Shapur cave () is located in the

Zagros Mountains The Zagros Mountains are a mountain range in Iran, northern Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. The mountain range has a total length of . The Zagros range begins in northwestern Iran and roughly follows Iran's western border while covering much of s ...

, in southern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. This cave is near

Kazerun Kazerun () is a city in the northwest of Fars Province in Iran and the center of Kazerun County. This city has an ancient history, numerous ancient and historical monuments, and numerous tourist attractions. Kazerun is the largest and most p ...

in the Chogan valley. In the cave, on the fourth of five terraces, stands the statue of Shapur I, the second ruler of the Sasanid Empire. The statue was carved from one

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; ; ) is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist ...

. The height of statue is 7 metres and its shoulders are 2 meters wide, and its arms are 3 meters long. About 1400 years ago, after the

Muslim conquest of Persia As part of the early Muslim conquests, which were initiated by Muhammad in 622, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Sasanian Empire between 632 and 654. This event led to the decline of Zoroastrianism, which had been the official religion of ...

and collapse of the Sasanian Empire, the statue was pulled down and a part of one of its legs was broken. About 70 years ago, again, parts of his arms were also broken in an earthquake. The statue had been lying on the ground for about 14 centuries until 1957 when

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

, the last

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

of Iran, had a group of Iranian military to raise it again on its feet and repair the broken foot with iron and cement. There are two inscriptions in the cave, one translates Shapur's own inscription on the Naqsh-e Rajab. The other is about the restoration of the statue by the Royal Iranian army under the Shah.

Gallery

Shaapoor Startrail.jpg, File:Shapur statue with a man standing in front of it.JPG, Image:Shapur cave - description.JPG, File:Shapur cave from below.JPG, File:Shapur cave inside.JPG, File:Shapur statue back.JPG, File:Shapur cave outside view.JPG, File:Shapur cave - Naghsh e Rajab translation.JPG, File:Shapur cave - story of reerection of the statue.JPG, File:Shapur cave - Pahlavi crown.JPG,

References

Shapur I Caves of Iran Show caves in Iran Sasanian architecture Tourist attractions in Fars province Kazerun County Landforms of Fars province {{Kazerun-geo-stub

Gallery

See also

References