Oct 10 - Load up on breakfast goodies at the hotel restaurant, since it is included with our room. Seems like most of the foreigners there are Spanish. Apparently, this year, there have been more Spanish tourists in Iran than any other nationality. The food at the buffet is quite different than the usual fare, focusing on traditional Iranian breakfast offerings. Out the door at 9:00.
The first stop today will be the ruins of Persepolis (locally named Takht-e Jamshid). It is the most globally famous historical site in Iran, and among the significant ancient sites we’ve seen on the trip, this would be the most important since Stonehenge on Day 9. I will get some of the historical background out of the way now.
Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550–330 BCE). The name was one given to the city by the Greeks, meaning ‘City of the Persians’. This empire was vast, at its maximum stretching from the Danube River in the west to Afghanistan in the east, the Aral Sea in the north, and Egypt in the south. It holds the world record for ruling over the largest percentage of the planet’s population (around 46%). There were many important cities in Achaemenid times, and the specific function of Persepolis is still not fully decided. By the structures and inscriptions, it appears to be a residence of kings, royal treasury, and center of rituals. The mountain it abuts, Kuh-e Mehr, was sacred as a home to the god Mithras long before the Achaemenids, so there is logic to the idea that the site had some relation to the gods. The complex/city was founded under Darius the Great (r. 522-486 BCE) and expanded upon under later kings, as will be detailed below. The complex/city was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE (known in Iran as Alexander the Bastard). Its importance ceased after this, slowly filling with sediment eroding from the mountains, and losing bits and pieces of stone to construction of other structures. The history was forgotten, and people much later attributed the site to the mythological hero Jamshid. It was only in the last 200 years that it was excavated and the truth of what empire it represented was revealed.
This photo shows the main tourist entrance today, passing up a double flight of stairs to the Xerxes Gate. The Kuh-e Mehr Mountain rises behind.
Closeup of the Xerxes Gate. It is guarded by two lamassus, though the ones facing out no longer have heads. The columns behind are the tallest of the ancient world, standing at 20 meters height. Xerxes, son of Darius the Great, was the second king to build structures in Persepolis.
Below is a map of the structures in Persepolis. The above gate is #4, on the upper left side of the complex.
The guardian lamassus on the back entrance to the gate are more complete. They have the head of a man (meaning wisdom), body of a bull (meaning strength), and wings of an eagle (meaning ruling the skies).
A view of the back gate entrance.
Continuing east from the Xerxes Gate leads to a structure only known as ‘incomplete’. It was in the process of being constructed when Alexander burned everything, so it is not known what it was for.
The unfinished gate (shown on map as #11).
Behind the unfinished gate is an only partially excavated area that is thought to be artisan workshops. This column top of two griffins may never have been approved for use. Thus it remained in storage by the workshops. The column now beneath it is modern.
Odette alleviated her boredom with long historical explanations by playing in the dirt with a new friend.
The Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE) is counted as the first truly Iranian empire. The two reasons for this are: (1) it covered the most area of what is now considered Iran, and (2) it laid the cultural, linguistic, and religious foundation of what would be classified as ‘Iranian’ in the future. The Achaemenids brought a high level of political and artistic complexity that was absent under the earlier Assyrian or Elamite empires. It is telling that while Assyrian artwork often shows battle scenes and kings are depicted holding weapons, Achaemenid kings like Darius I and Xerxes are shown holding lotus flowers, symbols of peace. They dominated over many kingdoms and tribes outside the Iranian plateau but did not interfere with them other than to demand tribute.
A wall fragment, showing lions, bulls, and flowers. The flowers here, as elsewhere in the complex, are depicted with twelve petals. This symbolizes the twelve months of the ancient Iranian calendar.
Gate at the north entrance to the Hall of One Hundred Columns (#8 on map). It is not certain but thought that this hall was a place for generals and other VIP military personnel to meet. The two guardian soldiers shown above have two different hats. On the left is Achaemenid, and the right is Mede (one of the main subject people).
The Hall of One Hundred Columns is now mostly destroyed. Most of the column bases remain only because they were buried and undisturbed until the early 1900’s. Much of the remaining column material was used for later construction in surrounding towns.
The Achaemenid kings made tombs carved into the face of cliffs. The original place where they did this is visited later today, but a few of the later kings constructed their tombs in the mountain behind Persepolis. It was not the greatest place to do so, as the rock face is about a 45-degree slope. It had to be chipped away by hand to make a vertical rock face, which was also carved out to look like the front of a temple. The coffin room was excavated deep into the rock.
The rock tomb of Artaxerxes III, on the hill above Persepolis. His image is shown at the top of the relief, facing right. In front of him is a fire, which has great symbolic power in the Zoroastrian religion. Slightly above this is an eagle with spread wings, symbolizing Ahura Mazda. The last symbol is a moon disk, at top right. Below all of this are figures holding up the floor, each symbolizing one of the tribes who were subjects of the Achaemenids.
A bit about the construction materials used for Persepolis. The stones for the doorways, gates, and columns were made from either a black or brown limestone. Both could be sourced from quarries in the general area. The rock tomb of Artaxerxes III above was made directly into the mountain, which is also limestone. Most of the walls, however, were made of mud brick, which has long since dissolved away. Wood was used to form the roof of the complex, but this was all completely burnt by Alexander.
From the Hall of One Hundred Columns, we passed by the Treasury (#2), which is where much of the wealth of the Achaemenid Empire was stored. This treasure was famously (or infamously) carted away by Alexander as plunder. To the west of this is the Queen Quarters (#7), where the wives and children of the kings lived. This building was reconstructed and houses a small museum.
