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Sasanian dynasty
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Ancient rock relief at Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran, depicting the surrender of Roman emperor Valerian to Persian king Shapur, with Shapur on horseback and Valerian kneeling before him. Map showing the extent of the Sasanian Empire during the reign of Shapur I, shaded in green. The empire covers parts of present-day Iran, Iraq, the Persian Gulf coast, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and extends westward toward the Eastern Roman Empire, with major regions and cities labeled throughout the territory.
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Sasanian also spelled:
Sassanian
Also called:
Sasanid
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Ancient rock relief at Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran, depicting the surrender of Roman emperor Valerian to Persian king Shapur, with Shapur on horseback and Valerian kneeling before him.
Valerian surrendering to Shāpūr I The surrender of the emperor Valerian to the Persian king Shāpūr I, rock relief, 260 ce; in the province of Fārs, Iran.

Sasanian dynasty

Iranian dynasty
Also known as: Sasanid, Sassanian dynasty
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•History

Sasanian dynasty, ancient Iranian dynasty that ruled an empire (224–651 ce), rising through Ardashīr I’s conquests in 208–224 ce and destroyed by the Arabs during the years 637–651. The dynasty was named after Sāsān, an ancestor of Ardashīr.

Map showing the extent of the Sasanian Empire during the reign of Shapur I, shaded in green. The empire covers parts of present-day Iran, Iraq, the Persian Gulf coast, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and extends westward toward the Eastern Roman Empire, with major regions and cities labeled throughout the territory.
Sāsānian empire at the time of Shāpūr IThe Sāsānian empire at the time of Shāpūr I.

Under the leadership of Ardashīr (reigned as “king of kings” 224–241), the Sasanians overthrew the Parthians and created an empire that was constantly changing in size as it reacted to Rome and Byzantium to the west and to the Kushans and Hephthalites to the east. At the time of Shāpūr I (reigned 241–272), the empire stretched from Sogdiana and Iberia (Georgia) in the north to the Mazun region of Arabia in the south and extended to the Indus River in the east and to the upper Tigris and Euphrates river valleys in the west.

A revival of Iranian nationalism took place under Sasanian rule. Zoroastrianism became the state religion, and at various times followers of other faiths suffered official persecution. The government was centralized, with provincial officials directly responsible to the throne, and roads, city building, and even agriculture were financed by the government.

Map showing the extent of the Achaemenid Empire during the 6th and 5th centuries BC, shaded in light green and spanning from the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt through the Middle East to parts of Central Asia and the Indus Valley. Major regions, cities, and trade routes such as the Royal Road are labeled within the empire's boundaries.
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ancient Iran: The Sasanian period

Under the Sasanians Iranian art experienced a general renaissance. Architecture often took on grandiose proportions, such as the palaces at Ctesiphon, Fīrūzābād, and Sarvestan. Perhaps the most characteristic and striking relics of Sasanian art are rock sculptures carved on abrupt limestone cliffs—for example, at Shāhpūr (Bishapur), Naqsh-e Rostam, and Naqsh-e Rajab. Metalwork and gem engraving became highly sophisticated. Scholarship was encouraged by the state, and works from both the East and the West were translated into Pahlavi, the language of the Sasanians.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Zeidan.