Tagh-e Bostan, Kermanshah

Taq-e Bostan is originally the name of a mountain in Kermanshah Province, situated on the periphery and to the east of the city of Kermanshah. In the face of this mountain, two great arches — one smaller than the other — have survived from the Sasanian era, carved into the front of a massive rock cliff, entirely covered in relief sculptures of extraordinary narrative power and masterful execution. These two stone arches are called by this name due to their placement within the body of the mountain, and they are among the most important heritage works surviving from the glorious Sasanian Empire outside the geographical boundaries of Fars Province. One can confidently claim that the flourishing art and architecture of the long Sasanian reign has never been properly studied and analyzed by researchers, and this occasion warrants a brief account of how architecture and sculpture rose to such heights during that magnificent era. Although the Sasanians considered themselves above all the heirs of the great Achaemenid Empire, they were also influenced by the achievements of the Seleucid and Parthian periods in roofing techniques, and specifically the invention of the dome and the iwan. Their architecture, while insisting on ancient grandeur and leaving behind significant monuments, in practice differed fundamentally from the standards of the monumental and magnificent Achaemenid architecture as the world's first true empire — as Hegel described it. In the early years of the formation of the Sasanian kingdom, Ardashir I built the Palace of Firuzabad, known as "Ram Firuzabad," employing Parthian architectural methods to erect a royal and imposing palace that itself signaled the emergence of a new power at the close of the Parthian era — a power that, despite more than six hundred years having passed since the golden age of the Achaemenids, sought to connect itself to the lineage of this first Iranian empire and claim kinship with them. The founder of this dynasty, still lacking sufficient authority and resources comparable to the Achaemenid kings, set out to build his desired palace in a different manner by making use of advances in construction methods and technology, and the invention of such important elements as the iwan and domed roofs. The use of rough-cut or semi-dressed stones of various sizes along with mortar and new roofing techniques made the construction of this palace possible under far easier conditions, though the new king endeavored to adopt, as far as possible, the necessary details and ornamentation from the architecture of the palaces of Persepolis in the final finishing. It is essential to note that three important elements in nature — the sun, fire, and water — as sacred symbols of the Zoroastrian faith for the Sasanians, assumed a twofold role and infused extraordinary power and energy into Iranian art and architecture, which had been drawing close to extinction over nearly five and a half centuries, while such supremely valuable elements as the arch, the iwan, and the dome throughout the four hundred and twenty-seven years of this