ID : N-4252 Date : 2019/02/08 - 09:30
(Persia Digest) – Bishapur is an ancient city in Fars Province, southern Iran, on the banks of Shapur River.
The city was built by Shapur I of the Sassanid, the second emperor of the Sassanid Dynasty, in 262 CE.
Bishapur measures approximately 200 hectares and has three sections. The main section is surrounded by a stone wall and holds state and religious buildings, such as the hall of ceremonies, Valerian’s Palace, mosaic tiled ivans, a courtyard, and the Anahita Temple.
The second section is the city’s security facilities, including a fort called Dokhtar Fort in the north.
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The third section comprises the Islamic School of the Buyid era, the Grand Mosque, Bishapur public baths, and commemorative columns.
One of the city’s important monuments is the Anahita Temple which is significant in its architecture and water network.
The eastern and western corridors of the hall of ceremonies culminate in two ivans decorated with tilework. These were the special seat of Shapur and his harem.
The ivans are barrel vaulted with color stucco. The floor of the ivans are tiled with mosaic patterns of plants and humans. The mosaic theme also includes women braiding hair and playing the harp and other instruments.
The Palace of Valerian, or Valerianus, is built with patterned uniform rocks. It is situated in the north wing of the Shahi Citadel. Due to unfinished archaeological work, its usage is still unknown.
The great ceremony hall is in the southeast of the Anahita Temple, measuring 781 square meters. This can be placed among the first and largest domed buildings of the Sassanid era.