Ancient Iran: Did you mean...?

This was part of a frieze depicting rows of guards. The vivid colors show how the carved stone sculptures would have looked when they were painted. The guards were thought to be members of the 10,000 special royal guards. They were said to...

Early Sasanian bridge (Kavar bridge) spanning the Qara Aqaj River near Firuzabad in Iran. It was built in the 3rd century CE, possibly by Romans who were taken captive during the campaigns of Shapur I (r. 240-270 CE).

Bishapur was a Sasanian city in the Fars region of Iran, located on the road that connected the Sasanian capitals of Istakhr (close to Persepolis) and Ctesiphon. It was built near a river crossing in 266 CE on the orders of King Shapur I...

The Shushtar Hydraulic System is a Sasanian era (3rd century CE) water irrigation system in Shushtar in Iran that included watermills, dams, tunnels and canals. The mills, one of which is still functioning, were used to grind wheat and barley...

Rock carving in Bisotun (Iran) from the Seleucid era depicting Hercules lying on the back of the lion skin and holding a bowl in his left hand. According to its Greek inscription it was carved in 148 BCE and dedicated to a local Seleucid...

Qal’eh Dokhar was built by Ardašīr I as a “barrier fortress” during his 3rd century founding of the Sasanian Empire in Iran. The fortress’s third floor housed his royal residence but was eventually supplanted by a greater palace he built...

Neolithic clay goddess from Tappah Sarab, Kermanshah, 7000-6100 BCE. Clay figurines of female bodies with exaggerated reproductive organs are among the most common features of prehistoric sculpted art. With famous examples from Venus of...

The castle of Alamut, Qazvin, Iran, one-time castle of the Assassins (aka Nizari Ismailis) before their destruction at the hands of the Mongols in the 1250s CE.

The Minaret of the Friday Mosque, Saveh, Iran (1110 CE).

Seven-bowl sweetmeat dish from Iran, 13th to 14th century. Sweetmeat dishes are notable for their infrequent presence amongst the vast array of Persian ceramic ware. Their history dates back to at least the Seljuk period in the 11th century...