Reliefs at Bishapur & Naqsh-e Rustam

The Writing Unto the King

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Bas Reliefs at Bishapur, a Sasanian Palace/Town complex built in about 266CE.

Adjacent to the ruins of the city, in a small river valley, are some huge Sasanian reliefs carved into the rockface. They depict (and I quote from our tour notes "Victory of Shapur over Valerian", "Phillip the Arab and Cordianus", "Coronation of Bahram", "Victory of Bahram over the Arabs and Cordianus", and "Coronation of Bahram", and "Bringing of Camels to Bahram".

I have only posted four of the frescos because the other two are badly damaged by water and wind.

Some of the panels have been damaged by an aquaduct and there is a great deal of restoration work being carried out. I tried to avoid showing scaffolding but somehow some of it has crept in; it is almost unavoidable.

I have cut and enhanced these pictures to make the detail clearer but that has necessitated showing only small portions of some of the carvings.

The lowest panel of five, showing a victory with soldiers and
prisoners in chains.The garbled translation from French
makes the whys and wherefores difficult
Bahram II accepting the submission of nomads who have come
with their horses and camels

The Zoroastrian god, Ahura Mazda delivering
'the Ring of the Capacity'[tr. from French] to Shapur
On the left, behind the king are the nobles and Shapur's horse;
on the right are prisoners and a torturer holding two heads

This information comes from Wikipedia

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Archaemanian Dynastic Tombs at Nakshi-i-Rustam, believed to be the tombs of Darius I (522 - 485BC), Xerxes (486 - 465BC),Artaxerxes (465 - 424BC) and Darius II (423 - 404BC

Naqsh-e Rustam contains seven tombs belonging to Achaemenian kings, one of which is believed to be the tomb of Darius I. The three other tombs are those of his successors.

In addition to the tombs there are also seven gigantic rock carvings, below the tombs, belonging to the Sassanid kings.

The central tomb has an inscription which identifies it as the tomb of Darius I
This tomb on the far right is generally attributed to Darius II

I think that this represents the investiture of Narses (293 - 302).
Receiving the diadem from the hands of the goddess Anahita,
or possibly granting it to his wife Shapurdokht
Shapur II (309 - 379) leaning on his sword

The investiture of Ardeshir by Ahura Mazda
Hormizd II (303 - 309_ unseating an enemy with his spear

The outer facade of the tombs is in the shape of a cross
with an opening in the centre which leads to the funerary chamber.
The lower part of the facade is plain while the central section
echoes the architecture of columns and capitals.
[from Bradt: Iran, Persia Ancient and Modern]
Ka'bah-i Zardust (Cube of Zoroaster) in front of the tombs
From a reference to fire alters in an inscription on the building
it is assumed to have been a fire alter, or perhaps an
eternal flame memorial to the kings whose tombs are located nearby.

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The lowest panel of five, showing a victory with soldiers and prisoners in chains.The garbled translation from French makes the whys and wherefores difficult	Bahram II accepting the submission of nomads who have come with their horses and camels
The Zoroastrian god, Ahura Mazda delivering 'the Ring of the Capacity'[tr. from French] to Shapur	On the left, behind the king are the nobles and Shapur's horse; on the right are prisoners and a torturer holding two heads

The central tomb has an inscription which identifies it as the tomb of Darius I	This tomb on the far right is generally attributed to Darius II
I think that this represents the investiture of Narses (293 - 302). Receiving the diadem from the hands of the goddess Anahita, or possibly granting it to his wife Shapurdokht	Shapur II (309 - 379) leaning on his sword
The investiture of Ardeshir by Ahura Mazda	Hormizd II (303 - 309_ unseating an enemy with his spear
The outer facade of the tombs is in the shape of a cross with an opening in the centre which leads to the funerary chamber. The lower part of the facade is plain while the central section echoes the architecture of columns and capitals. [from Bradt: Iran, Persia Ancient and Modern]	Ka'bah-i Zardust (Cube of Zoroaster) in front of the tombs From a reference to fire alters in an inscription on the building it is assumed to have been a fire alter, or perhaps an eternal flame memorial to the kings whose tombs are located nearby.