Naqsh-e Rostam (Persian: نقش رستم, lit. 'Mural of Rostam', Persian: [ˌnæɣʃeɾosˈtæm]) is an ancient archeological site and necropolis located about 13 km northwest of Persepolis, in Fars province, Iran. A collection of ancient Iranian rock reliefs are cut into the face of the mountain and the mountain contains the final resting place of four Achaemenid kings, notably king Darius the Great and his son, Xerxes. This site is of great significance to the history of Iran and to Iranians, as it contains various archeological sites carved into the rock wall through time for more than a millennium from the Elamites and Achaemenids to the Sasanians. It lies a few hundred meters from Naqsh-e Rajab, with a further four Sasanian rock reliefs, three celebrating kings and one a high priest. Naqsh-e Rostam is the necropolis of the Achaemenid dynasty (c. 550–330 BC), with four large tombs cut high into the cliff face. These have mainly architectural decoration, but the facades include large panels over the doorways, each very similar in content, with figures of the king being invested by a god, above a zone with rows of smaller figures bearing tribute, with soldiers and officials. The three classes of figures are sharply differentiated in size. The entrance to each tomb is at the center of each cross, which opens onto a small chamber, where the king lay in a sarcophagus. Well below the Achaemenid tombs, near ground level, are rock reliefs with large figures of Sasanian kings, some meeting gods, others in combat. The most famous shows the Sasanian king Shapur I on horseback, with the Roman Emperor Valerian bowing to him in submission, and Philip the Arab (an earlier emperor who paid Shapur tribute) holding Shapur's horse, while the dead Emperor Gordian III, killed in battle, lies beneath it (other identifications have been suggested). This commemorates the Battle of Edessa in AD 260, when Valerian became the only Roman Emperor who was captured as a prisoner of war, a lasting humiliation for the Romans. The placing of these reliefs clearly suggests the Sassanid intention to link themselves with the glories of the earlier Achaemenid Empire.
Monuments
Elamite rock reliefs
The oldest relief at Naqsh-e Rostam dates back to the Elamite period, although it has been almost completely erased. Originally occupying a space 7 by 2.5 meters in area, the relief was carved over in the Sasanian period to create the 'grandee' or 'audience' relief of Bahram II, leaving only faint traces of the pre-existing Elamite composition. One figure from the pre-existing relief, likely a king of the Neo-Elamite period, was integrated into the newer Sasanian composition, appearing on the far right-hand side of the relief alongside later depictions of Sasanian officials. To the left of the preserved figure, beneath the busts of the Sasanian officials, are two partially-preserved figures sitting on thrones of coiled snakes, and on the far left side of the relief is the preserved head of a female figure wearing a mural crown. Though it is severely damaged, another relief near the investiture scene of Narseh, which depicts a faint image of a man with unusual headgear, has been tentatively dated to the Elamite period.
Achaemenid tombs Four tombs belonging to Achaemenid kings are carved out of the rock face at a considerable height above the ground. The four tombs are identical in terms of design and accompanying relief decoration. In the upper register each tomb includes an elaborate relief depicting the king holding a bow and paying homage to a fire altar and a figure emerging from a winged disk, often identified as the Zoroastrian fravahar. The king and the altar stand on an elevated platform supported by two rows of 15 figures, each identified by a short inscription as representing a different province within the empire, with minor differences in their attire to correspond with the national dress of the corresponding region. Two other figures stand next to the base of the platform, and a further six figures stand in niches carved along the edges of the scene (three on either side). The wider middle register depicts a faux-portico of an Achaemenid palace, with double-protome bull's head capitals. The bottom register is left bare.
Tomb of Darius the Great
The tomb of Darius is the only tomb to include an extensive inscription on its facade, where it appears to the left of the king, divided into two main parts referred to as DNa and DNb, allowing it to be confidently attributed to Darius, who refers to himself by name within the text of the inscriptions. It is assumed to be the oldest of the four, and presumably served as the model for the three subsequent Achaemenid tombs cut at the site.
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.
Darius I inscription
An inscription by Darius I, from c.490 BCE, generally referred to as the "DNa inscription" in scholarly works, appears in the top left corner of the facade of his tomb. It mentions the conquests of Darius I and his various achievements during his life. Its exact date is not known, but it can be assumed to be from the last decade of his reign. 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. Darius I inscription(DNa inscription)
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