Naqshe Rustam - Fars
Naqshe Rustam is an ancient burial site, located 12 km northwest of Persepolis and 70km from Shiraz in Fars Province. This site is famous for the royal tombs and stone reliefs because kings of Achaemenid Empire are buried here.
Tomb of King Xerxes I
Tomb IV belongs to King Xerxes though some doubts remain about it . Most scholars agree that this is the final resting place of King Xerxes (518 BC – 465 BC).
Relief of Narseh
The Relief of Narseh is located close to the tomb of Darius the Great. Narseh (ruled 293 to 302BC) was a younger son of the great Shapur I, had served as ruler of the eastern provinces during the reign of his nephew Bahram II. Here, the king, the second large figure from the right, receives the cydaris ring from a female figure.
Double Equestrian relief of Bahram II
This relief is situated between the relief of Narseh and the tomb of Darius I. In the upper register of this relief, King Bahram II throws an enemy from his horse. In the lower register, king Bahram II (276 AD -293 AD), fights against another enemy.
Tomb of Darius the Great
Tomb of Darius the Great or Darius I (522 BC-486 BC) is also called as Tomb III. It shows Darius in front of an altar, praying to the supreme god.
Triumph relief of Shapur I
The triumph relief of Shapur I (241-272) depicts Shapur’s victory over two Roman emperors, Valerian and Philip the Arab. This relief is situated between the Tomb of Darius I and Artaxerxes I.
Tomb of Artaxerxes I
Tomb II belongs to Artaxerxes I (465 BC – 424 BC), the upper register is identical to the relief of Darius’ tomb: the king is standing in front of an altar.
The relief which is below tomb II of Artaxerxes I depicts Hormizd forcing an enemy (perhaps Papak of Armenia) from his horse.
Tomb of Darius II
There are some doubts that who was buried here, it could be Makrocheir but generally, this tomb is associated with Darius II. He ruled the Persian Empire from 423-404BC.
Audience Relief of Bahram II
Audience Relief of Bahram II shows an audience. Bahram’s hands rest on his giant sword, showing that he is the man in charge of the kingdom.
Relief of Ardasir I
Investiture Relief of Ardasir I shows Ahuramazda (lord or god in ancient Persia) is handing over a ring to Ardasir. It depicts that Persian god has given him the power to rule the county, in doing so, be became the first king of the Sasanian Empire.
Very close to the Ka’baye Zartosht, there is a pool can at the foot of a mountain. It is believed that pool was used for the bathing ritual.
Ka'ba-ye Zartosht
This tower like structure was built around 5th century BC. There is a possibility that it might had been used to keep the holy fire here but more likely a storage place for the kings. Ka’ba-ye Zartosht is 12m in height and Shapur I left two inscriptions on the lower walls of the building, in which he explained his policy.
On the day of visit the weather was very rough with strong winds, hail and sleet. It was the coldest day I came across in Iran.
