Ardashir Papakan Palace

Great tourist attraction in Fars province , IRAN.The palace of king Ardashir I, the founder of the Sasanian Empire. Don't miss it.

Ardashir Papakan Palace, also known as Atash-kadeh, is an ancient palace located in Fars Province, Iran. It was built by Ardashir I, the founder of the Sassanian Empire, around the 3rd century CE. The palace served as the official residence of the Sassanian kings and played a significant role in the political and cultural life of the empire. Its architectural style reflects the grandeur and sophistication of Sassanian architecture, characterized by its use of large-scale domes, intricate carvings, and ornate decorations. The palace is particularly famous for its central domed hall, which housed a sacred fire, symbolizing the Zoroastrian faith of the Sassanian rulers. Today, Ardashir Papakan Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors from around the world to marvel at its historical significance and architectural beauty.

The Ardashir Palace was built by Kings Ardashir I in 224 BC. There is a waterpond on one side of the palace. When you stand inside the ruins of which some domes and roofs are partially conserved you are impressed by the size of the palace's rooms. In some rooms you can still observe pieces of stucco that give you a good impression of the beauty this palace must have had when it was built.

It is one of the 'Sassanid' palaces located 10 km from 'Firozabad' at a distance of 2 km, north of the ruined of the 'Gour' city.
The palace has been constructed by the order 'Ardeshir e Babakan' and the materials used are rubble stone and plaster mortar.

There is a pond very close to castle which give you nice perspective for photographing and also has a great atmosphere.

A historical place not very far from Shiraz. You need to visit there if you are interested in Persian history and the Remained of a marvelous palace.

A 1500 year old stone made palace with a beautiful holy fountain in front of it. A lot fairy tales about it during the history

Ardeshir Babakan Palace (also known as Palace of Ardeshir), dating back to 1800 years ago, is the first example of dome construction in Sassanid architecture and one of the pre-Islamic Iranian architecture. UNESCO has registered this monument as a World Heritage Site in 2018. It is one of the most amazing monuments of the Sassanid era.

On the north side of the palace, a spring has created a natural pool. In addition, the river, which runs along the eastern wall of the palace, has been a major cause of the greenery and development of the ancient city of Gur and the Sassanid palace.

There is also a small private fire temple close to the palace used in particular rituals and ceremonies. In fact, the presence of the four primal elements (water, wind, earth, and fire) is one of the prominent features of this historic region. After the death of Ardeshir, in terms of construction, the architects imitated and repeated the circular model of the city extensively for centuries.

With three dome-shaped rooms, this palace is a symbol of Iranians’ arts and architectural skills. The Palace of Ardeshir is located 3 km from the present city of Firouzabad in Fars province.

A palace which dates back to Sassanid dynasty, and was constructed by the order of Ardeshir Babakan, the founder of Sassanid dynasty. It is important because of its three domed reception hall and the type of its architecture. Entrance fee is 200000 rials for foreigners.

It is still in good condition. Pond has water. One problem is that lack of place to eat anything. Local people do not recomended the restaurants near by.

If you are in the area you should not miss this archeological site part of the UNESCO list.

A must see. You wouldn’t fully appreciate the scale and elegance in the architectural design, until you have finished seeing both the exterior and the interior. The tall domes and the generosity in scale, give this ‘palace’ a truly celebratory spirit. Make sure you spend some time, in quiet, by the picturesque pond and its natural spring.

This great palace was built up over 1700 years a go and still is standing strong and beautiful.

