The Sassanids
ruled over Iran
from 224 AD until the Arabs took over in the 7th century
AD. This is a far cry from the empire of Darius
IIIthat Alexander conquered.
Yet, it is an interesting time frame altogether since the Sassanids drew their
inspiration from the earlier Achaemenid rule (see: Sassanid reliefs tell a story of their own in Persia).
This era left
its imprints all over Persia,
as can be seen in the rock-carved reliefs of Naqs-i Rajab and Naqsh-i Rustamclose to Persepolis, Tang-i Tchogan at Bishapur
and Taq-iBostannear Kermanshah. Also, the
temples of goddess Anahita, both in Bishapurand inKangavar show a mixture
of Sassanid and Hellenistic influences (see: The powerful goddess Anahita in Persia).
Presently, the ItalianUniversity
of Sapienza in Rome
has worked together with the AnahitaTempleNationalCenter in Kangavar to exhibit
photographs on arts and monuments, together with architectural works from across the province of Kermanshah in western Iran. The pictures include views of the ruins of the AnahitaTemple in Kangavar as well as of the Palace of Khosrow Parviz in Qasr-e Shirin.
The Iranian collaboration with the Italian
experts has centered on Anahita’s sanctuary in Kangavaras discussed
earlier in my blog The
powerful goddess Anahita in Persia.
Also highlighted
is the Palace of the Sassanid KingArdashir in Firuzabad that displays
the unique dome construction known as the squinch. This architectural feature
consists of building a dome on top of a square base. It may well be the
earliest surviving example and could indicate that the squinch was actually
invented in Persia.
The imposing palace
of Ctesiphon or Hatra (now in
modern Iraq)
is much better known because of a sizable vaulted arch. This city was built by
the Parthians in the 2nd century BC as the capital of their empire. Ctesiphon/Hatra
was conquered by the Sassanids in 226 AD, who turned it into a true metropolis
worthy to serve as their capital. I seem to remember that the arch or at least
the human heads in the surrounding walls were attacked by IS fanatics, but I
couldn’t find a confirmation to that end.
Little information about the Sassanid empire
transpires beyond the borders of modern Iraq
and Iran,
despite the grand cities these kings built using their precious craftsmanship as metal
workers and gem engravers. They also took care of translating much of the existing
western and eastern literature into Pahlavi, the Sassanid language.
