Temple of Anahita The temple or shrine of
Anahita is in the shape of a cube, each side of which is about 14 meters long. It is made of excavated stones of different sizes and without mortar, double-walled, and inspired by
Achaemenid architecture, locked together with iron fasteners, forming a single whole. This temple is very similar to the temple of
Hatra in
Mesopotamia. Four vestibules are located on the side surfaces of the temple, 357 cm high and 160 cm wide, on the four sides of the temple, and on top of the temple's nave, there are four statues of
cows in the form of double bodies. Two statues of cows are still beautifully visible in the northern part, which, in addition to being decorations, were also symbols and signs of the temple. The Anahita Temple had no roof or dome. To construct this large temple, an area measuring 27 x 23 x 7 meters was excavated and planned to be built 6 meters below the surrounding land surface so that the water of the Shapur River, which flows 250 meters away, would flow into it. For this purpose, the water-distributing stone with three floor has been installed at the end of the eastern and western corridors and at the place of the water symbol, in such a way that the floor on the left causes water to flow from a narrow stream 6 centimeters deep along the eastern corridor, while a branch from the center of the eastern corridor enters the central courtyard of the temple. The rest of the water, after passing through the canal on the edge of this corridor, entered the water intake area, and the excess water, at the end of the corridor, by installing another water-distributing stone installed at this location, entered the western corridor of the temple, where it divided into two other streams and filled the entire western corridor in the same way as it flowed in the northeastern corridor. These conditions also prevailed on the right entrance floor, and the function of the middle floor was to regulate the water, that is, to reduce and increase the flow of water to the other two floors. The place of playing with water and its worship was of more importance than anything else, and it indicates the attention paid to the worship of the water goddess at that time. The division and control of the water flow were also of interest, and it can be compared to the Anahita Temple in the historical city of
Istakhr. The Anahita Temple is a symbol of the temple of water, the only element of the four elements that is assigned to Anahita, the goddess of water, and the animal symbol of this Aryan goddess, in the form of a cow, decorates the temple all around. Anahita was considered the goddess of the
Sasanian dynasty, and at the beginning of the Sasanian Empire,
Ardashir I and
Shapur I were in charge of the Anahita temple, and throughout history, this goddess has been respected and praised among the
Persis people.
Ceremonial Hall The reception hall of Shapur I, with an area of 781 square meters and a height of 23 meters, is considered one of the largest architectural works of the Sasanian era, which was built in the form of an Iranian cross, or Aryan cross, for the first time in the history of Sasanian architecture. The architecture of this hall was so admired that from then on, all
Fire temples were built according to its plan, and even many post-Islamic buildings, including the so-called Chahar-Sofeh buildings, were inspired by its plan. The ceremonial hall has four symmetrical and opposite
Iwan, over which there was a large and
Parabola Dome. The northern Iwan was 9 meters long and 7 meters wide, and it led to the adjacent corridor through a 118-meter-wide doorway, and had four
Niches with stucco and painting on either side of the doorway. Each of the Iwans had three symmetrical niches, and the side surfaces of the reception hall had a total of 64 decorative niches. The ceremonial hall was surrounded by corridors for circulation, and from within the four Iwans of the hall, doorways led to the corridors. The western corridor led to the Anahita Temple, and the southern corridor ended at the Iwan-e Mosaic. The northern corridor led to the open space and the promenade.
Ayvān-e Mosaic At the ends of the eastern and western corridors of the ceremonial hall, there are two
Iwans with floors carpeted with
Mosaics and rich decorations. These two Iwans have crescent arches and a carpet of colored stones with images of human faces and limbs and plants covers their floors. Ayvān-e Mosaic is an example of a masterpiece of decorative architectural art, overlooking a rectangular courtyard measuring 23 by 20 meters with columns carved with human and plant motifs. This Iwan was the private residence and inner courtyard of Shapur I.
