is standing in a sign of respect and before the king there is a young man standing who is his son or nephew of Narses.
Anahita wears a crown with blackbirds, her long hair gathered and braided on the shoulders and with the pleated dress looks very dignified. The date of execution of this bas-relief is around the year 300 AD

Bas-reliefs of the battle of Bahram II and Bahram III

The stone engraving of the victory of Bahram II (built around the 285 AD), includes two large bas-reliefs of the Sasanian period that lie beneath the tomb of Darius the Great. Both scenes show the battle of king knights who have subjugated their enemies.
The inferior scene probably and the higher one is certainly attributed to Bahram II in which his victorious battle is shown on an enemy whose identity has not been identified. To the left of this work, Bahram wears a shining dress and holds a spear in the direction of the enemy's horse, and traces of a flag can be seen behind him.
There is also another enemy under the legs of the king's horse and appears dead.
Under this scene and united with it, another has been carved that from all points of view has ties to the superior one and for this reason it has been attributed to Bahram II. But there is also the probability that the lower scene belongs to Bahram III who reigned for only four months.

Bas-relief of the battle of Ormisda II and Adarnase

The bas-relief of the battle of Ormisda II and the stone engraving left in the middle of Adarnase are under the tomb of Artaxerxes I. In this relief Ormisda II, king Sassanid who reigned from 303 to 309 AD, riding a horse with saddle and ornaments, he subdues an enemy knight with armor and sticks a long spear into his belly.
The face and the royal crown is damaged but a part of the eagle's wing of the crown and its spherical projection is clearly visible and ascertains that its crown showed an eagle that had a pearl in its beak.
Right above the depiction of Ormisda II, an unfinished relief was carved in which part of the battle scene was removed. This relief belongs to Adur Narsete, son of Ormisda II, who reigned only a few months.
The date of the bas-relief of Ormisda II is about 305 AD.

Bas-relief of the battle of Shapur II

The bas-relief of the battle of Shapur II-o Shapur the Great-who was the 10th Sasanian king from 309 to 379 AD, is located below the tomb of Darius II. In this bas-relief, the king, riding a horse that has jewels on his head, neck and under his belly, jabs the long spear in the neck of the enemy knight that can be deduced from the dress and its jewels that it is of royal lineage.
A flag bearer is shown behind the king. Most of this bas-relief in which horses, unlike usual, are depicted very large, damaged and many details have disappeared.

Scene carved without images

To the west of the bas relief of Anahita and Narsete, a large part of the mountain was carved in the form of a rectangle long 10 meters and high 5 with the intention of creating a relief. This scene has been engraved with so much magnificence and depth worthy of a great and powerful king and in fact has been attributed to Khosrow Parviz- (from 590 to 628 AD), the twenty-fourth Sasanian king who intended to build on these surfaces a great relief of the 'crowning or his victories over the Romans but at the end of his reign when he was defeated by Heraclius I, Byzantine emperor, its realization no longer made sense.
In the year 1821, one of the local owners ordered to engrave on this surface the act of property of Hāji Ābād in his name with Persian calligraphy nasta'liq in 24 rows.