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The Sassanians, aka the Sassanid Empire, a Persian dynasty ruling over ancient Iran from 224 CE to 651 CE. It marked the last major pre-Islamic Persian empire before the overthrow by the Arab Caliphate.
This is considered a significant period in Iranian history due to their cultural and political revival, achieving noteworthy developments in art, and architecture. It also reestablished Zoroastrianism as the state religion
[1158-17]
| This relief was carved around 235 CE which makes it one of the oldest Sasanian rock reliefs. The relief is well-preserved and is mostly unharmed. It is located in the east corner of Naqsh-e Rostam and was carved 2 meters above the ground. The relief has 6.65m width and 2.40m height. |  Image source: Wikimedia Commons [1158-10] |
 Image source: Wikimedia Commons [1158-11] | The triumph relief of Shapur I (r.241-272), the most famous Sasanian rock relief from Naqš-e Rustam, is very close to the tomb of Darius I the Great. t shows Roman emperor Philip kneeling in front of king’ Shapur’s horse. He defeated two Roman emperors. In 244, the Roman legions invaded Mesopotamia and besieged the Sasanian capital, Ctesiphon, but the war lasted long, and the Roman emperor Gordian III was replaced by Philippus Arabs, who was forced to conclude a peace treaty with Shapur. Philip even paid a ransom and was happy to return alive, allowing Shapur to present the events as if the new Roman ruler owed the throne to the Sasanian king. |
| A colossal statue of Shapur I (240–272 CE), the second shah (king) of the Sassanid Empire. It stands in the Shapur cave, a huge limestone cave located about 6 km from the ancient city of Bishapur in the south of Iran. |  Image source: Wikimedia Commons [1158-12] |
  Image source: Wikimedia Commons [1158-18] | The spectacular rock tombs at Naqsh-e Rostam are situated about 6 km northwest of Persepolis in the southern part of Iran. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in Iran and contains monuments of the Elamite, Achaemenid and Sasanian dynasties carved into the rock. The site features four burial tombs of Achaemenid kings believed to be those of Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, and Darius II (Ochus), as well as eight Sasanian reliefs depicting vivid scenes of imperial conquests and royal ceremonies. |
| Bishapur was an ancient city in Iran on the ancient road between Persis and Elam. The road linked the Sassanid capitals Estakhr (very close to Persepolis) and Ctesiphon. It is located south of modern Faliyan in the Kazerun County of Fars Province, Iran. It was founded by king Shapur (241-272 CE). It was built by Roman soldiers who had been captured after the defeat of the Roman emperor Valerian in 260 CE. |  Image source: Wikimedia Commons [1158-13] |
 Image source: Wikimedia Commons [1158-14] | Taq-e Bostan rock relief; the ‘knight’ is probably Khosrow Parviz mounted on Shabdiz Khosrow Parviz is standing at the centre of this relief, at Taq-e Bostan. On his left is Ahura Mazda, on his right is Anahita, and below is Khosrau ,dressed as a mounted Persian knight riding on his favourite horse, Shabdiz. |
| Sassanid horse head, gilded in silver, found in Kerman region of Iran, dated to 4th c CE. | Image source: Wikimedia Commons [1158-15] |
 Image source: Wikimedia Commons | The central creature within it is usually identified as the senmurw aka simurgh of Zoroastrian mythology. It is a benevolent beast though features the head of a snarling dog, the paws of a lion and the tail of a peacock. This object is today displayed in the Persian Empire collection of the British Museum. |
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