MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of landscape
Scientific Quarterly Journal

The Landscape of Khawarnaq: From Reality to Symbol The Evolution of Narratives About the Landscape of the Sassanid Khawarnaq Palace in Islamic Period Sources

https://doi.org/10.22034/manzar.2025.519676.2349
Volume 17, Issue 71
Summer 2025
Pages 6-19
MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of landscape

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Amirmahdi Basiri Kheradmand Tehrani 1
Saied Khaghani 2
Seyed Amir Mansouri 3

1 Master in Iranian Architectural Studies, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran.

2 Assisstant Professor, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
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.

Keywords

Khawarnaq
Narrative
Landscape Representation
Realism
Symbolism
Subjects
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