Naqsh-e Rostam

Naqsh-e Rostam is a rock necropolis six kilometres from Persepolis, where four tombs of Achaemenid kings are cut into a sheer cliff face. The facades are cross-shaped: a plain field below, in the middle a portico with columns behind which the entrance to the burial chamber is hidden, and above a relief of the king before a fire altar raised on a platform held up by representatives of the subject peoples. Only the tomb of Darius I is securely identified by an inscription; the other three are attributed to Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I and Darius II. Lower down, at the foot of the cliff, are Sasanian reliefs of the third and fourth centuries: the investiture of Ardashir I, the mounted duel of Hormizd, and the famous scene in which the Roman emperor Valerian kneels before Shapur I. In front of the cliff stands the cubic tower Kaba-ye Zartosht, of unknown purpose, possibly a treasury or a Zoroastrian sanctuary.

The necropolis is six kilometres from Persepolis and is seen on the same trip; there is an entrance fee. The tombs are cut high in the rock, so binoculars come in handy, and the best light is in the first half of the day. The visit takes half an hour to an hour. Payment in cash.

Address

جاده نقش رستم, دهستان نقش رستم

On the map