Sarvestan
Q115139Sarvestan: town in eastern Fars, site of a small Sasanian palace.
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The Sarvestan Palace was built by the Sasanian king Bahram V (r.420-438), and dominates an immense, empty plain. The name "palace" is a bit misleading, because the monument's function is not really understood. It may in fact have been a hunting lodge or even a sanctuary. The problem is complicated by the fact that there appears to have been a small building, just north of the palace; its function is unknown.
A visitor who would have arrived from the south, would have seen three iwans. After entering the central one, he would have reached a large square hall under a large dome, made of baked brick. After this, a visitor would have found himself on a rectangular courtyard, surrounded by the residential quarters. The building reminds one of the the Qalah-e Dokhtar and the palace of ArdaĊĦir, both near Firuzabad; the difference is that the Sarvestan palace is open to all sides. The building, made of stone and mortar, must have had fine decorations, which partly survive.
Getting there
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Sarvestan town is about eighty kilometers east of Shiraz; the palace itself lies another ten kilometer beyond the town of Sarvestan. A taxi will bring you there; from Shiraz, it will take about an hour and a half.