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Naqš-i Rustam (1)
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
Naqsh-i Rustam, overview. Photo Marco Prins. Naqš-i Rustam is situated some five kilometers north of Persepolis, the capital of the ancient Achaemenid empire. It was already a place of some importance when king Darius I the Great (522-486) ordered his monumental tomb to be carved into the cliff. A satellite photo can be found here.
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Map of Naqš-i Rustam. Design Jona Lendering. Later, three Achaemenid tombs and eight Sasanian reliefs were added, seven of them are recognizable.
The oldest monument at Naqš-i Rustam ("the carvings by [the legendary hero] Rustam") is not fully understood but believed to be Elamite in origin - about 1000 BCE. The original relief was considerably larger but a very large part of it was later removed when the Sasanian king Bahram II ordered an audience relief. This figure with his remarable cap is the only one that survives of the earlier carvings. It proves that Naqš-i Rustam was already an important place when the Achaemenid rulers started to build their tombs.
Tomb of Darius the Great. Naqsh-i Rustam (Iran). Photo Marco Prins.
 The façade of Darius' tomb has the shape of a cross with, in its center, the access to a small chamber, where the king's body was buried. There was room for other people's sarcophaguses. According to the Greek historian Ctesias of Cnidus, Darius' father Hystaspes died during the construction works (quote). In fact, the existence of this tomb is a bit problematic, because many ancient Iranians were Zoroastrians, who did expose their dead to the dogs and vultures. This practice is known from the Achaemenid age, but perhaps not widespread. Alternatively, perhaps the Achaemenid kings were no Zoroastrians at all.
 
The upper part of the tomb of Darius the Great at Naqs-i Rustam. Photo Marco Prins. In the upper arm of the cross is a relief, which shows Darius in front of an altar, praying to the supreme god Ahuramazda (who is shown as a winged disk) and sacrificing to the holy fire. Twenty-eight people, representing the subject nations, are carrying the platform on which Darius is standing.   
The upper tomb inscription at Naqs-i Rustam (DNa). Photo Marco Prins. An inscription in the top-left corner, known as DNa, names the subject peoples and introduces Darius as a pious and strong ruler.
The lower tomb inscription at Naqs-i Rustam (DNa). Photo Marco Prins. The central part of the cross has the same dimensions as the southern entrance of the palace of Darius in Persepolis. It has been assumed that the four columned façade of the tomb is a copy of the entrance of the palace. Here was an inscription too (DNb); this 'testament' became a 'classic' and was copied by Darius' son and successor Xerxes. This text is known as XPl.
This picture shows the second tomb at Naqš-i Rustam. There are no inscriptions that can help us identify the owner. It may or may not have been the final resting place of Xerxes (486-465). He carefully copied the tomb of his father.
The upper register is identical to the relief of Darius' tomb: Xerxes (if this is Xerxes, of course) in front of the altar, praying to Ahuramazda and sacrificing to the holy fire. In his right hand, the king has his bow, the royal attribute par excellence. Again, the plaform is carried by people that represent the subject nations. The symbol in the upper right corner represents the sun and moon.
This central part is very interesting because it shows what the columns discovered at, for instance, the Apadana of Persepolis must have looked like. Representations like these have helped archaeologists to reconstruct the façades of Achaemenid palaces.
Tomb 3 (right) and 4 (left) probably belonged to Xerxes' son Artaxerxes I Makrocheir (465-424) and his grandson Darius II Nothus (423-404). Again, they are careful copies of the final resting place of Darius the Great. Several Sasanian reliefs are also visible.
Tomb 3, attributed to Artaxerxes I Makrocheir. Archaeologists are almost certain that the doors of the tombs were closed after the burial. After Alexander the Great had overthrown the Achaemenid empire, the tombs were looted.
Tomb 3 again.
Tomb 4, attributed to Darius II Nothus (423-404).

In front of these tombs, there must have been a park (paradeisos). One of the Persepolis fortification tablets mentions that trees are to be planted at Nupistaš, which seems to be Naqš-i Rustam.
In front of Tomb 4 is a square tower of 12½ meter high, which is known as the Ka'bah-i Zardusht (Zarathustra's ka'bah - the real ka'bah is, of course, the famous square monument in Mecca). It is often said that this tower was used to keep the holy fire, but the absence of a chimney does not really support this interpretation.
An alternative is that in this building books (e.g., the Avesta) were stored, but many scholars think that in the Achaemenid age, the sacred texts were learned by heart. A recent theory is that these buildings played a role in the cult for dead kings.

An almost identical monument, called Zendan, can be seen in Pasargadae (pictures). This monument remained important for many centuries.
The Sasanian king Shapur I (241-272) left two inscriptions on the lower walls of the Ka'bah-i Zardusht, in which he explained his policy. His high priest Kartir also left an inscription, in which he commented upon the first two texts and described the king's victories.
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