Yazd Province   Churches of Shiraz Armenian Church This very interesting 17th century church built in the Safavid period has a rectangular structure. At the entrance there is a small portal that leads directly to the congregation hall. The ceiling is decorated with floral patterns. It is said that five carpets, having exactly the design of the ceiling, covered the floor. Simon the Zealot: This church bears the name of Simon the Zealot, one of the five apostles, who according to an ancient belief was martyred in Iran. This church is one of the most beautiful in the country and is wholly Persian in details. It contains a unique set of Persian stained glass windows in intricate geometrical patterns. A copy of the first complete translation of the New Testament into Persian, accomplish in Shiraz in 1811 AD, is preserved in the church. Services are held in Persian, English and sometimes in German. Excursions around Shiraz Bishapur This ancient city of Sassanian origin lies to the west of Shiraz near the Shapur Cave. Shapur, the second Sassanian emperor defeated the Roman Emperor Valerian. His capital, Bishapur, was founded in the middle of the second century AD, on the site of an older city abandoned in the time of Alexander the Great. The town rapidly became one of the most important cities in Fars Province. Bishapur was taken by the Arabs in about the year 637 AD and then rapidly declined. The ancient city lies on the left bank of a little stream, on a plain where the river leaves the mountains through a narrow valley. In the valley, Sassanian Kings perpetuated the memory of their victories by having several bas-reliefs carved in the rock. The relics show traces of Roman art similar to Trojan’s Column with different tiers of soldiers, prisoners etc. So do the floor mosaics, which are now in the Louvre and some beautiful ones in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran. To the north, are the remains of a fire-temple, which has been almost completely excavated. It is a square building originally built 7 meters below the ground level. This cellar was used for the ceremonies of the fire cult.   Naqsh-e Rostom Seven km northwest of Persepolis, Naqsh-e Rostam is a sort of “Valley of Kings”, dominated by tall yellowish-brown colored cliffs, cracked and wrinkled by wind through the ages. Prevalent legend linked the rock carvings to the popular hero Rostam, who was so strong that no feat was beyond him. Literally, Naqsh-e Rostam means the Picture of Rostam. Here, on the mountainside four rock tombs have been cut into the cliff sides dating back to 5th and 4th centuries BC.  The most famous of these is the tomb of Darius I the Great who reigned from 552-486 BC. The figure of Achaemenian kings can be seen in all the tombs, seated on the throne, in the state of exaltation. Behind him stand his close courtiers and the throne is borne by the representatives of vanquished nations, who bear in upon their hands and shoulders. Carvings representing Foruhar and the sacred fire can be seen opposite the king.   Pasargadae The first capital of the Iranian tribes and the Achaemenian empire, Passargadae is situated between the present-day Marvdasht and Sa’adat Abad 130 km to the northeast of Shiraz. Cyrus the Great (550-530 BC) defeated his grandfather, king Astyages on this field in 550 BC and decided to make his headquarters here. There is a building here which is generally agreed that it is the tomb of Cyrus, built in 546 BC during his lifetime. This 12-m high imposing stepped tomb of Cyrus symbolizes in its simplicity, the greatness that made him a potential world conqueror. The tomb is entirely built of megalithic stone. Alexander the Great made several visits to the tomb, the last after it had been desecrated during his absence in India. The interior of the mausoleum was richly furnished; the mummified body of the king lay in a golden casket on a gold couch, with a gold table by its side, on which treasures were laid. The contents of the tomb were looted after Alexander’s departure.   Persepolis The center of the great Persian Empire, ceremonial capital of the Achaemenians and the showpiece of Achaemenian art, Persepolis (Capital of Persia in Greek) is a historic site in Fars Province, 60 km to the northeast of Shiraz. Iranians call it Takht-e Jamshid (The throne of Jamshid), Jamshid being the first, probably mythical, ruler of Iran. This magnificent court was the summer residence of the Achaemenian emperors and their official reception quarters. It must be by some strange accident of history that Persepolis was never mentioned in foreign records, for it was here that representatives of all the varied peoples of the empire gathered to pay homage, and bring tribute, to the King of Kings, probably each spring, at the time of the ancient Now Ruz festival. Although set on fire and destroyed by Alexander in a gesture symbolizing the destruction of Persian imperial power, its still impressive ruins permit a fairly complete reconstruction of its original appearance. The planning of the buildings, though executed during the reign of successive monarchs, was conceived as a whole. Another feature was that the foundations, staircases, windows, doorways and many of the columns of the main palaces were of stone, the roofs were of wood and the walls of brick. Thus, even had there been no fire, it is inconceivable that any single building could have remained intact. What is surprising is that so much has survived so well.