Tomb of Darius I

Tomb of Darius the Great
View of Tomb of Darius the Great in Naqsh-e Rustam
Basic information
Location	Marvdasht, Iran
Region	Iran
State	Marvdasht
Province	Fars province
Territory	Iran
Sector	Naqsh-e Rustam
Municipality	Marvdasht
Architectural style	Achaemenid
Materials	Stone

The tomb of Darius I (Darius the Great) is one of the four tombs of Achaemenid kings at the historical site of Naqsh-e Rustam located about 12 km northwest of Persepolis, Iran. They are all at a considerable height above the ground. One of the tombs is explicitly identified by an accompanying inscription to be the tomb of Darius I (c. 522–486 BC). The other three tombs are believed to be those of Xerxes I (c. 486–465 BC), Artaxerxes I (c. 465–424 BC), and Darius II (c. 423–404 BC). The fifth tomb, (incomplete) might be that of Artaxerxes III, who reigned at the longest two years, but is more likely belonged to the last Achaemenid king, Darius III (c. 336–330 BC). The tombs were looted following the conquest of the Achaemenid empire by Alexander the Great.

File:Graves in Tomb of Darius I.JPG

Two Graves in Tomb of Darius I

Naqsh-e Rustam
Naqsh-e Rustam Location in Iran
Coordinates:

See also

• Achaemenid architecture
• Cities of the ancient Near East
• List of colossal sculpture in situ
• Naqsh-e Rajab

Bibliography

• Hubertus von Gall "NAQŠ-E ROSTAM" in Encyclopædia Iranica[1]

External links

• Herzfeld Papers, Series 5: Drawings and Maps, Records of Naqsh-i Rustam Collections Search Center, S.I.R.I.S., Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.