Over 3000 years ago, the Middle East was experiencing a time of change. The Elamite and Assyrian empires were on the decline, and several Aryan tribes ventured down from what is now Russia, drawn by the prospect of new territory. These groups were the Medes, the Parthians, and the Persians. After a period of subjegation to the Assyrians, the Medes rose up and established their own empire, only to be overthrown by the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great 62 years later. It was under the empire of Cyrus and his heirs, the Achaemenid Empire, that the necropolis of Naqsh-e Rostam was constructed.
Near the famous site of Persepolis (don’t worry, that’s coming up in the next post!), Naqsh-e Rostam is the final resting place of four of the greatest Achaemenid rulers: Darius I, Xerxes (ever seen 300?), Artaxerxes, and Darius II. Hewn directly into the face of the cliff, the tombs have weathered the passing of centuries and stand today as silent reminders of Persia’s illustrious past.
Named for an ancient Elamite stone relief overlapped by the Persian carvings, the site has a number of other reliefs depicting scenes from Persian lore–usually with the heavenly appointed rulers commanding the respect of defeated enemies.
One such relief depicts the King surrounded by his advisors and attendants. The men have their index fingers curled at him, a Persian sign of respect. This gesture became an inside joke for our tour group; whenever our tour leader Yasna instructed us to do something, someone would inevitably give her ‘the finger’. Good times.
Each tomb featured another relief showing the king receiving a blessing from Azura Mazda, the Persian deity. The little man on the bird-like hovercraft is God; a symbol which pops up all over ancient Persian art and is known as the Faravahar. It comes from Zoroastrianism, the Persian state religion, and represents the ‘divine royal glory’ of the king.
Embedded in the face of the cliff and well off the valley floor, the tombs were carved using scaffolding. The bodies of the king were then interred and the tombs were sealed with large stone doors. Each has since been raided by looters, and the empty rooms were used as shelters before being sealed off again and preserved by the government.
In front of the cliff and in an excavated pit is another structure: a tower built with huge stones without using any form of cement. No one’s quite sure just what its purpose was, but it’s there and it’s old. Some common theories about its function are that it was an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple (unlikely), used for astronomy, or some sort of storage vault.
Awed simply by the age of what I’d just seen, I got into the van and we set out for Persepolis, the ancient jewel of the Achaemenid Empire. I could barely sit still I was so excited for what lay ahead. It didn’t disappoint!
- Hiking to Refugio Frey and Beyond - January 20, 2020
- Christmas Letter 2019 - December 18, 2019
- My Walk Out of the Woods - June 30, 2019
Tea on the Bosphorus
Ah yes! We too love exploring ancient stuff and just walking around in awe. Ryan is like a little kid pretending to be Indiana Jones making new discoveries. Those carvings looks pretty good considering their age! Does the government work to restore them?
I really appreciate the history lesson as I learned a lot from your post. I loved the little inside joke surrounding giving someone “the finger”. It sounds and looks like you had a great time.
Glad you enjoyed the joke, it cracked us up! 🙂
I never heard about this place before but it looks so interesting! reminds me of the time I went to Egypt! It looks wonderful! Have to put it on my travel bucket list now!
Mm, I’d love to go to Egypt! Did you do any diving there, by chance? I’ve heard it has some amazing dive sites.
So beautiful! I feel like I was just reading from an art history book. Don’t take that the wrong way, I like reading about these subjects. It’s not the run-of-the mill tourist spot to go to, but then ever since I starting visiting your site, most are out of the beaten path type cities. I can’t wait to hear about the next one!
Glad you enjoyed it, Charisse! I loved Iran for its rich sense of history… thousands of years’ worth!
Great little history post with captivating photos and captions, thanks for sharing! The artwork and architecture from the Persian era is really cool looking.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!
These photos are incredibly beautiful. I’ve always been interested in ancient history. It always makes me wonder how such intricate designs in mountains and rocks were made. This is incredible! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Gina! Yeah, it’s crazy to think about. Especially considering how long ago they were built. Just amazing.
I always like that your posts tell a story while educating me at the same time. I would love to go to Iran some day. Keep the stories coming!
Glad you enjoyed the post, Laura! Hope you get to go to Iran someday 🙂
This place seems hella interesting. I really like the mini stories that have been carved into the rock. I would love to know more about that tower that was built. It’s too bad there is no information about it.
I felt like a kid when I was there… I remember reading about that place when I was in grade school. It was so exciting to actually go!
Wow! That’s awesome you got to go there. Loved the little history lesson! Can’t wait to see the next post.
Glad you enjoyed the history! Iran has such an interesting past.
Damn tomb raiders!