نقش رستم (Persian) | |
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  Naqsh-e Rostam Shown within Iran | |
| Location | Marvdasht,Fars province |
|---|---|
| Region | Iran |
| Coordinates | 29°59′20″N52°52′29″E / 29.98889°N 52.87472°E /29.98889; 52.87472 |
| Type | Necropolis |
| History | |
| Periods | Achaemenian,Sassanian |
| Cultures | Persian |
| Management | Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Persian |
Naqsh-e Rostam (Persian:نقش رستم,lit. 'Mural ofRostam',Persian:[ˌnæɣʃeɾosˈtæm]) is an ancientarcheological site andnecropolis located about 13 km northwest ofPersepolis, inFars province, Iran. A collection of ancient Iranianrock reliefs are cut into the face of the mountain and the mountain contains the final resting place of fourAchaemenid kings, notably kingDarius the Great and his son,Xerxes. This site is of great significance to thehistory of Iran and toIranians, as it contains various archeological sites carved into the rock wall through time for more than a millennium from theElamites andAchaemenids to theSasanians. It lies a few hundred meters fromNaqsh-e Rajab, with a further four Sasanian rock reliefs, three celebrating kings and one a high priest.
Naqsh-e Rostam is thenecropolis of theAchaemenid dynasty (c. 550–330 BC), with four large tombs cut high into the cliff face. These have mainly architectural decoration, but the facades include large panels over the doorways, each very similar in content, with figures of the king being invested by a god, above a zone with rows of smaller figures bearing tribute, with soldiers and officials. The three classes of figures are sharply differentiated in size. The entrance to each tomb is at the center of each cross, which opens onto a small chamber, where the king lay in asarcophagus.[1]
Well below the Achaemenid tombs, near ground level, are rock reliefs with large figures ofSasanian kings, some meeting gods, others in combat. The most famous shows the Sasanian kingShapur I on horseback, with the Roman EmperorValerian bowing to him in submission, andPhilip the Arab (an earlier emperor who paid Shapur tribute) holding Shapur's horse, while the dead EmperorGordian III, killed in battle, lies beneath it (other identifications have been suggested). This commemorates theBattle of Edessa in AD 260, when Valerian became the only Roman Emperor who was captured as a prisoner of war, a lasting humiliation for the Romans. The placing of these reliefs clearly suggests the Sassanid intention to link themselves with the glories of the earlierAchaemenid Empire.[2]
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The oldest relief at Naqsh-e Rostam dates back to c. 1000BC. Though it is severely damaged, it depicts a faint image of a man with unusual headgear, and is thought to beElamite in origin.[3]
Four tombs belonging toAchaemenid kings are carved out of the rock face at a considerable height above the ground.
One of the tombs is explicitly identified, by an accompanying inscription ("parsa parsahya puthra ariya ariyachitra", meaning, "a Parsi, the son of a Parsi, an Aryan, of Aryan family),[4] as thetomb of Darius I (c. 522–486 BC).
