Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region

The Sassanid Archaeological Landscape would cover archaeological remains of the last pre-Islamic Iranian dynasty – the “Sassanids” (AD 224-651) whose empire stretched to the Levant, Central Asia, E Arabia and Turkey/the Caucasus.

Successors to the Parthians, they too were involved militarily across their entire period against the Romans in the form of the Byzantine Empire and, having fought them to a mutual “standstill”, were in no position to oppose the new threat from the south of invading Arab Muslims, who largely overcame them in a period of just 4 years from 628-32 and changed Iran forever.

The Sassanid Archaeological Landscape includes eight archaeological sites situated in three geographical parts in the southeast of Fars Province: Firuzabad, Bishapur, and Sarvestan. These fortified structures, palaces, and city plans date back to the earliest and latest times of the Sassanid Empire, which stretched across the region from 224 to 658 CE.

The World Heritage Committee, which has started its meetings in the Bahraini capital of Manama since 24 June, inscribed four cultural sites on the World Heritage List including the Sassanid landscape.

The UNESCO World Heritage Center meets annually to review additions to the list, which must be deemed of “outstanding universal value” to warrant inclusion. Representatives from 21 countries assess the options.