Manor house at Hājīābād
In 1977, the remains of a richly furnished Sassanid mansion were excavated near Hājīābād in Iran . The building stands out due to its size and rich furnishings with stucco decorations and wall paintings.
Hājīābād is a village about 60 kilometers south of Darab . In 1977, during agricultural leveling work, numerous high-quality stucco work came to light, after which the place was archaeologically examined. However, the leveling work had already destroyed around 65% of the ancient remains.
During the excavations, the remains of a palace-like building were found, which took up a square of about 100 meters by 100 meters. Parts of the outer walls could only be recorded in the north-west.
In the core of the building there was a courtyard (10.3 m × 8.85 m) with four passages on one side and a wide door on the other short side. The two long sides each had six niches. A plinth was found in the courtyard. The courtyard was once decorated with ornamental stucco. To the northwest on the side of the large entrance there was an ivan , which was decorated with wall paintings and on the front side had pilasters with a bust as a top. This Ivan had suffered greatly from the leveling work. Its northern end is completely destroyed. Behind it was another courtyard, which has also hardly been preserved. It was decorated with niches and connected to a second ivan.
Numerous other rooms were excavated, especially to the southwest of this central part of the house. A smaller room (No. 114) had niches and was richly decorated with stucco. In the niches were slightly smaller than life-sized statues of women, next to them were medallions with busts of men, some of them depicting rulers. It is assumed that this room served as the chapel of the house.
The mansion probably dates to the 4th century. Two busts from room 114 probably represent Shapur II , under which the building was built.
During the excavations, no traces were found that would suggest that the complex was inhabited. The mansion was probably never used and was abandoned during construction.
literature
- Massoud Azarnoush: The Sasanian Manor House at Hājīābād, Iran. Florence 1994, ISBN 88-7166-177-X .