 Paikuli Tower | |
 Interactive map of Paikuli Tower | |
| Location | Sulaymaniyah Governorate,Iraq |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°5′53.91″N45°35′25.95″E / 35.0983083°N 45.5905417°E /35.0983083; 45.5905417 |
| Designer | Narseh |
| Type | Tower |
| Material | Stone |
| Beginning date | 3rd century AD |
ThePaikuli inscription (Kurdish:پەیکوڵی,romanized: Peykulî,[1]Persian:پایکولی, inArabic:بيكولي) is a bilingual text corpus inParthian andMiddle Persian, inscribed on the stone blocks of the Paikuli Tower's walls. The tower is located in the southern part ofIraqi Kurdistan, near the modern-day village of Barkal in theSulaymaniyah Governorate,Iraq. These inscribed stone blocks are now housed in theSulaymaniyah Museum, with the field only containing the stones used in the tower’s construction.[2] The inscription was erected as a monument to victory and explains how and why the Sasanian emperorNarseh overthrew his grandnephew from power.[3]
In 293Narses marched fromArmenia in open revolt against his nephew with a host of supporters and allies, whose names are recorded on the Paikuli inscription.[4]
The Paikuli inscription of Narses shows thatAsuristan (Babylonia) at least was inPersian hands, but says nothing ofNisibis andSingara.[5]
The fact ofAmr ibn Adi's vassalage to Narses was preserved by the latter in the Paikuli inscription.[6]
Paikuli inscription may be devoid of much historical information because it belongs to the genre of epic literature composed since time immemorial in the ancient Near East.[7]
In the 19th century, when it was visited by several travelers, it consisted of the ruins of a large, square tower that had originally been covered on all sides by stone blocks, some contained inscriptions, but, at the time, lay scattered all around the monument.
InTabari and sources that follow his work, and also in the Paikuli inscription of Narses, a son of Papak called Shapur is mentioned as his successor, although the text of the inscription of Paikuli in which king Shapur appears is unclear because of long lacunae. Some suggest that Narses in the inscription sought to compare his succession to the throne with that of his grandfather Ardashir, just asArdashir had succeeded Shapur.
S. Mori contends that the Paikuli inscription is basically relating the traditional Near Eastern story of how a king achieves supremacy with the aid of the gods in the epic form. He also believes that the early Islamic texts, such as al-Tabarī are of little use for the history of the Sasanian period.[8]
The Sulaymaniyah Museum in Iraqi Kurdistan opened a new Gallery on June 10, 2019, dedicated to the Paikuli Tower, its inscription, and King Narseh. The Sulaymaniyah Museum is the only Museum which displays relics of the Paikuli Tower.[9]
