The Sassanid Palace at
Sarvestan is a Sassanid-era building in the Iranian province of
Sarvestan, some 90 km southeast from the city of
shiraz. The palace was built in the 5th century AD, and was either a gubernatorial residence or a Zoroastrian fire temple.
Sarvestan Palace was built by Sassanid King Bahram V (Bahram-e-Gur), and dominates an immense, empty plain.
Bahram V was the 14th Sassanid king of Persia. Also called Bahram Gur, he was a son of Yazdegerd I, after whose sudden death (or assassination) he came to power.
During the latter part of Bahram V’s reign, Persia was invaded from the northeast by Hephthalite hordes that ravaged northern
Iran under the command of their ruler.
Bahram V has left behind a rich and colorful legacy, with numerous legends and fantast tales.
He is a great favorite in Persian tradition, which relates many stories of his valor and beauty; of his victories over the Romans, Turks, Indians and Africans; and of his adventures in hunting.
The name "palace" is
...see more 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 Ghal'eh Dokhtar and the palace of Ardashir, 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
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://english.irib.ir
