Nasqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab

Site visited December 2015. This compact site is easy to dismiss only as a usual side trip from nearby Persepolis. The monumental necropolis of Persian kings with numerous rock reliefs is impressive enough to be a World Heritage Site. But there are certain reasons which make inscription complicated.

I guess almost everyone visit Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab on the same day trip with Persepolis so the logistics are the same. Just ask your chauffeur or taxi driver to stop at these sites before or after Persepolis. I visited this site after Persepolis and before heading to Pasargadae.

Naqsh-e Rostam 6 kilometres north of Persepolis is an ancient necropolis of four Persian kings from both the Achaemenid and Sassanid periods. These large tombs have been cut in to cliff face high above the ground. The facades of the tombs have been carved in the shape of cross. The entrance to each tomb is at the center of each cross. On top of the entrances are large carved panels. The horizontal beam of each of the facades is believed to be a replica of the entrance of Persepolis. Underneath the tombs are rock reliefs, the most famous of which shows the Roman Emperor Valerian held captive by king Shapur I.

The tombs are believed to belong to following kings: Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I and Darius II. There is also a fifth unfinished tomb which is likely that of Darius III. The tombs were looted at the …