Elamite rock relief The oldest relief at Naqsh-e Rostam dates back to c. 1000BC. Though it is severely damaged, it depicts a faint image of a man with unusual headgear, and is thought to be
Elamite in origin.
Achaemenid tombs Four tombs belonging to
Achaemenid kings are carved out of the rock face at a considerable height above the ground.
Tomb of Darius the Great One of the tombs is explicitly identified, by an accompanying inscription ("parsa parsahya puthra ariya ariyachitra", meaning, "a Parsi, the son of a Parsi, an Aryan, of Aryan family), as the
tomb of Darius I (
c. 522–486 BC).
Other tombs The other three tombs are believed to be those of
Xerxes I (
c. 486–465 BC),
Artaxerxes I (
c. 465–424 BC), and
Darius II (
c. 423–404 BC) respectively. The order of the tombs in Naqsh-e Rostam follows (left to right): Darius II, Artaxerxes I, Darius I, Xerxes I. The matching of the other kings to tombs is somewhat speculative; the relief figures are not intended as individualized portraits. Like several other inscriptions by Darius, the territories controlled by the Achaemenid Empire are specifically listed, which formed the
largest empire during antiquity. His empire encompassed
Macedon and
Thrace in Europe,
Egypt in North Africa, Babylon and Assyria in
Mesopotamia, the steppes of
Eurasia,
Bactria in Central Asia, up to
Gandhara and the
Indus in the Indian Subcontinent which were annexed during the
Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley.
DNf inscription. There are various and contradictory reports about how this inscription was discovered. According to Mrs. Khadija Totunchi, she took a photo of this inscription in 2017. But she did not find a suitable person to translate and read the inscription. Also, according to Ebrahim Rustaei, in 2018, in cooperation with Abdul Majid Arfai, he presented an article about the inscription to the International Conference on History and Culture of Southern Iran (Historical Persia), in which a reading of the inscription was presented. However, this reading is very basic and has many flaws. But finally, the DNf petroglyph, which had been hidden in the shade and under algae and sediments for 2500 years, was officially and scientifically recorded by Mojtaba Doroodi and Soheil Delshad in February 2019.
Babylonian Transliteration: 1- [mx-x-x(-x) LÚ pa-id-di-iš-ḫu-ri-iš ˹a˺-˹na˺ m da-a-ri-i̭a-˹muš˺ LUGAL i-GA-ir-ra-bi
Translation (based on the Babylonian version): [Personal Name, Pati]schorian, invokes blessing upon Darius the King. , a cube-shaped construction in the foreground, against the backdrop of Naqsh-e Rostam
Ka'ba-ye Zartosht '''
Ka'ba-ye Zartosht'
(meaning the "Cube of Zoroaster") is a 5th-century B.C Achaemenid square tower. The structure is a copy of a sister building at Pasargadae, the "Prison of Solomon" (Zendān-e Solaymān''). Several theories exist regarding the purpose of the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht structure.
Sasanian reliefs Seven over-life sized rock reliefs at Naqsh-e Rostam depict monarchs of the
Sasanian era. over the Roman emperors
Valerian and
Philip the Arab ====Investiture relief of
Ardashir I, c. 226–242==== The founder of the
Sassanid Empire is seen being handed the ring of kingship by
Ohrmazd. ====Triumph of
Shapur I, c. 241–272==== The most famous of the Sassanid rock reliefs, and depicts the victory of
Shapur I over two Roman emperors,
Valerian and
Philip the Arab. Behind the king stands
Kirtir, the
mūbadān mūbad ('high priest'), the most powerful of the Zoroastrian Magi during the history of Iran. In an inscription, Shapur I claims possession of the territory of the
Kushans (Kūšān šahr) as far as "Purushapura" (
Peshawar), suggesting he controlled
Bactria and areas as far as the
Hindu-Kush or even south of it: ===="Grandee" relief of
Bahram II, c. 276–293==== On each side of the king, who is depicted with an oversized sword, figures face the king. ====Two equestrian reliefs of
Bahram II, c. 276–293==== The first equestrian relief, located immediately below the fourth tomb (perhaps that of Darius II), depicts the king battling a mounted Roman enemy. The second equestrian relief, located immediately below the tomb of Darius I, is divided into two registers, an upper and a lower one. In the upper register, the king appears to be forcing a Roman enemy, probably Roman emperor
Carus from his horse. In the lower register, the king is again battling a mounted enemy wearing a headgear shaped as an animal's head, thought to be the vanquished
Indo-Sassanian ruler
Hormizd I Kushanshah. File:Naqsh-e Rostam III (3291730501).jpg|First equestrian relief. File:Naghsh-e rostam, Irán, 2016-09-24, DD 10.jpg|The two-panel equestrian relief. File:Hormizd I Kushanshah on the Naqsh-e Rustam Bahram II panel.jpg|
Hormizd I Kushanshah on the lower panel. ====Investiture of
Narseh, c. 293–303==== In this relief, the king is depicted as receiving the ring of kingship from a female figure that is frequently assumed to be the divinity
Aredvi Sura Anahita. ====Equestrian relief of
Hormizd II, c 303–309==== This relief is below tomb 3 (perhaps that of Artaxerxes I) and depicts Hormizd forcing an enemy (perhaps Papak of Armenia) from his horse. == Archaeology ==