Naqsh-e Rustam: Ancient Tombs of Powerful Persian Kings

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Naqsh-e Rustam at dawn ( Wikipedia)

The Naqsh-e Rustam site was already in use prior to the arrival of the Achaemenids, as evidenced in one pre-Achaemenid (possibly Elamite) relief and a number of old graves. Although this relief has been carved over by a Sasanian relief, a portrait of a man with a forward pointing hat and a long dress-like garment (clothing not typical of the Achaemenids and Sasanians) can still be discerned on the extreme right of the later relief. According to some sources, it was this figure that locals associated with the mythical hero of the Shahnameh writings in the “book of the kings”, named Rustam, hence the name of the site.  

Naqsh-e Rustam is named after the legendary figure Rustam, who is depicted here killing Esfandyar. Medieval Persian miniature. ( en.wikipedia.org)

Most of the reliefs, however, date to beginning of the Sasanian period.  In the 3 rd century AD, the Sasanians, a vassal of the Parthian Empire that succeeded in overthrowing its master, were a new power that rose in the East. In order to legitimize their rule, the Sasanians sought to associate themselves with the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire, and regarded themselves as its direct successors. One of the things they did to achieve this goal was to carve reliefs at Naqsh-e Rustam.

Sasanian relief at Naqsh-e Rustam depicting the triumph of Shapur I over the Roman Emperor Valerian, and Philip the Arab. ( Wikimedia Commons )

Two other local names for Naqsh-e Rustam are Salib, an Arabic word meaning ‘cross’, and the Persian Crosses. This is due to the façade of the tombs, which resembles crosses. It was the tombs, which belonged to the Achaemenids that attracted the Sasanians to Naqsh-e Rustam. These tombs are burial chambers carved into the side of the hill rock, and each contained a sarcophagus. It is unclear, however, whether the bodies were placed directly into these sarcophagi, or the bones interred in them after being exposed on a ‘tower of silence’. Furthermore, it is believed that all the tombs were looted and desecrated following the invasion of Alexander the Great during the 4 th century BC.  

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Although there are four tombs, only one of them can be identified with certainty, as it is accompanied by a trilingual inscription. This is the tomb of Darius I, the third ruler of the Achaemenid Empire. Above the cross façade of Darius’ tomb is a panel with a relief. The relief depicts Darius, whose hands are raised in a gesture of worship, standing on a three-stepped pedestal in front of an altar. The king’s piety accords him divine protection, as the winged disc of Ahuramazda (the god of the Zoroastrian faith), is shown floating above his head. The relief also proclaims the might of the Achaemenid Empire, as the entire scene is supported by throne bearers representing the 28 nations under the empire.

The tomb of Darius I at Naqsh-e Rustam ( Wikimedia Commons )

The other three tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam are thought to belong to Darius’ successors, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I and Darius II. This is based on the fact that the layout of these tombs is copied from the tomb of Darius. Without any inscriptions or additional evidence, the identities of the tomb owners may remain merely as speculation. Other royal tombs of a similar form can be found in Persepolis. These tombs, cut into the rock face at Kuh-i Rahmat, are thought to belong to the later Achaemenid rulers, and demonstrate of the influence exerted by the tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam