28°53′53″N52°32′22″E / 28.898091°N 52.539314°E /28.898091; 52.539314
ThePalace of Ardashir Bābakān (Persian:کاخ اردشير بابکان,romanized: Kākh-e Ardeshīr-e Bābakān), also known as theĀtashkadeh (Persian:آتشکده,lit. 'Fire Temple'), is a castle located on the slopes of the mountain on whichQal'eh Dokhtar is situated. Built in AD 224 by KingArdashir I of theSasanian Empire, it is located two kilometers (1.2 miles) north of the ancient city ofGor, i.e. the old city of Artakhsher Khwarah/Khor Adashir/Gor Adesheer (Glory of [king] Ardasher) inPars, in ancientPersia (Iran). The ancient city where the palace is located, was renamed "Peroz" (lit. victorious) after Ardashir established theSassanian Empire by overthrowingArdavan, the lastParthian king. After the Arabian conquest, Peroz was called Firuz, and the name remained. The modern city ofFiruzabad is hence, of important significance inPersian history andSasanian archaeology, and is one of the eight designatedUNESCO World Heritage Sites of theSassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region.
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The structure contains three domes, among other features, making it slightly larger and more magnificent than its predecessor, the nearby castle ofDezh Dokhtar. However, it seems that the compound was designed to display the royalty image ofArdashir I, rather than being a fortified structure for defense purposes. That is why perhaps it would be best to refer to the structure as a "palace" rather than a "castle", even though it has huge walls on the perimeters (twice as thick as Ghal'eh Dokhtar), and is a contained structure. From the architectural design, it seems the palace was more of a place of social gathering where guests would be introduced to the imperial throne.
What is particularly interesting about this palace is that its architectural design does not exactly fall into that of theParthians or evenSassanian category; the design is a unique design particular to architects ofFars.
The palace was built next to a picturesque pond that was fed by a natural spring, perhaps in connection with the Persian goddess of water and growth,Anahita. The spring is thought to have fed a royal garden, in the same way that Cyrus had his garden (bustan) built atPasargadae. The pond was tiled on its sides, surrounded by pavement for guests of the royal court to enjoy the evenings by.
The structure is 104 m (340 ft) by 55 m (180 ft). Theiwan is 18 m (60 ft) high, although it has partially collapsed. The structure was built of local rocks and mortar with plasterwork on the insides. The style of the interior design is comparable to that ofTachara palace atPersepolis.[citation needed]
Jane Dieulafoy visited the site with her husband,Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, and described it inLa Perse, la Chaldée et la Susiane.[1]
Robert Byron was there in February 1934, and wrote about his visit inThe Road to Oxiana. Byron considered the Palace to include the prototype of thesquinch. In his view, buildings such asSt. Peter's Basilica and theTaj Mahal would not have existed without the squinch and thependentive.[2]
Iran has tentatively listed the Palace of Ardashir and other sites in and around Firouzabad as a possibleUNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.[3]
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