The other three tombs are believed to be those ofXerxes I (c. 486–465 BC),Artaxerxes I (c. 465–424 BC), andDarius II (c. 423–404 BC) respectively. The order of the tombs in Naqsh-e Rostam follows (left to right): Darius II, Artaxerxes I, Darius I, Xerxes I. The matching of the other kings to tombs is somewhat speculative; the relief figures are not intended as individualized portraits.[1]
An inscription byDarius I, fromc.490 BCE, generally referred to as the "DNa inscription" in scholarly works, appears in the top left corner of the facade of his tomb. It mentions the conquests of Darius I and his various achievements during his life. Its exact date is not known, but it can be assumed to be from the last decade of his reign.[5] Like several other inscriptions by Darius, the territories controlled by the Achaemenid Empire are specifically listed, which formed thelargest empire during antiquity. His empire encompassedMacedon andThrace in Europe,Egypt in North Africa, Babylon and Assyria inMesopotamia, the steppes ofEurasia,Bactria in Central Asia, up toGandhara and theIndus in the Indian Subcontinent which were annexed during theAchaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley.[6]
| English translation | Original |
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DNf inscription. There are various and contradictory reports about how this inscription was discovered. According to Mrs. Khadija Totunchi, she took a photo of this inscription in 2017. But she did not find a suitable person to translate and read the inscription. Also, according to Ebrahim Rustaei, in 2018, in cooperation with Abdul Majid Arfai, he presented an article about the inscription to the International Conference on History and Culture of Southern Iran (Historical Persia), in which a reading of the inscription was presented. However, this reading is very basic and has many flaws. But finally, the DNf petroglyph, which had been hidden in the shade and under algae and sediments for 2500 years, was officially and scientifically recorded by Mojtaba Doroodi and Soheil Delshad in February 2019.[2][12]
Babylonian Transliteration: 1- [mx-x-x(-x) LÚ
pa-id-di-iš-ḫu]-ri-iš ˹a˺-˹na˺ m da-a-ri-i̭a-˹muš˺ LUGAL i-GA-ir-ra-bi
Translation (based on the Babylonian version): [Personal Name, Pati]schorian, invokes blessing upon Darius the King.[13]
Ka'ba-ye Zartosht (meaning the "Cube of Zoroaster") is a 5th-century B.C Achaemenid square tower. The structure is a copy of a sister building atPasargadae, the "Prison of Solomon" (Zendān-e Solaymān).
Several theories exist regarding the purpose of the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht structure.[14]
Seven over-life sized rock reliefs at Naqsh-e Rostam depict monarchs of theSasanian era.
The founder of theSassanid Empire is seen being handed the ring of kingship byOhrmazd.
The most famous of the Sassanid rock reliefs, and depicts the victory ofShapur I over two Roman emperors,Valerian andPhilip the Arab. Behind the king standsKirtir, themūbadān mūbad ('high priest'), the most powerful of the Zoroastrian Magi during the history of Iran.[15]
In an inscription, Shapur I claims possession of the territory of theKushans (Kūšān šahr) as far as "Purushapura" (Peshawar), suggesting he controlledBactria and areas as far as theHindu-Kush or even south of it:[16]
I, the Mazda-worshipping lord, Shapur, king of kings of Iran andAn-Iran… (I) am the Master of the Domain of Iran (Ērānšahr) and possess the territory of Persis, Parthian… Hindestan, the Domain of the Kushan up to the limits of Paškabur and up to Kash, Sughd, and Chachestan.
On each side of the king, who is depicted with an oversized sword, figures face the king.
The first equestrian relief, located immediately below the fourth tomb (perhaps that of Darius II), depicts the king battling a mounted Roman enemy. The second equestrian relief, located immediately below the tomb of Darius I, is divided into two registers, an upper and a lower one. In the upper register, the king appears to be forcing a Roman enemy, probably Roman emperorCarus from his horse. In the lower register, the king is again battling a mounted enemy wearing a headgear shaped as an animal's head, thought to be the vanquishedIndo-Sassanian rulerHormizd I Kushanshah.[17]
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![Hormizd I Kushanshah on the lower panel.[17]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHormizd_I_Kushanshah_on_the_Naqsh-e_Rustam_Bahram_II_panel.jpg)
In this relief, the king is depicted as receiving the ring of kingship from a female figure that is frequently assumed to be the divinityAredvi Sura Anahita.
This relief is below tomb 3 (perhaps that of Artaxerxes I) and depicts Hormizd forcing an enemy (perhaps Papak of Armenia) from his horse.
In 1923, the GermanarchaeologistErnst Herzfeld made casts of the inscriptions on the tomb ofDarius the Great. Since 1946, these casts have been held in the archives of theFreer Gallery of Art and theArthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, inWashington, DC.
Naqsh-e Rostam was excavated for several seasons between 1936 and 1939 by a team from theOriental Institute of theUniversity of Chicago, led by Erich Schmidt.[18]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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| The works of Sasanian Empire | ||
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