کاخ اردشیر بابکان در دوران اردوان پنجم واپسین پادشاه اشکانی به دست اردشیر بابکان بنیادگذار سلسلهٔ ساسانی در سده ۳ میلادی ساخته شد. کاخ اردشیر بابکان از جاذبه‌های تاریخی و گردشگری فیروزآباد است.
این کاخ دارای تالارهای تو در تو است و با گذشت ۱۸۰۰ سال گچ‌بری بخش بالای دیوارهای درونی آن همچنان آسیب نادیده مانده‌است. در ضلع شرقی کاخ، چهار ساختمان گنبدی شکل سترگ وجود دارد، این گنبدها به وسیلهٔ فیل‌پوش بالا رفته که مشابه آن در قلعه دختر (قلعه اردشیر) دیده می‌شود. قسمتی از نوک سقف گنبدها در دایره‌ای به قطر یک متر باز است. در ضلع شمالی بیرون از دیوار کاخ نیز چشمه‌ای گوارا از دل خاک می‌جوشد و استخری طبیعی جلوی این چشمه به پدیدار شده است. رودی از کنار دیوار شرقی کاخ گذر می‌کند که زمینه‌ساز آبادانی شهر گور و کاخ ساسانی بوده‌است. کمی بالاتر از کاخ آتشدانی برای برگزاری آیین‌های دینی وجود دارد. وجود چهار عنصر طبیعی آب، باد، خاک و آتش برجستگی ویژه‌ای را به این منطقه بخشیده است.
به انگیزه جای گرفتن این کاخ در کنار چشمه «قمپ آتشکده» آن را آتشکده فیروزآباد نیز می‌نامند.

The Palace of Ardashir Pāpakan , also known as the Atash-kadeh is a castle located on the slopes of the mountain on which Dezh Dokhtar is situated. Built in AD 224 by King Ardashir I of the Sassanian Empire, it is located two kilometers (1.2 miles) north of the ancient city of Gor, i.e. the old city of Piruz-Apad in Pars, in ancient Persia (Iran).
The structure contains three domes, among other features, making it slightly larger and more magnificent than its predecessor, the nearby castle of Dezh Dokhtar. However, it seems that the compound was designed to display the royalty image of Ardashir I, rather than being a fortified structure for defense purposes. That is why perhaps it would be best to refer to the structure as a "palace" rather than a "castle", even though it has huge walls on the perimeters (twice as thick as Ghal'eh Dokhtar), and is a contained structure. From the architectural design, it seems the palace was more of a place of social gathering where guests would be introduced to the imperial throne.

What is particularly interesting about this palace is that its architectural design does not exactly fall into that of the Parthians or even Sassanian category; the design is a unique design particular to architects of Fars.

The palace was built next to a picturesque pond that was fed by a natural spring, perhaps in connection with the Persian goddess of water and growth, Anahita. The spring is thought to have fed a royal garden, in the same way that Cyrus had his garden (bustan) built at Pasargadae. The pond was tiled on its sides, surrounded by pavement for guests of the royal court to enjoy the evenings by.

The structure is 104 m (340 ft) by 55 m (180 ft). The iwan is 18 m (60 ft) high, although it has partially collapsed. The structure was built of local rocks and mortar with plasterwork on the insides. The style of the interior design is comparable to that of Tachar palace at Persepolis
Jane Dieulafoy visited the site with her husband, Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, and described it in La Perse, la Chaldée et la Susiane.[1]

Robert Byron was there in February 1934, and wrote about his visit in The Road to Oxiana. Byron considered the Palace to include the prototype of the squinch. In his view, buildings such as St. Peter's Basilica and the Taj Mahal would not have existed without the squinch and the pendentive.[2]

Iran has tentatively listed the Palace of Ardashir and other sites in and around Firouzabad as a possible UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997

if you are in Fars province, do not miss this palace. it is great and remarkable. it seems to be far from Shiraz but it worth driving there because you can also visit Shahr-e Gour which is just a few kilometers from this place.I suggest you to visit Dokhtar Palace too it's near . you can visit these 3 remarkable places just in one day.

Awesome palace. I never ever thought such a beautiful and exhilarating historic site might exist. There is a spring in front of the palace and local people believe it always has had water. Strongly recommend going there.

Lots has been said about this place,you have to be there in person to see the majestic architecture.mind blowing

the most important palace of Sasanid dynasty. one of world heritage sites.

You will visit the oldest capital if Sassanid dynasty and its amazing palace

A historical place that represents Iranian identity

Wonderful ancient palace and origin of dome shape roof in the world