The document outlines the history of the Persian Empire, detailing its major dynasties from the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC to the Qajar dynasty in the 20th century AD. It describes the architectural achievements, cultural influences, and significant historical events related to the empire, including its expansion and eventual decline. The document also highlights specific structures like the Tomb of Cyrus and Persepolis, explaining their architectural features and historical significance.

1. - SHASHWAT JAIN

2. THE PERSIAN
EMPIRE
▪ The Persian Empire is a series
of imperial dynasties centered
in Persia since the 6th century BC in
the Achaemenid era, to the 20th
century AD in the Qajar era.
▪ List of the dynasties described as a
Persian Empire
1. Achaemenid Empire (550–330
BC)
2. Sasanian Empire (224–651 AD)
3. Safavid dynasty (1501–1736 AD)
4. Afsharid dynasty (1736–1796 AD)
5. Qajar dynasty (1785–1925 AD)

3. (550 – 330 BC)

5. ▪ The first dynasty of the Persian
Empire established by Cyrus the
Great in 550 BC with the conquest
of Median, Lydian and Babylonian
empires.
▪ It covered much of the Ancient
world and controlled the largest
percentage of the earth's
population in history when it was
conquered by Alexander the
Great.

6. ▪ The empire’s lifespan was
from around 539 BCE to 651
CE. Persia was situated in
modern day Iran.The
empire spanned from
Egypt to Turkey.
▪ The expansion occurred
under the rule of rulers like
Cyrus II, Darius and
Xerxes.
▪ Extending its boundaries
into culture-rich areas like
Egypt and Greece, Persia
influenced by many of the
surrounding native groups.

7. ▪ The architecture of Persia
was more columnar and
led to vastly different
massive architectural
features from that of the
Mesopotamian era.
▪ The use of flat timber roofs
rather than led to more
slender columns and were
rather more graceful.This
also led to rooms being
squarer in shape than
simple long rectangle.

8. ▪ The roofing system was
also very different, wherein
the wooden brackets were
covered in clay and
provided more stability.
▪ The use of a double mud
wall might have provided
room for windows just
below ceiling in structures
like Palace of Persepolis.

9. Comprises of four
structures scattered
over a plain, centred
round:
•The citadel -
Rusticated masonry is
a great feature of the
platform of the citadel
•The residential
palace
•The sacred precinct
•Tomb of Cyrus

12. ▪ The Tomb of Cyrus, despite having ruled over much of the
ancient world, Cyrus the Great would design a tomb that
depicts extreme simplicity and modesty when compared to
those of other ancient rulers.
▪ The simplicity of the structure has a powerful effect on the
viewer, since aside from a few moldings below the roof and a
small rosette above its small entrance, there are no other
stylistic distractions.
▪ This box like monument made of limestone measures 3.2m x
2.3m gabled and standing on a platform with 6 steps.The
feature is that of a typical Achaemenian architectural style with
large blocks accurately cut and smoothly dressed without use
of mortarbut reinforced by lead and iron.

13. ▪ The edifice, or the "smallhouse“ is a rectangular, elongated
cube that lies directly on top of the pyramidal stone steps,
and is 2m in width x 2m in height, and 3m in length.The
inside of the edifice is occupied by a small chamber a few
feet in width and height, and around ten feet deep.
▪ It was inside this chamber where the bed and coffin of Cyrus
the Great would have been situated.
▪ The edifice has a pediment roof possessing the same length
and width dimensions as the edifice itself.
▪ Around the tomb were a series of columns, the original
structure which they supported is no longer present.

15. Shush, Khuzestan
Province, Iran
Susa was an
ancient city of the
Proto-Elamite,
Elamite, First
Persian Empire,
Seleucid, and
Parthian empires
of Iran, and one of
the most important
cities of the
Ancient Near East.

16. ▪ Became the Persian capital in succession to Babylon with the
building of a citadel and palace complex by Darius I (522-486
BC)
▪ Resources and skills of the empire were utilized in the
construction of the palace buildings
o Cedar from Lebanon
o Teak from the Zagros mountains and Southern Persia
o Bricks made by the Babylonian method
Craftsmen from Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Ionia
▪ Famous glazed-brick decorations found in this palace and a
later one by Artaxerxes II (404-358 BC) portraying
processions of archers, lions, bulls or dragons

17. Iran
Persepolis was the
ceremonial capital
of the Achaemenid
Empire.
The earliest
remains of
Persepolis date
back to 515 BC.
It exemplifies the
Achaemenid style
of architecture

18. ▪ Begun in 518 BC by Darius, mostly executed by Xerxes I (486-
465 BC) and finished by Artaxerxes I about 460 BC)
▪ The buildings stood on a platform in a well-laid local stone
bound with iron clamps, about 460m x 275m in extent and
rising 15m
▪ It was surrounded by a fortification wall.
▪ Grand stairway to upper level is 6.7 m wide.
▪ Mudbrick walls, faced with polychrone bricks and front and
rear portals; guarded by stone bulls

19. ▪ Wonderful architectural
sculptures - Monumental stairs
were lined with reliefs where
they are arranged in; separated
by bands of rosettes
▪ Nobles, courtiers, tribute-
bearers and guardsmen
advanced in dignified
processions, and traditional
subjects filled with awkward
angles of the stairways and the
deep jamps of the doorways
▪ Stepped battlements crowned
the parapat walls
▪ Columns of the lesser
apartments had wooden shafts

20. ▪ The sculptures have their a
character of their own.
▪ Molded bases
▪ Flutes shafts
▪ Curious, complex capitals that
support the roof beams
▪ Vertical, Ionic-like volutes
▪ Twin bulls and dragons

22. Apadana
Grand
stairway
Gate of All Nation

23. ▪ It is the king’s reception hall
or audience hall.
▪ A third gateway on the South
led towards Apadana, a
grand audience hall 76.2m
square hall with 36 columns
within 6m thick wall.
▪ It stood on an own terrace
3m high and had three
porticos each with double
colonnades and stairway on
north and eastern side.
▪ There are minor rooms on
the southern side of the hall.

