| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Ayvān-e Mosaic inBishapur | |
 Interactive map of Ayvān-e Mosaic | |
| Location |  Iran,Kazerun, the ancient city ofBishapur |
| Criteria | Cultural: ii, iii, vi |
| Reference | 1568 |
| Inscription | 2018 (42ndSession) |
| Coordinates | 29°46′48″N51°34′35″E / 29.7800384°N 51.5764580°E /29.7800384; 51.5764580 |
  Mosaic Ayvam Location in Iran | |
| Culture of the Sasanian Empire |
|---|
 |
| Visual Arts |
| Performing Arts |
| Languages and literature |
| Sports and games |
| Other |
TheMosaic Ayvam (Ayvān-e Mosaic orIwān-e Mosaic;Persian: ایوان موزائیک) is one of the architectural structures of the ancient city ofBishapur, located inKazerun County,Iran. The structure was built in the 3rd century CE by order ofShapur I, the king of theSasanian Empire. Ayvān-e Mosaic was registered in 1931 as one of the earliest entries on theIran National Heritage List. It is also inscribed as part of the Bishapur ensemble on theUNESCO World Heritage List.[1]
Ayvān-e Mosaic is situated at the end of the eastern and western corridors of theCeremonial Hall, adjacent to the great fire temple in the northeastern part of ancient Bishapur — one of the capitals of theSasanian Empire — located 15 km west ofKazerun.[2]
Ayvān-e Mosaic was constructed in the second half of the 3rd century CE by order ofShapur I. The space is believed to have served as the private residence or secluded chamber of the Sasanian king.[3]
The first excavator of the structure was the French archaeologistRoman Ghirshman, who described the mosaics in his bookIran: Parthian and Sassanian Art. During excavations led by Iranian archaeologistAli Akbar Sarfaraz beginning in 1974, debris was removed from the iwan and its surrounding area.
The structure consists of two opposingiwans, each featuring arched vaults, stucco decorations, and painted ornamentation. The floors were covered with mosaic carpets composed of human and vegetal motifs.
The lateral surfaces of the iwans were decorated with stucco pseudo-columns painted in red, black-bordered, and blue-banded patterns.
The western iwan represents a masterpiece of Sasanian architectural design and decorative art. It overlooks a rectangular courtyard measuring approximately 33 meters in length and 20 meters in width. The courtyard itself was once adorned with intricate mosaics depicting floral and human figures, arranged over a layer of mortar using small colored tesserae, creating a carpet-like mosaic.[4]
The mosaic themes include a crown-braiding woman, a harpist woman, and various vegetal and anthropomorphic designs.
_1.jpg)
_2.jpg)
_3.jpg)