Ancient Iran Architecture-catalogue

Transcription

1 Ancient Iran Architecture-catalogue Temple of Anahita, Kangavar Sarvestan Palace Taq Bostan, Kermanshah Hills and historical monuments from ancient Iran era, represent the boom times of art and architecture in Iran. Many Researchers and archeologists have studied the evolution of Iran's art and history and have estimated that the first settlements and villages were built at least years ago. Sarvestan Palace Tepe Sialk Tepe Sialk is located in suburb of Kashan, in central Iran. Art of Sialk is mostly ornamental and its motifs represent the theme "fear of God". The motifs discovered from the graves are related to burial ceremonies.

2 Sialk is the first known civilization in Iran. In southern and northern mounds of Sialk, 5 periods of civilization from the late sixth millennium to 1200 B.C are discovered. Two graveyards are found in the mounds, one of them has 15 graves which most of them are simple (hole). In northern cemetery (Sialk I), most of the graves are discovered in the houses or beneath them. Bodies have been covered by mud and the knees are bent. The first excavation took place in 1933, and was directed by Roman Ghirshman. According to him, Sialk in Kashan is one of the first settlements of mankind. A large mud-brick structure was discovered by Ghirshman and his team which was related to the remainder of a Ziggurat dated to the early Elam period. Sialk is the only historical place of Iran plateau in which the written documents from pre- Achaemenid period were discovered. Chogha Zanbil For over 3000 years, the Elamite city of Dur Untash, known as Choga Zanbil, has been built in Khuzestan province of southwestern of Iran. King Untash- the ruler of Elam- decided to found the city beside Dez River and dedicated to the Elamite god, Inshushinak. Construction of the city took place over the 40-year period corresponding to the region of King Untash Napirish in the late fourteenth century BC. In addition to Ziggurat rising at center of the city, the 100-hectare city boasted several places and numerous temples devoted to the Elamite pantheon. The centerpiece of the religious complex at Choga Zanbil is the imposing tiered tower temple or Ziggurat. This impressive sanctuary was built in two distinct phases. Originally, the structure consisted of a one-storey square temple of mud brick measuring approximatelt 95 meters on each side and constructed around a central courtyard onto which several chambers opened.

3 During the second phase, the ziggurat took on its definitive appearance. Its square base measures approximately 105 meters on each side. The four corners are aligned with the four cardinal points. According to Ghirshman, the original structure built during the first phase was surmounted by four increasingly smaller stories, resulting in a five-tiered stepped construction. Only the first two stories, reaching a height of 25 meters, have survived. Ghirshman estimated that the third and fourth stories measured 32 and 44 meters respectively, and that the Ziggurat's summit stood 52.6 meters high. The Ziggurat's mud-brick core was faced with baked bricks. The upper sections were probably decorated with blue and green glazed bricks. On-site investigation has revealed numerous noteworthy features that attest to the skill of Elamite architects: monumental stairways, arches, terraces, and vaulting for doorways, kilns and tombs. The site also contains freestanding circular baked constructions (called postaments or pedestals) in which votive statues were probably displayed. Pasargadae Pasargadae as the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II the Great, is one of the oldest centers of eastern art. Its palaces, gardens and the mausoleum of Cyrus are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and