Valerian Palace In 266 AD, after the
Battle of Edessa, it was built near the Shapur's government palace, on the orders of
Shapur I, the king of Iran, for the residence of
Valerian, the
Roman emperor who was defeated in this battle and taken prisoner. He was kept under surveillance in this palace throughout his life. Valerian's Palace is octagonal in shape and is located 150 meters from the ceremonial hall. Its interior walls are made of carved stones measuring 70 by 45 centimeters and its exterior surface is covered with white plaster, giving it the appearance of a white palace. This style is a characteristic of
Sasanian architecture. There are Sassanid royal symbols on some of the stones. All parts of this palace have relief designs and luxurious carvings.
Commemorative Columns On the western edge of the northern and southern streets of Bishapur, 525 meters from the Anahita Temple, there are two 37-meter-high stone columns with luxurious capitals. The base diameter is 70 centimeters and the top diameter is 60 centimeters. On top of one of the columns is a statue of Shapur I, and on the other column, the historical document of the establishment of the city of Bishapur is engraved in the
Parthian and Sasanian
Pahlavi script. According to this text, the designer and supervising engineer of Bishapur was a person named Apasa from
Harran, who was very much in the interest and favor of Shapur the Sassanid. Religious ceremonies were performed at the foot of this column, and in fact, these columns, in addition to their sacred aspect, were also considered a memorial building. The translation of the text engraved on this pillar is as follows:
Qal'eh Dokhtar On the peak of one of the southern mountains of Bishapur, near the Azhdahā Valley, is a castle known as the Qal'eh Dokhtar and the Fire Temple Tower. This castle was the city's fortification from which the entire city and its surroundings could be observed. There are theories about this fort. Some believe that this fort and the square stone above it were places where the bodies of the dead were placed so that birds could eat the flesh of the carcasses and remove filth and impurity from the earth, and the bones of the dead would decay over time. Some other experts believe that this tower was one of the towers used to send news by fire, examples of which also existed in Pasargadae, Persepolis, and Susa. At the top of the tower there was an always-lit fire tower, through which messages were exchanged by fire. American archaeologist Alfred Feit has also described this castle as a type of watchtower and news transmitter.
Mosque and School of the Islamic era The remains of a
Mosque and religious
School have been discovered in the north of the city of Bishapur, dating back to the
Buyid dynasty. The original plan of this building was completely transformed into a four-
Iwan structure during the changes of the second period, after the great earthquake. Thus, the school's open space, which is 11.7 meters long, was built with 6 Parabola-shaped pillars, and each of these pillars is placed on a cube-shaped base that is carved and decorated in various shapes. In front of the northern Iwan, there was a pillar base and its counterpart on the southern facade was a stone pillar base. In front of the eastern porch, there were two stone pillars, and in front of the western Iwan, there were two stone pillars. Thus, the pillars of the northern and southern bodies, as well as the pillars of the eastern and western facades, were built symmetrically on the edge of the
Sahn of the mosque, and the appearance of the remains of this building indicates that the architects used the utmost elegance and good taste in its construction. The western Iwan of the mosque, 6 meters long and 395 meters wide, is located opposite the eastern Iwan, next to the mosque's
Shabestan. On both sides of the western Iwan, two symmetrical rooms were built, and inside the northern and southern Iwans, platforms were created for seating. The southern Iwan of the school, which is built as a mirror image of the northern Iwan, is about 50 centimeters higher than the other two Iwans, so that a step measuring 30 by 65 centimeters and 25 centimeters high has been installed in front of it. The
Mihrab was built next to the western Iwan in an area measuring 2.5 meters long and 2 meters wide. In the Sahn of the mosque, which was used as an open space, the bases of stone pillars with
Quran inscriptions mixed with floral and plant motifs and colorful colors used in the paintings of the northern Iwan were designed to beautify the space. Next to the southern Iwan is the mosque's Shabestan, which was a direct entrance to the mosque's
Minaret area for the call to
Adhan. The school was built in two Sahn, the larger courtyard for men and the smaller one for women.
Bishapur Museum The Bishapur Museum contains a collection of valuable artifacts and objects discovered in Bishapur and the outskirts of Kazerun. Museum of Bishapur (25).JPG Museum of Bishapur (8).JPG Museum of Bishapur (35).JPG Museum of Bishapur (17).JPG Museum of Bishapur (56).JPG Museum of Bishapur (11).JPG Museum of Bishapur (66).JPG Museum of Bishapur (47).JPG ==See also==