We did not go inside the Queen Quarters. There was, however, an interesting little detail on the exterior black marble facing. It doesn’t look like much but was fascinating for me artistically. Pictured above, it is a dot drawing chipped into the stone of a king riding a horse. However, it is early Sassanian, depicting the first ruler of that dynasty, Ardashir I. The Sassanians were the second dynasty to rule after the collapse of the Achaemenids, though they were the first with Persian origins (the intervening Parthians were from a different region). One of the things that struck me about the profile of the king’s head is that it looks more like the bust on a Parthian coin than a Sassanian. But this is because it was sketched shortly after the Sassanian Dynasty began in 224 CE, hence the style was still Parthian-like.
Move on to the Apadana (#1), built by Darius I. On its eastern side, a double staircase ascends to a platform with 72 columns. It is only known that it was called an Apadana, though it is not known what the word means. The staircase is preserved in an almost pristine state, as it was buried by sediment soon after the complex was abandoned, saved from exposure and vandalism over the centuries.
The walls of the staircase are ornately decorated. The above scene of a lion attacking a bull symbolizes spring (lion) devouring winter (bull), or the cyclical rebirth of the land. The use of these two animals reflects Achaemenid astrology, in which a group of stars visible in the winter was traced to the form of a bull, and this group was replaced in the spring by another set traced into the shape of a lion. This celebration of the coming of spring carries on today in Iran as Nowruz.
Another part of the staircase wall depicts 23 different subject nations bringing offerings to the Darius I. Above is a dignitary from an African group, bringing an okapi as a gift. The okapi would have been a highly unusual animal to see here, thus would have made an impression on the king.
This group must be Scythians, based on the shape of their caps.
One section displays a lengthy tribute to Darius I in cuneiform. Written Iranian script can be broken into three general phases: Old Persian (the cuneiform above), Middle Persian (Pahlavi, used by the Sassanians), and Late Persian (based on the Arabic script brought by the Muslim invaders).
One of the best-preserved columns in the Apadana.
Get back in the car and head across the valley to Naqsh-e Rostam. This is a cliff wall in which four different Achaemenid kings made their rock tombs. These tombs tower above the valley floor and would have been extremely difficult to construct.
Tomb of Artaxerxes I.
Tomb of Darius I. It is the only one on this cliff with a cuneiform inscription that obviates who the tomb is for. The other tombs had to be inferred from details of the carving style, which has known stages in development over the years of Achaemenid rule.
Tomb of Darius II.
This odd structure, set away from the cliff wall, is just a rectangular tower with false windows in three sides, and a stairway and doorway facing toward the cliff. There are several theories as to what it is, but nothing conclusive. There is an inscription around the base, but it was inscribed during Sassanian times, and only discusses the exploits of Ardashir I.
At least to me, as interesting as the tombs are the reliefs below them. They can be seen in the above photos, just above the current valley floor, in lighter color than the tombs. These were all made by the Sassanians, who felt a kinship with the Achaemenid kings due to their common Persian ancestry. I describe a few of the reliefs below.
This double panel, below the tomb of Darius I, shows two battle victories of Bahram II (274-94 CE) over the Romans.
The Investiture of King Narseh (293-303 CE). Here this king is seen receiving the ring of kingship from what is thought to be Anahita, the Goddess of Water. However, I have seen other interpretations of who this female figure represents.
Unfortunately, the tomb of Xerxes, and the most famous Sassanian relief, that of Shapur II’s victories over three different Roman emperors, are currently covered in scaffolding due to restoration work.
Return to Shiraz, going back through the canyon that separates the city form this northern plain. Stop at the Koran Gate.
This is a recreation of the original northern gate to the city. The original, going back 1000 years, was about 100 meters north and smaller, designed for foot and horse/camel traffic. This new gate is only 150 years old and could handle passing cars. But eventually, this also was not enough and the steep canyon just to the right (not in view of photo) was filled in and became the new highway. It is called the Koran Gate because a copy of the Koran is housed in the small room above the central arch. This acted as a blessing of safety to all those leaving the protection of the city.
Back in town, stop at a building housing seven different restaurants. We decided on the traditional Iranian one. Seating was also traditional, that is, on the floor with a blanket and plates of food in front of us.
Odette took this one for us.
This turned out to be an exciting restaurant adventure. Odette could roll around on the floor and make a cushion fort.
Gheymeh Nesar, one of the ridiculously tasty meals we’ve had so far. There is a lot in it, but basically is almonds, cranberries, rice with lamb.
Gheymeh Bademjan, a chicken stew in dark sauce and saffron rice.
After this late lunch, on to the area near Shiraz University and Eram Gardens.
The pool and palace of Eram Gardens. This garden area has a long history, but in short, it is about 900 years old and is referenced in some of Hafez Shirazi’s poems. The building behind the pool is a textbook example of Qajar Dynasty (1789-1925) architecture and décor. The gardens were eventually granted to the Shiraz University, and they used the land to grow cultivars from around the world. Since 2008 it has been recognized as a botanical research center.
The rose section of Eram Gardens.
Last stop of the day is the Tomb of Sa’adi. He was a poet, like Hafez, but lived a very different life. He traveled virtually his entire life, writing many books of his encounters, along with poetry. He asked to be buried in Shiraz, and thus has become a local favorite for shrine-goers.
The tomb was rebuilt in modern times and is in the middle of a large complex that includes gardens.
One of Sa’adi’s famous poems. There are four shown in the tiling around the coffin.
Next to the tomb is a stairway going underground to a well.
We are told there is usually a lot more water here, but the recent years of drought have brought the level quite low. There is an underground canal passing through, of which this is just a ‘window’. Underground canals like this were made many places in Iran (and Afghanistan), and it is called the qanat system. The idea is to move water long distances to where it is needed without exposing it to evaporation at the surface.
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