Apadana
Apadana is an old Persian term meaning “palace”, cf. Sanskrit apa-dhā , "hiding place, closure", Greek apo-theke . In a narrower sense, it describes a free-standing representative building with a mostly square columned hall (throne room) and one or more vestibules. An apadana stands in old Persian palace districts. One of the oldest examples of this type of building was in the palace of Darius I in Susa .
The Apadana in Persepolis
Particularly famous is the portico of Persepolis , the residence of the ancient Persian empire of the Achaemenids in southern Iran . With its hundreds of reliefs, it can be considered one of the ancient wonders of the world and served as a reception or audience hall for the rulers. This can be seen from the details of the reliefs of the Apadana staircases, on which the kings and their subjects are depicted. Next door is the similarly magnificent hall with one hundred pillars .
When it was built 2500 years ago, the Apadana had a covered interior of 3600 m² and 36 richly decorated, 20 m high columns, of which when it was destroyed in 330 BC. Only a few remnants remained by the army of Alexander the Great . Only one column was preserved until the partial restoration in the 20th century. The others were used to build surrounding villages, especially after the Arab conquest in the 7th century.
The conquest by the Arabs took place around 640 under Umar ibn al-Chattab , the second caliph of Islam from 634 to 644. At that time, the nearby city of Istachr and residence of the Sassanids , where many stones from Persepolis were built, was destroyed.
Since the Arab geographers were not aware of the significance of the half-ruined Apadana, they later named the place “Masdjed-e-Chehel Minar” (mosque of 40 minarets ).
The world famous stone reliefs were the main reason for UNESCO to add this site to the World Heritage List around 1990 .
In 1971 part of the celebrations of the 2500th anniversary of the Iranian monarchy took place in Persepolis .
Other meanings of the term apadana
- Apadana also refers to a collection of biographies that were created about Buddhist saints ( Live of Arhants ).
Web links
- Apadana . In: Ehsan Yarshater (Ed.): Encyclopædia Iranica (English, with references)
- Virtual reconstruction (English)
Coordinates: 29 ° 56 '6.4 " N , 52 ° 53' 22.4" E