4 exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization. Particularly noteworthy vestiges in the 160-ha site include: the Mausoleum of Cyrus II; Tall-e Takht, a fortified terrace; and a royal ensemble of gatehouse, audience hall, residential palace and gardens. On the wall of one of the terraces, there is a cuneiform inscription in three languages which means: I am Cyrus, the Achaemenid King. Pasargadae site is registered in UNESCO world Heritage list. Tomb of Cyrus constitute an outstanding example of the first phase of the evolution of royal Achaemenid art and architecture, and is the reminder of Ziggurat monument. The design of the tomb of Cyrus is credited to Mesopotamian or Elamite Ziggurats, but the cella is usually attributed to the tombs of Urartu of an earlier period. The main decoration on the tomb is a rosette design on the door in the gable. In general, art and architecture of Pasargadae exemplify the Persian synthesis of various traditions, based on precedents of Elam, Babylonia, Assyria, and ancient Egypt, with the addition of some influences from Anatolia. Persepolis Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire (ca BC), founded by Darius Great, is located in 50 kilometers northeast of Shiraz. According to evidences, it originally named Parseh. Persepolis is a Greek word which means the city of Persians. Persepolis was the symbol of the superiority of Achaemenid Empire, and was the manifestation of the art and architecture in the era. It was the center of the largest gatherings in Achaemenid era. Representatives of 30 states under the rule of Achaemenid Empire, gathered in Persepolis to celebrate Nowruz. Persepolis with an area of square meters including Great Stairway, the Gate of Nations, the Apadana, the Council hall, the Tachara, the Hall of a Hundred Columns, the Imperial Treasury, the Tripylon Hall and, the Hadish Palace, the Palace of Artaxerxes I and II.

5 The gate to the site was from the south, through a staircase some 14 m long, which later, perhaps in the last days of the Achaemenid period, was crudely blocked with irregular slabs of reused stone (Tilia 1978, pp , 27). To the right of this entrance a huge rectangular block measuring 7.20 x2.50 m bears four cuneiform inscriptions in the name of Darius the Great. Two in Old Persian (DPd and DPe), one in Elamite, and the fourth in Babylonian. These texts were clearly meant to inform visitors about the nature of Persepolis, the people who contributed to its buildings, and Darius beliefs and ideals. In the first Darius emphasizes that he owed his power to Ahura Mazdā, who (is) the greatest of the divine beings". Naqsh-e Rostam Naqsh-e Rostam, a perpendicular cliff wall located about 6 km northwest of Persepolis. In the cliff wall four monumental tombs are cut out from the native rock. The oldest tomb (Tomb I) has inscriptions that assign it to Darius I. The other three (Tomb II-IV) can only tentatively be attributed to Xerxes (east-northeast of Darius I), Xerxes I (west-southwest of the tomb of Darius I) and Darius II (westernmost).

6 The four monuments follow the same pattern. But it is completely different from that of the older tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae, which is a built structure consisting of a stepped platform and a tomb with a gabled roof. The model was first used for Darius I and has no exact prototypes in the Near East, Egypt or Greece, though the stone technique is Urartian in origin. The rock tomb is characterized by the contrast between a cruciform composition in relief on the exterior wall and a very simple interior of chambers and grave cists. The center of the relief ensemble is a facade that represents the front of a palace with four engaged columns. On this architectural component rests a throne bench that is supported by 30 representatives of the empire s peoples. The throne bench in turn serves as the platform of a religious scene with king, fire altar, and divine symbols. Naqsh-e Rostam has been the cemetery and a religious center for Achaemenids. In front of the tombs is a small tower, which is known as the Ka'bah-i Zardusht ("Zarathustra's ka'bah" - the real ka'bah being the famous monument in Mecca). Probably, this tower was used to keep the holy fire. There was a garden near the tombs and tower. Ka'ba-ye Zartosht The Ka'ba-ye Zartosht (Cube of Zoroaster) is an Achaemenid square tower at Naqsh-e Rostam. The Kaʿ ba-ye Zardošt is a massive, built square tower, resting on three steps (7.30 x 7.30 x14.12 m) and covered by a flat pyramidal roof. The only opening is a door. But on all four sides there is a system of blind windows in dark grey limestone, set off by the yellow color of the general structure, between the reinforced corners, and the walls are covered with staggered rectangular depressions. Both systems have no other purpose than to relieve the monotony of