24. Grand stairway
Gate of All Nation
Apadana

26. ▪ The size of the palace is smaller by comparison to the other
structures in the complex, is present on the south of the
Apadana near the west terrace wall.
▪ This was finished in his life time and almost at the same
period, the terraced “Tripylon” was also finished. It lay
centrally among the buildings and acted as the reception
chamber and guard room for more private affairs of the
palace.
▪ A treasury was also a contribution by Darius eventually into
the entire complex. It was a double-walled administrative
and store house building with columned halls of different
sizes and a single doorway

28. ▪ The palace of Xerxes was built in the South-west, connected
with an L shaped building which was identified as women’s
quarters.
▪ The major contribution of Xerxes was the hall of 100 columns
which was his throne room.The throne room was 68.6 m
square room with columns to a height of 11.3m supporting a
flat roof made of cedar wood.
▪ The walls were double except for the north side where it had
a portico facing the Apadana.
▪ The throne room had two doorways and seven windows on
the main wall.

29. Hall of 100 columns

31. The tomb of
Darius I is one of
the four tombs of
Achaemenid kings
at the historical
site of Naqsh-e
Rustam located
about 12 km
northwest of
Persepolis, Iran.

32. ▪ 13km north of Persepolis
▪ One of the four rock-hewn sepulchres of the great
Achaemenian kings
▪ The façade
o 18.3 m (60ft) wide
o Appears to reproduce the south front of Darius’s palace at
Persepolis
➢4 collumns of the double-bull type
➢Central doorway with Egyptian-like cornice
➢Upper compartment in which an elaborate throne, 2.7m (9ft)
high, is supported by two rows of figures, above which the
king stands

35. ▪ Fire Temple
o Stands near the tomb of
Darius
o A stone square tower
containing a single room,
approached by an outside
stairway

36. (224 – 651 AD)

38. ▪ From 247 BC to 224 AD, Persia was ruled by the Parthian
Empire and then by the Sasanian Empire, which ruled up until
the mid-7th century.
▪ The Persian Empire in the Sasanian era was interrupted by
the Arab conquest of Persia in 651 AD, establishing the even
larger Islamic caliphate, and later by the Mongol invasion.
▪ The main religion of ancient Persia was the
native Zoroastrianism, but after the seventh century, it was
replaced by Islam.

39. ▪ Persian architecture reached
a peak in its development
during the Sassanid era.
▪ Until the end of this period,
the most important styles of
the Persian architecture and
inherited by the later
periods can be summarized
as follows:
▪ Foundation (Saffe)
▪ Dome (Gonbad)
▪ Vault (Taq)
▪ Iwan
Taq Kasra (Arch of Ctesiphon),
symbol of Persian Empire
in Sasanian era, 3rd century AD

40. ▪ The important elements of Persian
Architecture and civilization
developed for hot climates are:
▪ Gardens
▪ Qanats (Kariz)
▪ Wind Towers (Badgir)
▪ The Persian Garden refers to a
tradition and style of garden design
which originated in Persia and
which influenced the design of
gardens throughout the larger
region.
▪ The Taj Mahal is one of the largest
Persian gardens of the world.

41. ▪ A qanat is a water management
system used to provide a
reliable supply of water to
human settlements or for
irrigation in hot and arid
climates.
▪ The technology allows water to
be transported long distances in
hot dry climates without losing a
large proportion of the source
water to seepage and
evaporation.
▪ Qanats are constructed as a
series of well-like vertical shafts,
connected by gently sloping
tunnels.

42. ▪ A wind tower is a chimney-
like structure positioned
above the house to catch
the prevailing wind.
▪ The tower catches the
wind, driving a hot, dry
breeze into the house; the
flow of the incoming air is
then directed across the
vertical shaft from the
qanat.

44. Palace of Ardashir
Dej-e Shaapour-khaast in Khorramabad Falak-ol-Aflak Castle
Sasanids' palace in Sarvestan

45. (1501 – 1736 AD)

47. ▪ The Safavid Empire was the first Persian Empire established
after the Arab conquest of Persia by Shah Ismail I. From their
base in Ardabil, the Safavid Persians established control over
parts of Greater Persia and reasserted the Persian identity of
the region, becoming the first native Persian dynasty since
the Sasanian Empire to establish a unified Persian state.
▪ Literature, art and architecture flourished in the Safavid era
once again, and it is often cited as the "rebirth of the Persian
Empire". Safavids also announced Shia Islam as the official
religion in the empire versus the Sunni Islam in the
neighbouring Ottoman Empire.

48. ▪ Various structures such as mosques, mausoleums, bazaars,
bridges, and different palaces have mainly survived from this
period.
▪ Iranian domes are distinguished for their height, proportion
of elements, beauty of form, and roundness of the dome stem.
▪ The outer surfaces of the domes are mostly mosaic faced, and
create a magical view.

49. Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan

51. REFERENCES
▪ Wikipedia.com
▪ https://www.ancient.eu/timeline/P
ersia/
▪ https://www.encyclopedia.com/lite
rature-and-arts/art-and-
architecture/asian-and-middle-
eastern-art/persian-art-and-
architecture
▪ https://www.dideh.com/a-brief-
history-of-persian-architecture-
and-art/
▪ The Great Ages Of World
Architecture – G.K. Hiraskar
▪ A History Of Architecture – Sir
Banister Fletcher