Behistun Inscription
The Behistun Inscription is a multilingual inscription and large rock relief on a cliff at Mount Behistun in the Kermanshah Province of Iran, near the city of Kermanshah in western Iran, established by Darius the Great (r. 522–486 BC). It was crucial to the decipherment of cuneiform script as the inscription includes three versions of […]
Pasargad
was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great (559–530 BC), who ordered its construction. It is located near the city of Shiraz, in Iran. Today it is an archaeological site and one of Iran’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A limestone tomb there is believed to be that of Cyrus the Great. Cyrus […]
Takht e Soleyman
Folk legend relates that King Solomon used to imprison monsters inside a nearby 100 m deep crater which is called Zendan-e Soleyman “Prison of Solomon”. Solomon is also said to have created the flowing pond in the fortress.
Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat
It was built about 1250 BC by the king Untash-Napirisha, mainly to honor the great god Inshushinak. Its original name was Dur Untash, which means ‘town of Untash’, but it is unlikely that many people, besides priests and servants, ever lived there. The complex is protected by three concentric walls which define the main areas […]
Perspolis
Perspolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (ca. 550–330 BCE). It is situated 60 kmnortheast of the city of Shiraz in Fars Province, Iran. The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BCE. It exemplifies the Achaemenid style of architecture. UNESCO declared the ruins of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979. An inscription left in AD 311 by Sasanian prince Shapur Sakanshah, the son […]
Sialk Hills
is a large ancient archaeological site in a suburb of the city of Kashan, Isfahan Province, in central Iran, close to Fin Garden. The culture that inhabited this area has been linked to the Zayandeh River Culture. A joint study between Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization, the Louvre, and the Institute Francais de Recherche en Iran also verifies the oldest settlements in […]
Meymand
Meymand is a very ancient village which is located near Shahr-e Babak city in Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 673, in 181 families. Meymand is believed to be a primary human residence in the Iranian Plateau, dating back to 12,000 years ago. Many of the residents live in the 350 […]
Amir Chakhmaq Complex
Amir Chakhmaq Complex is a prominent structure in Yazd, Iran, noted for its symmetrical sunken alcoves. It is a mosque located on a square of the same name. It also contains a caravanserai, a tekyeh, a bathhouse, a cold water well, and a confectionery. At night, the building is lit up after twilight hours after […]
Tower of Silence
On top of sedimentary and low mountain which is called Goor Dakhma(Tower of silence), there are 2 circular stone tower- like buildings with a hollow space. The Zoroastrians of Yazd used these places as open burial pits according to religious practices, as Zoroastrians started to bury in cemetery, using of Dakhma stopped. As many Zoroastrians […]
Dolat Abad Garden
A paradise in the middle of the desert. Dolat Abad Garden located in Rajaii Street, Yazd, is 7,000 square meters of heaven on earth. Dolat Abad Qanat was specifically dug to supply water for this garden. Some special individuals have touched the history of Dolat Abad. The most famous one is Karim Khan Zand, the […]