NAZAR Research Center MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of landscape 2008-7446 17 71 2025 06 22 The Landscape of Khawarnaq: From Reality to Symbol The Evolution of Narratives About the Landscape of the Sassanid Khawarnaq Palace in Islamic Period Sources The Landscape of Khawarnaq: From Reality to Symbol The Evolution of Narratives About the Landscape of the Sassanid Khawarnaq Palace in Islamic Period Sources 6 19 223534 10.22034/manzar.2025.519676.2349 FA Amirmahdi Basiri Kheradmand Tehrani Master in Iranian Architectural Studies, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran. 0009-0000-6730-7697 Saied Khaghani Assisstant Professor, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran. 0000-0001-7386-8861 Seyed Amir Mansouri Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran. 0000-0002-2865-6859 Journal Article 2025 05 04 Khawarnaq is one of the most famous palaces built during the Sassanian era (224 to 651 AD). Its reputation in later historical sources—particularly throughout the Islamic period—was so great that its tales often became intertwined with legend, and the palace, much like the Taq Kasra (Arch of Ctesiphon), became a standard for assessing the grandeur of later architectural works. One of the main objectives of this article is to trace the evolution of Islamic-era narratives from the early centuries up to the Qajar period, focusing on the depiction of the palace’s landscape. A noteworthy point is that these narratives transformed over time. While early Islamic sources treated the palace’s displayed landscape as ephemeral, they nevertheless described its qualitative aspects. Thus, this phase of Khawarnaq narratives can be characterized as “landscape depiction rooted in reality”. Over time, however, spatial and qualitative descriptions of the palace and its vistas gradually faded. The narratives ultimately reached a point where only the palace’s name remained, reduced to a metaphor for lost grandeur and a yardstick for measuring the height and splendor of later structures. By the Safavid era, the original accounts had been entirely forgotten, effectively “consigned to the graveyard”. No trace of the palace’s actual landscape remained here, and the structure itself served as a pure symbol and metaphor. This period can thus be understood as one of “symbolic landscape representation”. Yet during the Qajar era, narratives of the palace’s landscape re-emerged with renewed visibility. These shifting representations demonstrate that Iranian architectural historiography should not be viewed as static or immutable. Rather, these narratives evolve according to each epoch’s distinctive characteristics, rendering any reliance on grand narratives formed around Iran’s historical architecture. Khawarnaq is one of the most famous palaces built during the Sassanian era (224 to 651 AD). Its reputation in later historical sources—particularly throughout the Islamic period—was so great that its tales often became intertwined with legend, and the palace, much like the Taq Kasra (Arch of Ctesiphon), became a standard for assessing the grandeur of later architectural works. One of the main objectives of this article is to trace the evolution of Islamic-era narratives from the early centuries up to the Qajar period, focusing on the depiction of the palace’s landscape. A noteworthy point is that these narratives transformed over time. While early Islamic sources treated the palace’s displayed landscape as ephemeral, they nevertheless described its qualitative aspects. Thus, this phase of Khawarnaq narratives can be characterized as “landscape depiction rooted in reality”. Over time, however, spatial and qualitative descriptions of the palace and its vistas gradually faded. The narratives ultimately reached a point where only the palace’s name remained, reduced to a metaphor for lost grandeur and a yardstick for measuring the height and splendor of later structures. By the Safavid era, the original accounts had been entirely forgotten, effectively “consigned to the graveyard”. No trace of the palace’s actual landscape remained here, and the structure itself served as a pure symbol and metaphor. This period can thus be understood as one of “symbolic landscape representation”. Yet during the Qajar era, narratives of the palace’s landscape re-emerged with renewed visibility. These shifting representations demonstrate that Iranian architectural historiography should not be viewed as static or immutable. Rather, these narratives evolve according to each epoch’s distinctive characteristics, rendering any reliance on grand narratives formed around Iran’s historical architecture. http://www.manzar-sj.com/article_223534_0eb0d57abbd96c7a0fd33d6ecccaebbf.pdf