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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE – 538 – 331BC
Persia was the mountainous plateau to the east of the lower Tigris-Euphrates Valley. The Persian empire was larger than the Babylonian and Assyrian empires, extending eastward to India and reaching westward to Greece. Its capitals were Persepolis and Susa. As a world empire it lasted 200 years
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE – 538 – 331BCChronological order of Rulers
The Persian Kings were: Cyrus (538-529 B.C.) Conquered Babylon and allowed Jews to return. Cambyses (529-522 B.C.) Stopped work on the Temple. Darius I (521-485 B.C.) Authorized completion of the Temple.
Xerxes (Ahasuerus) (485-465 B.C.) Esther was his Queen.
Artaxerxes I (465-425 B.C.) Authorized Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem.
Xerxes II (424 B.C.) Darius II (423-405 B.C.) Artaxerxes II (405-358 B.C.) Artaxerxes III (358-338 B.C.) Arses (338-335)
Darius III (335-331 B.C.) He was defeated by Alexander the Great (331 B.C.) at the famous battle of Arbela, near Nineveh. This was the fall of Persia and the rise of Greece.
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE – 538 – 331BCPALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
The initial works were started in 518 BC.
Cyrus the Great chose the site of Persepolis
Darius the Great built the terrace and the great palaces at Persepolis and the construction of the buildings at the terrace was continued until downfall of the Achaemenid dynasty.
Darius ordered the construction of Apadana Palace and the Debating hall (Tripylon or the three-gated hall), the main imperial treasury and its surroundings, which were completed at the time of the reign of his son King Xerxes
The palace was completed by ArtaXerxes I
The main characteristic of Persepolitan architecture is its columns.
They were of wood; only when even the largest cedars of the Lebanon or the teak trees of India did not fulfill the required sizes did the architects resort to stone.
The bases and the capitals were always of stones, even on wooden shafts, but the existence of wooden capitals is probable.
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE – 538 – 331BCPALACE OF PERSEPOLISDetails:
• 460 x 275m extent
•The buildings at Persepolis are divided into 3 areas,
•Military quarters
•Treasury
•Reception and occasional houses for King of Kings.
•These include the
•Great Stairway
•Gate of Nations (Xerxes)
•Apadana
•Palace of Darius
•Hall of a Hundred Columns
•Tripylon Hall
•Tachara palace of Darius
•Hadish palace of Xerxes
•Palace of Artaxerxes III
•Imperial Treasury, the Royal Stables and the Chariot house.
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE – 538 – 331BCPALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
SITE DETAILS:
•The main entrance to the site is on the NW
•The various buildings stand on a platform partly built and partly excavated from the hill
•Gray limestone is mainly used for the building
•The terrace is about 20m from the ground level
APPROACH:
•The only entrance is on the NW
•This dual stairway known as Persepolitan stairway, was built in a symmetrical manner on the W side of the Great Wall.
•The 111 steps were 6.9m wide with treads of 31cm and rises 10 cm, so a horseman could ride up them without difficulty.
•The top of the stairways led to a small yard in the northeastern side of the terrace, opposite the Gate of Nations. After the natural rock had been leveled and the depressions filled in, the terrace was prepared, then they dug major tunnels for sewage, underground in the rock. A large water storage tank was built inside the rock, at the eastern foot of the mountain.
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE – 538 – 331BCPALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
GATE OF NATIONS:
•Grand hall that was 24.74 square metre
•4 columns and its entrance on the Western Wall.
•There were two more doors, one to the south which opened to the Apadana yard and the other one opened onto a long road to the east.
•Doors were probably made of wood and covered with sheets of, ornamented metal.
•A pair of Persianized Assyrian man-bulls on the western threshold and another pair with wings and a Persian head on the eastern entrance to reflect the Empire’s power was built.
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
APADANA:
•Led by a doorway on the south•Grand official audience hall•76.2m square•Had 36 columns inside (total of 72)•Walls 20’0” thick•Stood on its own terrace 10’0” high•Began by Darius•Completed by 2 of his successors•Had 3 porticoes •Double colonnades •Stairways on N & NE•At the south of the grand hall a series of rooms were built for storage•To avoid the roof being affected by rain they provided vertical drains through the brick walls. In the Four Corners of Apadana, facing outwards, four towers were built.
RELIEF WORKArranged in 3 tiers of relief separate by a band of Rosettes, Nobles, courtiers, guardsmen in a procession Deep jambsThe Walls were tiled, decorated with pictures of lions, bulls and flowers
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
TACHARA PALACE OF DARIUS:
The original main entrance, with a large double staircase leading to the terrace, seen from the south. 12 columns supported the roof of the central hall from which three small stairways descend Small in comparison to other structures and well preserved
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
TRIPYLON:
The triple gate is found between the Apadana and the Hall of hundred columns
It consists of a central room
It is also termed as the Council Hall
The 3 gates are decorated
The northern part of the eastern gate, leads to the Hall of hundred columns. On top, we see Ahuramazda, the most important god in the Iranian pantheon Lay centrally among buildings
Acted as a reception chamber and a guard roomfor the more private quarters of the Palace grounds
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
TREASURY:
•The oldest building of the complex•Built by Darius•SE angle of site•Double walled•Administrative and store house building•Had columned halls of different sizes•Only a single doorway•part of which served as an armory and especially as a royal storehouse of the Achaemenian kings.
•Before the Throne Hall was finished, the most spacious room of the Treasury was used as a Court of Reception.
•Two large stone relieves were discovered here that attested to its function. These depict Darius I, seated on his throne, being approached by a high dignitary whose hand is raised to his mouth in a gesture of respectful greeting. Behind the king stands Crown Prince Xerxes, followed by court officials.
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
THRONE HALL / HALL OF 100 COLUMNS:•Commenced by Xerxes•Finished by Artaxerxes•68.6m square(225’0”)•Columns 11.3m high• supporting a flat cedar roof•Walls were double except on the N •N- portico flanked by 2 bulls• faced a forecourt• had its own gatehouse• separated from the Apadana by a wall•Had 2 doorways•7 windows on the entrance wall•Matched on the other 3 sides except that• niches replaced windows•All framed in stone surrounds in 3.4m thick brick wall•In the beginning of Xerxes' reign the Throne Hall was used mainly for receptions for representatives of all the subject nations of the empire. •Later, when the Treasury proved to be too small, the Throne Hall also served as a storehouse and, above all, as a place to display more adequately objects, both tribute and booty, from the royal treasury.
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
PALACE OF XERXES:
•Built near SW corner•Connected with the Harem• An L shaped womens quarter•Court formed by L shaped harem & Tripylon•Court enclosed south of Tripylon
Xerxes' Palace, almost twice as large as that of Darius, shows very similar decorative features on its stone doorframes and windows, except for two large Xerxes inscriptions on the eastern and western doorways. Instead of showing the king's combat with monsters, these doorways depict servants with ibexes. Unfortunately, all the reliefs in this palace are far less well preserved than those of the Palace of Darius.
TOMB OF ARTA XERXES
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PALACE OF PERSEPOLISStepped battlements crowned the parapet walls
Sculptures in brilliant coloursColumns of the apartments had
Wooden shaftsThickly plasteredDecoratively painted
Columns of the hall was of stoneBases were mouldedShafts were flutedCapitals –vertical ionic like volutesTwin bulls or dragons supporting the roof beams
