Discovery of Sasanian Staircase and Pillar in Gur

News Category: Sasanian Dynasty (224-651 CE)

Archaeological excavations in the historical site of Gur city led to the discovery of staircases and floorings which date back to the Sassanid dynastic era.

Historical city of Gur, located near Firuz Abad in Fars province, is the first circle-shaped city of Iran. The city was constructed during the third century A.D. by the order of Emperor Ardeshir Babakan, the founder of Sassanid dynasty, and was consisted of four main gates.

A team of German-Iranian archaeologists are carrying out excavations in the historical site of Gur under the supervision of the German professor, Prof. Dietrich.

“The archaeological team of Gur city is determined to carry out excavations in three main areas of this historical site and three big workshops are working in this respect. These three sites are consisted of a minaret area, the seat, and the shell keep of the city. A team of archaeologists is busy working in each site,” said Leila Niakan, deputy of the archeological team of Gur city.

“The minaret area is the most important residential site of Gur city in which the evidence of continual life from Sassanid era to the Islamic period can be seen. Archaeological excavations in this historical site resulted in the discovery of staircases and floorings dating back to the Sassanid era,” explained Niakan.

According to Niakan, the staircases have been discovered for the first time in Gur city and are very important for identifying the building plans and architectural styles of the Sassanid period.

Archaeological excavations in the minaret of this historical site will reveal the extent of invasion of Iran by Muslims in AD 7th century.

At the present, some parts of the historical city of Gur are under ploughing by the local farmers and nothing has been done to prevent this cultural devastation. Archaeologists believe that a big portion of this historical city has been devastated during the last 30 years.

A base of a pillar belonging to the Sassanid era was unearthed when the farmers were ploughing the land, which revealed the importance of the site.