Valerian Palace, Bishapur

🕰️When was it built?

The palace is attributed to the year 266 AD and an order of Shapur I, after his victory over Valerian at the Battle of Edessa. It was added to the National Heritage List in 1931, and as part of Bishapur it belongs to the World Heritage listing of the Sasanian sites of Fars.

🏛️What was it built for?

Accounts of the palace present it as the place where Valerian lived after his capture. The building stood on the north side of the royal citadel, about 150 metres from the ceremonial hall and the city's great fire temple, so it was part of the government complex of Bishapur.

👀What you will see

• The inner walls are built of evenly dressed, decorated stones, and the outer surface was whitened with plaster.
• The palace's entrance front looks like the interior of the Anahita Temple, and its stonework is its main feature.
• The palace had an octagonal plan, with four passages connecting its spaces to the courtyard.
• Reliefs and stucco have been found among its decoration, and some of the stucco and paintings are kept in the Bishapur Museum.

💡Something interesting

Roman Ghirshman, in his excavations of 1935 to 1937, was the first to dig this palace. Later Ali Akbar Sarfaraz continued the excavation and clearing of the royal citadel, and in 1995 the grounds around the palace were cleared under Mosayeb Amiri.

🎒Good to know before you go