Naqsh-e Rostam
Quick Summary
Naqsh-e Rostam is an archaeological site in Iran, renowned for its rock-cut tombs and reliefs. The site's modern Persian name originates from medieval tales of the hero Rostam.1
The reliefs surrounding the tombs depict different historical periods. An early Elamite priest-king is represented, followed by the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great. Darius I carved four burial tombs into the cliff face near his palace at Persepolis. A unique cubic structure, possibly linked to Zoroaster, also stands at the base of the cliff, though its purpose remains unknown.1
Later, the Sasanian dynasty expanded the site, creating reliefs showing rulers receiving royal insignia. The earliest of these investiture scenes marks the first recorded use of the name "Iran". After the Arab conquest, the original meaning of the site's iconography was lost to folklore.1
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ancient IranArt and literatureThe best-known groups are at Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab, both near Persepolis, and at Bishāpūr, an ancient city a few miles north of Kāzerūn in Fārs. At Fīrūzābād—the ancient Gūr, also in Fārs—are two reliefs of Ardashīr I, one depicting the overthrow of Artabanus V, the other depicting an…
Read MoreThe best-known groups are at Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab, both near Persepolis, and at Bishāpūr, an ancient city a few miles north of Kāzerūn in Fārs. At Fīrūzābād—the ancient Gūr, also in Fārs—are two reliefs of Ardashīr I, one depicting the overthrow of Artabanus V, the other depicting an…
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Iranian art and architectureSculpture…of the royal tombs at Naqsh-e Rostam, near Persepolis, and the relief with a famous inscription of Darius I at Bīsitūn (historically Behistun), on the road to Hamadan, are primarily of archaeological interest. Of greater artistic importance are the many surviving examples of Achaemenian metalsmiths’ work, which continued to draw…
Read More…of the royal tombs at Naqsh-e Rostam, near Persepolis, and the relief with a famous inscription of Darius I at Bīsitūn (historically Behistun), on the road to Hamadan, are primarily of archaeological interest. Of greater artistic importance are the many surviving examples of Achaemenian metalsmiths’ work, which continued to draw…
Read More- Iranian art and architectureSāsānian period
…Investiture of Ardashīr I at Naqsh-e Rostam and the Royal Hunt relief at Tāq-e Bostān. In the first the king and his god, both mounted on horseback, are sculptured in high relief in the Roman manner but are antithetically arranged to create a typically Iranian heraldic composition. In the second…
Read More…Investiture of Ardashīr I at Naqsh-e Rostam and the Royal Hunt relief at Tāq-e Bostān. In the first the king and his god, both mounted on horseback, are sculptured in high relief in the Roman manner but are antithetically arranged to create a typically Iranian heraldic composition. In the second…
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