Bishapur

Bishapur: important Sasanian city in Iran, founded by king Shapur I, and built by Roman POWs.

History	Castle	City	Palace	"Temple"	Cave
Relief I	Relief II	Relief III	Relief IV	Relief V	Relief VI

Castle

The castle of Bishapur, situated on a rock, is well-preserved. The architect would not be surprised, because he called it Qalah-e Dokhtar, "the Virgin's Castle". Now this may be a reference to the daughter of the Sasanian king Shapur I (241-272), but it also expresses the wish that the construction remained pure and "intact" like a virgin. This type of name is not uncommon in Iran (cf. the Pol-e dokhtar, which was also built during the reign of Shapur.

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There are several rock-cut reservoirs and the masonry resembles the walls of the castle that is also known as Qalah-e Dokhtar at Firuzabad. From the top, one has a great view over the Tang-e Chowgan gorge, where the rock reliefs can be found, and the city itself.

A satellite photo can be seen here.

History	Castle	City	Palace	"Temple"	Cave
Relief I	Relief II	Relief III	Relief IV	Relief V	Relief VI