Ancient Iran: Did you mean...?

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).

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...

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...

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...

Women in ancient Persia were not only highly respected but, in many cases, considered the equals of males. Women could own land, conduct business, received equal pay, could travel freely on their own, and in the case of royal women, hold...

Thousands of years ago, Persians created an ingenious system to provide water across their arid landscape. They tapped aquifers at the heads of valleys and designed tunnels that utilized gravity to send the water to settlements. It's now...