List of Sasanian inscriptions
This is a list of Sasanian inscriptions, which include remaining official inscriptions on rocks, as well as minor ones written on bricks, metal, wood, hide, papyri, and gems. Their significance is in the areas of linguistics, history, and study of religion in Persia. Some of the inscriptions are lost and are known only through tradition.
List of Sasanian inscriptions
Early royal Sasanian inscriptions were trilingual: Middle Persian (in Inscriptional Pahlavi), Parthian (in Inscriptional Parthian) and Greek. Since the rule of Narseh, Greek was omitted. Book Pahlavi script replaced Inscriptional Pahlavi in late Middle Persian inscriptions.
| Photo | Name | Dedicated/attributed to | Location | Language(s) | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Investiture of Ardashir I (KNRm) | Ardashir I | Naqsh-e Rostam, Fars | Persian, Parthian, Greek | ||
| Nasrabad fire altar (ABD) | Shapur I | From Nasrabad, Fars | Persian? | Dating to after 243/4 | [1][2]: 68 | |
|
|
Shapur I's victory relief at Naqsh-e Rostam (BŠm) | Shapur I | Naqsh-e Rostam | Persian | ||
| Šābuhr I's inscription at the Kaʿba-ye Zardošt (ŠKZ, RGDS?) | Šābuhr I | Kaʿba-ye Zardošt, Naqš-e Rostam | Persian?, Parthian?, Greek? | Dating to 260–262 | [2]: 64 | |
| Shapur I's inscription at Naqsh-e Rostam | Shapur I | Naqsh-e Rostam | Persian, Parthian, Greek | Only part of the Greek inscriptions remains | ||
| Shapur I inscription in Hajiabad[3] | Shapur I | Hajiabad, near Istakhr | Persian, Parthian | |||
|
|
Shapur I inscription in Naqsh-e Rajab (ŠNRb) | Shapur I | Naqsh-e Rajab | Persian, Parthian, Greek | ||
|
|
Kartir's inscription at Sar Mashhad (KSM) | Kartir | Sar Mashhad | Persian | ||
| Inscription of Apasa the Scribe? (ŠVŠ) | Šābuhr I | Bīšāpūr | Persian?, Parthian? | [2]: 64 | ||
| Kartir's inscription at Naghsh-e Rajab[4] (KNRb) | Kartir | Naqsh-e Rajab | Persian | |||
| Paikuli inscription[5] (NPi) | Narseh | Barkal village, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq | Persian, Parthian | |||
|
|
Inscription of Narseh at Bishapur | Narseh (formerly Bahram I) | ||||
| Inscription of Shapur Sakanshah | Shapur Sakanshah | Tachara Palace, Persepolis, Fars | Persian | |||
|
|
Sasanian inscription in Meshginshahr (ŠMŠ, MeSh) | Shapur II | Near Meshginshahr | Persian | ||
| Inscription of Shapur II and Shapur III at Taq-e Bostan (ŠTBn-I & II) | Shapur II, Shapur III | Taq-e Bostan | Persian | |||
| Inscription in the fire-temple of Abruwan | Mihr-Narseh | Abruwan | Lost; attested in al-Istakhri's work | |||
| Inscription on Gor's bridge (MNFd) | Mihr-Narseh | Gor, Fars | Persian | |||
| Bandian complex inscriptions | Peroz I /Kavad I | Bandian complex | Persian? | |||
| Sasanian relief discovered in England | None | Early 3rd century? | ||||
| Zarindasht, Darab Inscription | Zarindasht, Darab | Persian | Discovered in 2020[6][7][8][9] |
References
- ^ Lerner, Judith A. (2006). "The Seal of a Eunuch in the Sasanian Court" (PDF). Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology. 1: 114, 118. doi:10.1484/J.JIAAA.2.301928. ISSN 1783-9025.
- ^ a b c Emmerick, Ronald E.; Macuch, Maria (2008-10-31). The Literature of Pre-Islamic Iran: Companion Volume I. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85773-653-6.
- ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-06-29. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
- ^ Hassani, Mirza Mohamad; کلانی, Reza Kalani رضا (1 January 2020). "Final Report of the Newly Discovered Pahlavi Inscription in Darvā Village-Zarindasht (Dārāb)".
- ^ کلانی, Reza Kalani رضا; Hassani, Mirza Mohamad (1 January 2020). "Discovery of a New Pahlavi Inscription in Darab of Fars".
- ^ "Zarindasht, Darab Inscription – Sasanika: Late Antique Near East Project". E-Sasanika. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ "گزارشی مصور از کتیبه نویافته پهلوی در روستای دروا-زریندشت". همشهری آنلاین (in Persian). 12 September 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2025.