Castle of Ardeshir e Babakan (in ), also known as the
Atash-kadeh آتشکده, is a castle located on the slopes of the mountain on which
Ghal'eh DokhtarGhal'eh Dokhtar, also known as The Maiden Castle, is a castle made by Ardeshir I, in present day Fars, Iran, in 209 AD. It is located on a mountain slope near the Firouzabad-Shiraz road....
is situated on. Built in AD 224 by
Ardashir IArdashir I, founder of the Sassanid dynasty, was ruler of Istakhr , subsequently Persia , and finally "King of Kings of Iran"...
of the Sassanian Empire, it is located two kilometres (1.2 miles) north of the ancient city of
Gor, i.e. the old city of
FirouzabadFirouzabad or Firuzabad is a city in Iran. It is located in Fars province south of Shiraz. The town is surrounded by a mud wall and ditch...
in
FarsFārs Fārs Fārs (pronounced /fɑː(ɹ)s/ (Persian: Fārs, Pārs) (Originally Pars) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country and its center is Shiraz. It has an area of 122,400 km²...
, in ancient Persia (
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
).
The structure contains three domes, among other features, making it a bit larger and more magnificent than its predecessor the nearby castle of
Ghal'eh DokhtarGhal'eh Dokhtar, also known as The Maiden Castle, is a castle made by Ardeshir I, in present day Fars, Iran, in 209 AD. It is located on a mountain slope near the Firouzabad-Shiraz road....
.
Castle of Ardeshir e Babakan (in ), also known as the
Atash-kadeh آتشکده, is a castle located on the slopes of the mountain on which
Ghal'eh DokhtarGhal'eh Dokhtar, also known as The Maiden Castle, is a castle made by Ardeshir I, in present day Fars, Iran, in 209 AD. It is located on a mountain slope near the Firouzabad-Shiraz road....
is situated on. Built in AD 224 by
Ardashir IArdashir I, founder of the Sassanid dynasty, was ruler of Istakhr , subsequently Persia , and finally "King of Kings of Iran"...
of the Sassanian Empire, it is located two kilometres (1.2 miles) north of the ancient city of
Gor, i.e. the old city of
FirouzabadFirouzabad or Firuzabad is a city in Iran. It is located in Fars province south of Shiraz. The town is surrounded by a mud wall and ditch...
in
FarsFārs Fārs Fārs (pronounced /fɑː(ɹ)s/ (Persian: Fārs, Pārs) (Originally Pars) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country and its center is Shiraz. It has an area of 122,400 km²...
, in ancient Persia (
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
).
The structure contains three domes, among other features, making it a bit larger and more magnificent than its predecessor the nearby castle of
Ghal'eh DokhtarGhal'eh Dokhtar, also known as The Maiden Castle, is a castle made by Ardeshir I, in present day Fars, Iran, in 209 AD. It is located on a mountain slope near the Firouzabad-Shiraz road....
. However, it seems that the compound was designed to display the royalty image of
Ardashir IArdashir I, founder of the Sassanid dynasty, was ruler of Istakhr , subsequently Persia , and finally "King of Kings of Iran"...
, 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 imerial throne.
What is particularly interesting about this palace is that its architectural design does not exactly fall into that of the
ParthiaParthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasts, after which the Arsacid Empire is then also known as the 'Parthian Empire'....
ns or even Sassanian category; the design is a unique design particular to architects of
FarsFārs Fārs Fārs (pronounced /fɑː(ɹ)s/ (Persian: Fārs, Pārs) (Originally Pars) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country and its center is Shiraz. It has an area of 122,400 km²...
.
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' is the Avestan language name of an Indo-Iranian cosmological figure, venerated as the divinity of 'the Waters' and hence associated with fertility, healing and wisdom. Aredvi Sura Anahita is Ardwisur Anahid or Nahid in Middle- and Modern Persian, Anahit in Armenian...
. The spring is thought to have fed a royal garden, in the same way that Cyrus had his garden (bustan) built at
PasargadaePasargadae , the capital of Cyrus the Great and also his last resting place, was a city in ancient Persia, and is today an archaeological site and one of Iran's five UNESCO World Heritage Sites....
. 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 eivan 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
persepolisPersepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid dynasty. Persepolis is situated northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars Province of modern Iran...
.
See also
- Ghal'eh Dokhtar
Ghal'eh Dokhtar, also known as The Maiden Castle, is a castle made by Ardeshir I, in present day Fars, Iran, in 209 AD. It is located on a mountain slope near the Firouzabad-Shiraz road....
castle.
- Firouzabad
Firouzabad or Firuzabad is a city in Iran. It is located in Fars province south of Shiraz. The town is surrounded by a mud wall and ditch...
- Anahita
' is the Avestan language name of an Indo-Iranian cosmological figure, venerated as the divinity of 'the Waters' and hence associated with fertility, healing and wisdom. Aredvi Sura Anahita is Ardwisur Anahid or Nahid in Middle- and Modern Persian, Anahit in Armenian...
List of Iranian castles
- Iranian architecture
Iranian architecture or Persian architecture is the architecture of Greater Iran that has a continuous history from at least 5000 BCE to the present, with characteristic examples distributed over a vast area from Syria to North India and the borders of China, from the Caucasus to Zanzibar...
External links