Palace of Ardashir

Coordinates: 28°53′53″N 52°32′22″E / 28.898091°N 52.539314°E / 28.898091; 52.539314
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Palace of Ardashir

28°53′53″N 52°32′22″E / 28.898091°N 52.539314°E / 28.898091; 52.539314

The Palace of Ardashir Pāpakan (in

Persian history
.

Description

Exterior elevation, Palace of Ardashir, at Sarvestan, 1905
Interior elevation, Palace of Ardashir, 1905

The structure contains three domes, among other features, making it slightly larger and more magnificent than its predecessor, the nearby castle of

Dezh Dokhtar. However, it seems that the compound was designed to display the royalty image of Ardashir I
, rather than being a fortified structure for defense purposes. That is why perhaps it would be best to refer to the structure as a "palace" rather than a "castle", even though it has huge walls on the perimeters (twice as thick as Ghal'eh Dokhtar), and is a contained structure. From the architectural design, it seems the palace was more of a place of social gathering where guests would be introduced to the imperial throne.

What is particularly interesting about this palace is that its architectural design does not exactly fall into that of the

Fars
.

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 structure is 104 m (340 ft) by 55 m (180 ft). 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 Tachara palace at Persepolis.[citation needed]

In modern times

The Palace of Ardashir

Jane Dieulafoy visited the site with her husband, Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, and described it in La Perse, la Chaldée et la Susiane.[1]

Robert Byron was there in February 1934, and wrote about his visit in The Road to Oxiana. Byron considered the Palace to include the prototype of the squinch. In his view, buildings such as St. Peter's Basilica and the Taj Mahal would not have existed without the squinch and the pendentive.[2]

Iran has tentatively listed the Palace of Ardashir and other sites in and around Firouzabad as a possible

UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.[3]

Gallery

  • View of the palace from La Perse, la Chaldée et la Susiane, 1887
    View of the palace from La Perse, la Chaldée et la Susiane, 1887
  • View from the north
    View from the north
  • View from the south
    View from the south
  • The iwan
    The iwan
  • A squinch inside the palace
    A squinch inside the palace
  • View from the east
    View from the east
  • Ceiling
    Ceiling
  • Interior of main chamber
    Interior of main chamber
  • Main courtyard
    Main courtyard
  • The iwan
    The iwan
  • Palace of Ardashir by Eugène Flandin
    Palace of Ardashir by Eugène Flandin

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Dieulafoy, Jane (1887). "26". La Perse, la Chaldée et la Susiane. Archived from the original on 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  2. .
  3. ^ "Firuzabad Ensemble - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Retrieved 19 July 2012.

External links