7 the structure. A frieze of dentils forms the upper cornice. A staircase of 30 steps, eight of which are preserved, led to the door (0.87 x 1.75 m) in the upper part of the north wall. Originally, the two leaves of a door opened into an almost square room (3.72 x 3.74 x 5.54 m) without any architectural decoration and no provisions for lighting. The square tower is constructed of white limestone blocks that - unlike those of the sister building (Prison of Solomon in Pasargadae) - are held in place by iron cramps. Mortar was not used in its construction. Each side of the building is 7.25 m wide. The 12.5 m high structure has a slightly pyramidal roof and stands on a 1.5 m high three-stepped plinth. Each face of the building is decorated with slightly recessed false windows of black limestone. The structure has one square inner chamber, 5.70 m high and 3.70 m wide, access to which is through a doorway with a decorated lintel in the upper half of the tower. The chamber once accessible by a flight of steps, only the lower half of which has survived. The 1.70 m wide and 1.90 m high door was of solid stone that was originally firmly closed but has since disappeared. From a reference to fire altars in a Sassanid inscription on the building it was inferred that the structure was once a fire altar, or perhaps as an eternal flame memorial to the emperors whose tombs are located a few meters away. This theory has however since been rejected since the lack of cross-ventilation would have soon choked the flame, and in any case, the author of the inscription is unlikely to have known the purpose of the building seven centuries after its construction.

8 Firuzabad Palace The palace with an area of 104*55 meters and 4- meter wall thickness, was built by Ardeshir I of the Sassanid Empire. It is located near the ancient city of Gor in Fars province. The structure consist of three domes, making it slightly larger and more magnificent than its predecessor, the nearby castle of "Ghal'eh Dokhtar". However, it seems that the compound was designed to display the royalty image of Ardeshir I, rather than being a fortified structure for defense purposes. The palace was built next to a picturesque pond that was fed by a natural spring, perhaps in connection with the Persian goddess of water and growth, Anahita. The spring is thought to have fed a royal garden, in the same way that Cyrus had his garden (bustan) built at Pasargadae. The pond was tiled on its sides, surrounded by pavement for guests of the royal court to enjoy the evenings by. The iwan is 18 m (60 ft) high, although it has partially collapsed. The structure was built of local rocks and mortar with plasterwork on the insides. The style of the interior design is comparable to that of Tachar palace at Persepolis. According to some researchers, the architects of Firozabad were inspired by Baghdad city.

9 Bishapur Bishapur, ancient and medieval town in Fars, in the Sassanid period the administrative center of one of the five districts in the province of Fars. The name of the city derives from Middle Persian Bay- Shapur "Lord Shapur". The important role of the city in the 3rd and 4th centuries is attested by the existence of no fewer than six royal rock reliefs on cliffs flanking the adjacent stream, Tang-e Čowgān, three of them owing to Shapur I himself. It has often been claimed that Roman engineers captured by Shapur after his defeat of the Roman emperor Valerian in 260 participated in building Bishpur. Roman prisoners were installed by Shapur I at Bishapur (as well as at Jondishapur and Sushtar); Shapur himself, in his inscription on the Kaʿ baye Zardošt at Naqš-e Rostam, describes his battle with and victory over Valerian and the subsequent settling of Roman prisoners of war in Fārs and other provinces, without, however, giving specific geographical details. Some of the architectural remains excavated by French and Iranian archeologists at Bishapur have been thought to reflect the influence of these Roman prisoners, although that influence should not be exaggerated. Of the buildings uncovered by Roman Ghirshman in intermittent seasons between 1935 and 1941 only building D reveals any Western influence, in the stone mosaic floors. The city has a rectangular plan. It was articulated by an evenly spaced series of rounded towers at intervals of less than a meter, a technique that may have been derived from an antique model now known only from literary sources, for example, a reference in Philo of Byzantium that F. E. Winter (p. 117) has interpreted as a semicircular wall trace and related to a rare practice of the Hellenistic period.

10 Bishapur palace is the best example of mosaic work in ancient Iran architecture. It contains a hall, known as "mosaic Hall" with an area of 22*22 meters. The Plaster ornaments exemplify the Sassanid palaces. Chalipa pattern was applied for the first time in Bishapur palace.