Firuzabad (1)
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
The ruins of the Sasaniab city of Ardašir Khureh ("fame of Ardašir) or, to use its modern name, Firuzabad, can be seen on two locations.
  • The ancient settlement is not far from the modern town. Here, you will also find the palace of Ardašir, which we will discuss on the next page.
  • In the direction of modern Shiraz is the castle known as Qalah-e Dokhtar, which is shown on this photo.

The Sasanian rock reliefs are along the road that connects the castle and the city and will be discussed on a separate page.

  
Qalah-e Dokhtar means "castle of the daughter", after a daughter of its builder, the Sasanian king Ardašir I (224-241). However, the word dokhtar also expresses the wish that the construction remains pure and "intact" like a virgin. It is built on a steep rock near a river and contains barracks and a palace-like mansion. As the photo shows, there are three levels: at the right-hand side you can discern the gate; after climbing stairs, one would reach a courtyard surrounded by rooms, and finally, at the left-hand side of this picture, you reached the representative rooms of the king.  
A close-up of the castle, seen from the north. The palace consists of a large open hall (iwan) and a dome that has survived to the present day. Here you see it on a satellite photo.  
The city of Ardašir is more to the south, near modern Firuzabad. Like many cities from the Parthian age, it was designed like a large wheel and was surrounded by two walls. The outer wall is visible on this picture. In the distance, you can see the tower that is like the axis of the wheel.  
The foundation of the city caused some alarm with Ardašir's Parthian overlord, king Artabanus V, who decided to subdue the Persians again. However, he was defeated (224) and Ardašir made Persia independent. This is a close-up of the second wall and the tower, which locally known as the minar (minaret). In fact, this is all there is: two destroyed walls and a tower.   
The minar again. It is more than thirty meters high and its function is not known. Here, the four main streets of the city came together. The inner wall is about 450 meters from the center; the outer wall is much wider. Hardly any buildings have been excavated, partly because they were made of limestone and similar, perishable material; partly because the site has not received as much attention as, for example, the Sasanian city of Bishapur. The site is therefore hard to recognize as an archaeologically important location; there are not even sherds. However, from outer space, you can see the circle perfectly: go here.  
These stones are the only remains of a monumental building, which may or may not have been a shrine for fire worship. It is not far from the minar, but no one knows to what kind of structure they belonged to.

Just a bit north of the city was Ardašir's palace.

Firuzabad (2)
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
The palace of Ardašir, seen from the east, from the road between Qalah-e Dokhtar (the castle) and Ardašir Khureh (the city). As already told, the construction of the palace and the nearby city caused the indignation of the Parthian king Artabanus V, who invaded Persis to teach manners to his vassal, but was defeated (224 CE).  
The same monument, seen from the north. It is more than hundred meters long (104, to be precise) and fifty-five meters wide. This is the main entrance, which was flanked by two domes. This façade may have looked like the Parthian palace at Ctesiphon. (The pool in front of it contains a lot of noisy frogs.)  
The main entrance again: a large iwan (open hall). The supporting walls are sometimes more than four meters thick. After the iwan, one would have reached three domed halls. The ruin reminds one of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. (Go here for a satellite photo.)  
This is the first room one would have entered after one had passed through the iwam. The decoration of the little alcoves is based on the decoration in Persepolis.  
One of the domes. It has been argued that they are among the oldest in Persian architecture. Unlike the Roman domes of this age (e.g., the Pantheon), these domes were made of brick.  
The palace of the Sasanian ruler seen from the west. One must imagine the entrance a bit more to the left.  
This is the central courtyard, which one would have reached from the entrance through the gate in the center. Surrounding this square were the residential rooms. There was a staircase, so we must imagine a second level on top of what we see here.  
And a final view on the alcoves in one of the rooms of the palace

Firuzabad (reliefs)

Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
The equestrian relief of Firuzabad is hard to distinguish, because it is far from the road and badly damaged. Even when you know that it is near a bridge, even when you are looking for something no less than twenty meters wide, and even though there is a sign near the road, you will find it difficult to recognize. Here's a picture to help you:  
 

 
The relief shows three stages in Ardašir's fight against the Parthian king Artabanus V in 224. The Persian leader had built Ardašir Khureh or Firuzabad and the palace, and Artabanus was worried about Ardašir's increasing power. When he arrived with an army, he was defeated by his rebellious vassal and the Persian became the new "king of kings". This was the beginning of the rule of the Sasanians, which was to last until the seventh century.  
On the first scene (above), a Persian seizes his Parthian opponent and has his arm around his enemy's head. This scene, in the center, shows how Ardašir's son unseats Artabanus' vizier. Note the fine armor of the rider and the horse.  
Finally, the fight between the two kings: Ardašir defeats Artabanus, whose horse turns a somersault.

This relief is the oldest and largest of all Sasanian rock reliefs.

  
     
The second relief is about a kilometer to the north, in the canyon of the river, very close to the Qalah-e Dokhtar castle, and shows Ardašir's investiture.  
From left to right, you see Ahuramazda, a little altar, Ardašir, a page, and three Persian noblemen.  
The Persian supreme god Ahuramazda gives a diadem, the symbol of royal power, to Ardašir.   
Behind the king is a page with a fly whisk, and are three men. They may be Ardašir's sons, in which case the first of them will be the crown prince, Shapur.

source:

http://www.livius.org/a/iran/firuzabad/firuzabad1.html

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