The Solar God Mihr and the Royal Investiture Relief of Ṭāq-i Bustān

The Sasanian reliefs of Ṭāq-i Bustān – the ‘Arch of the Garden’ – presently located in situ 5 km north-east of Kirmanshah, rank among the masterpieces of pre-Islamic monumental cultural heritage located in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The area where these remarkable rock carvings were engraved hosted a Sasanian palace, as well as a great garden, that is, a ‘paradise’. There are still many signs of a canalization system, which had a particular significance for Mazdean structures and sacred spaces, where the presence of water was indispensable. This canalization system, including bedrock springs, lay in proximity to the relief and was covered during the Qajar period, when a royal pavilion was built. The investiture scene is located in the area of a homonymous village close to the Zagros mountains. This monumental complex is generally attributed to the fourth century CE, but some scholars suggest a later period, in particular for the edification of the great arch, which may have been erected between the sixth and early seventh century. The archaeological site includes two impressive rectangular, vaulted halls (īwāns): the larger can be ascribed to the reign of Xusraw II (591–628 CE), while the smaller containing the images of two kings (probably Ardašīr II [379–383 CE] and Šābuhr II [309–370 CE]) is probably slightly older than the ‘investiture scene’ under discussion here (Overlaet 2011). Taken together, the presence of these and other remarkable carvings confirm the importance of this rest stop along a caravan route of the Silk Road. the presents articles deals with the astral symbolism of this Sasanian rock relief.