Naqshe Rostam, Shiraz

Naqshe Rostam, Shiraz

Naqshe Rostam, Shiraz

Naqshe Rostam (The image of Rostamm) is an archaeological site located about 5 km northwest of Persepolis, in the province Fars in Iran. Naqshe Rostam is a few hundred meters from Naqshe Rajab. The oldest bas relief of Naqshe Rostam, which is badly damaged, dates  back to 1000  BC. It represents an image of a man that scholars believe to be at Elamite origin. The representation is part of a larger mural, most of which was removed by the order of the Sassanid King, Bahram II (276-293).

Persians derive the name of Naqshe Rostam from the reliefs on the rock, which remain from the Sassanid period (224-637) and were believed to be a representation of the mythical hero Rostam by the locals. On this site rises a perpendicular wall in the rock, in which four rock tombs were dug, at a considerable height. The occupants of these tombs seem to have been Achaemenid kings. One of these tombs, as attested in an inscription, is the burial place of Darius I (522-486). These tombs could be reached only by the use of ropes, hanging from the top of the rocks. The other three tombs are supposed to be those of Xerxes I (486-465 Today's), Artaxerxes I (465-424) and Darius II (423-404), but they do not carry any inscription to identify them with certainty.

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A fifth unfinished tomb could be that of Artaxerxes IV who reigned at most two years, but it is possible that it was begun for Darius III (336-330), the last of the Achaemenid dynasty. The graves are known locally as "Persian Cross", according to the shape of their facade. They were looted after the fall of the Achaemenid Empire. The entrance to each tomb is in the center of each cross, which opens to a small room where the King rested in a sarcophagus. The horizontal beam of each facade of the tomb seems to be a copy of the entrance to the palace of Persepolis. Facing the rock is a square tower, called Ka'ba-ye Zartosht (Cube of Zoroaster), a Zoroastrian monument.

The walls on three sides have niches that look like windows. A door in the fourth side gave access to the single room of the tower. Against the North facade, a staircase of thirty steps gives access to the only square interior room. The exterior walls of  Naqshe Rostam feature inscriptions in Greek, Parthe and Pehlevi. This building is the replica of the tower of Pasargadae. The function of both is unknown. Was it tombs or temples? The first of the inscriptions, in Middle Persian, is one of the four versions of the text of the Zoroaster priest Kartir Hangirpe, founder of the Mazdean "Church". At the end of the site are two small fire altars.

Sassanid Reliefs

Seven reliefs in the rock, under the tombs, represent monarchs of the Sassanid period (224-637).

• The relief of the investiture of Ardeshir I (224-241):
It shows the one who is considered the founder of the Sassanid Empire receiving the ring of kingship by the Ahura-Mazda God. In the inscription, which also bears the earliest known testimony of the use of the term "Iran", it is said that Al-Harach I betrays his commitment to King Parthe Artaban V (216-224), the Persians having been a state vassal of the Arsacid Parthians, but he legitimized his action on the grounds that it was under the will of the God Ahura-Mazda.

• Terrain of victory of Bahram II (276-293):
On each side of the King, who is depicted with an oversized sword, there are characters, perhaps members of the royal family (Three having diadems, suggesting that they were of royal origin). On the right of the ruler are three standing courtiers, one of whom might be the Zoroaster Priest Kartir Hangirpe. This relief is to the right of that of the inauguration of Ardeshir I and replaces the much older part of relief that gives Naqsh-e Rostam its name.

• The triumph of Shapur I (241-272) in Naqshe rostam:
It is the most famous, the largest and the most luxurious of the Sassanides reliefs. It represents the victory of Shapur I over two Roman Emperors, Valerian I the Elder (253-260) and Philip I (245-247). A more elaborate version of this bas-relief is at Bishapour. In this relief one sees Shapur I mounted on his horse in full glory and the Roman Emperor Valerien who kneels at the feet of the horse in front of him. Behind Shapur I we see a large inscription in Pahlavi, plus the image of an eminent and powerful Zoroastrian priest. The inscription speaks of the historical biography of Shapur I and it is said that the King did everything to strengthen the principles of the Zoroastrian faith.

• The equestrian relief of Hormizd II (302-310) in Naqshe rostam:
This relief is below the third tomb which was perhaps that of Artaxerxes I (465-424) and represents Hormizd II on horseback crushing an enemy, perhaps the King of Armenia Tiridate II (294-314 ).

• The two equestrian reliefs of Bahram II (276-293) in Naqshe rostam:
The two scenes were separated by a relatively narrow line. The first equestrian relief, located immediately below the fourth tomb, perhaps that of Darius II (423-404), represents Bahram II's struggle against a Roman soldier. The second equestrian relief, located immediately below the tomb of Darius I (522-486), is divided into two registers, one upper and one lower. The two reliefs represent a Roman enemy dead under the hooves of the King's horse.

• The investiture of Narseh (294-302) in Naqshe rostam:
In this relief, the King is represented as receiving the ring of the royalty of a female figure who is often supposed to be the Anahita (Nahid in modern Persian "Immaculate"). However, the King is not represented in a pose that one might expect in the presence of a deity, which suggests to some scholars that it is likely that the woman is rather a parent, perhaps the Queen. Shapurdokhtak.

Immediately above the relief of Hormizd II and below the grave 3, there is a severely damaged relief that seems to represent Shapuhr II (309-379) accompanied by courtiers. This interpretation is not unanimous among specialists.

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