Sarvestan Sasanian Palace

The Sassanid palace of Sarvestan(Sarvestan Palace), with two grand chahartaq structure, is registered as one of the sites of the Sassanid Axis in Fars (a group of Sassanid monuments in Fars province) in the world heritage list by UNESCO.

Local people know these chahartaq as Qasr-e Sasan, or Chartagh. But these ancient structures are internationally known as Sarvestan Palace. As mentioned, Sarvestan Palace is a chahartaq structure reminiscent of fire temples that belonged to pre-Islamic era in Iran.

Many historians conclude that Sarvestan Palace was made many years ago during the reign of Bahram Gor. However, one should not neglect the efforts of Mihr Narseh in this regard. It was after his actions that Sarvestan Palace turned into a center for holding religious ceremonies and rituals.

In addition to recent researches, Sarvestan Palace has been mentioned in historical texts. In the book Almasalek va Almamalek, Sarvestan Palace is described as a village around the city of Estakhr. In its description it has been written that: “It is a grand structure made from stone and plaster and includes columned vaults, many iwans, rooms and corridors.”

The main façade of the building can be viewed from its south side. This side of the palace has a central terrace and two smaller ones on its sides. It should be mentioned that the main terrace is connected to a big hall, considered to be the main hall, after which there are four yards. On the northern side there is another terrace that is connected to the yard around through some steps.

The domes of the palaces that are still remaining have benefited from squinches that have been built to strengthen them. The stone pillars also have protected the ceiling until today. All of these indicate the importance of palace to Sassanid and also art and advanced science they incorporated into their architecture. It should not be left out that the advanced architecture of Sarvestan Palace has resulted in the specialists to believe that it is one of the first achievements that led to the Gothic style of which many models can be found in Europe.

Andre Godard, the French architect, has described Sarvestan Palace very similar to Firuzabad Palace, only smaller than it. The materials used in its structure are stone and plaster.

Sarvestan Palace is located along the route from Shiraz to Fasa in south of Sarvestan County. Reaching this site is facilitated by a very well structured road and guideboards.