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The Sasanian Rock Relief of Bahram II at Guyum (Fars, Iran)

Article  in  Iranica Antiqua · June 2009

DOI: 10.2143/IA.44.0.2034387

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 Iranica Antiqua, vol. XLIV, 2009
doi: 10.2143/IA.44.0.2034387

THE SASANIAN ROCK RELIEF OF BAHRAM II

AT GUYUM (FARS, IRAN)

BY
Ernie HAERINCK* & Bruno OVERLAET** 1
(*Ghent University; **Royal Museums of Art and History &
Vesalius University College, Brussels)

Abstract: The rock carving at Guyum is known since the early 20th century but
did not receive full attention yet. Situated to the north of Shiraz, it can be attrib-
uted to the reign of the Sasanian king Bahram II. The panel depicts the standing
king Bahram II in full, in a venerating position with bent forefinger and holding
a sword with his left hand. A detailed discussion is presented as well as several
previously unpublished photographs.

Keywords: Guyum, Shiraz, Fars, Iran, Bahram II, Barm-i Dilak, Sasanian rock
relief

The first scholar to mention the Sasanian rock carving at Guyum was Ernst
Herzfeld who visited the site on February 18, 1924. Although he made two
photographs and a sketch of it (Pl. 1-2 and 11), he never published any
illustration but merely mentioned it in a “Reisebericht” (Herzfeld 1926:
250). His notes, sketches and photographs are part now of the “Herzfeld
archives”, and are kept at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
(see: http://www.asia.si.edu/archives/finding_aids/herzfeld.html#a12).
The intrepid explorer Aurel Stein stayed at the walled village of Guyum
during his survey of western Fars in 1935, but it is uncertain whether he
saw the relief since he made no mention of it (Stein 1940: 4).
As far as we know, it was Louis Vanden Berghe who published the first
photographs of the sculpture (Pl. 3-6). He visited Guyum on May 21st 1957
and devoted a paper to it, written in Dutch but with a French abstract.

1
The authors are indebted to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and par-
ticularly to Dr. Ann C. Gunter, curator, and to Miss Betsy Kohut, Mr. David Hogge and
Mrs. Linda Ravitz, staff, for assisting them in accessing the Herzfeld archives and for the
permission to reproduce plates 1, 2 and 11.

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 532 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

However, as it was published in the “Gentse Bijdragen tot de Kunst-

geschiedenis en de Oudheidkunde”, the journal of the former Higher Insti-
tute for Art and Archaeology at Ghent University, it was not readily avail-
able to many scholars (1959b). In the same year, Vanden Berghe published
a photograph of the sculpture in his monumental work “L’archéologie de
l’Iran Ancien” (Vanden Berghe 1959a: 56, Pl. 83). In 1968, he made
another comment on it in a general brochure on the Belgian involvement
in Iranian archaeology, published in five different languages by the Belgian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Vanden Berghe 1968: 21-22, ill.).
In November 1972, Louis Vanden Berghe and Erik Smekens paid a visit
to the site and made detailed observations. Another visit to the site was
made in May 1975 by Louis Vanden Berghe, Ernie Haerinck and Erik
Smekens. That year, this team spend more than 4 months in Iran, with the
sole intention to visit all known sites with rock reliefs. These were recorded,
measured, described and photographed in preparation of a general book on
Iranian rock sculptures that has not materialised so far. In the late 1960’s
or early ‘70’s Guyum was also visited by other scholars interested in rock
sculptures, such as Georgina Herrmann (Matheson 1972: 210) and Eric De
Waele (1978: 21, fig. 6). Erich Schmidt also provided a short description
of the site but his report was based exclusively on Vanden Berghe’s 1959
book (Schmidt 1970: 134).

Guyum is located at ca. 30 km to the NNW of Shiraz, on the road to

Ardakan. It lies 3 km to the west of the village of Guyum at Tang-i Qavam-
abad, in a garden named Ab-i Shar (at least that was the name in the fif-
ties), with a spring at the foot of the rock. As is often the case, rock carv-
ings are located in the vicinity of a spring or river (e.g. Firuzabad,
Darabgird, Bishapur, Sarab-i Bahram, Barm-i Dilak and Taq-i Bustan). A
lot of grapes are grown in the region of Shiraz and it was probably a major
wine producing area, also in Sasanian times (De Waele 1978: 15 and
note 16).
The rock relief of Guyum lies about 4.50 m. above the actual plain level
and is oriented to the northwest. Only the standing king is represented,
facing right. He is 2.60 m. high, and the panel is 1.60 m. in width. In view
of the crown this person is to be identified as Bahram II (276-293), grand-
son of Shapur I. He was a politically unimportant king, who had, however,
to pay a lot of attention to internal affairs (Shahbazi 1989). No less than
six and possibly eight rock carvings are known of him: Naqsh-i Rustam II

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 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 533

(with family and nobles), Sarab-i Bahram (seated king and noblemen),
Bishapur IV (mounted king receiving a foreign delegation), Sar Mashhad
(king fighting lions), Barm-i Dilak IIA (panel with standing king alone)
and Guyum (standing king alone), and maybe also Naqsh-i Rustam III
(jousting scene) and VII (double jousting scene). He is quite often shown
in the presence of members of the aristocracy or members of his family.
The relief at Bishapur IV, where the mounted Bahram II receives a foreign
delegation, is the only one seemingly representing external affairs.
Two other reliefs, one at Sarab-i Qandil (e.g. De Waele 1978: 17-20;
Herrmann 1983: 31-36) and another at Barm-i Dilak I (Vanden Berghe
1989: 805), most likely do not represent the king himself. A man, a prince
heir, a dignitary or a local noble is shown giving a flower to or receiving
one from a lady. These rock carvings are generally attributed to the time
of Bahram II (e.g. Herrmann 2000: 42). However, Levit Tawil (1993: 167-
168) is of the opinion that both rock carvings should be attributed to the
time of Ardashir I.
The representations of Kartir at Naqsh-i Radjab II (bust and inscription),
Naqsh-i Rustam VI (bust and inscription) and Barm-i Dilak IIB (panel with
standing Kartir) most likely also belong to the time of Bahram II. The king
considered Kartir as his mentor and gave him the title of “saviour of Bah-
ram’s soul”. He also gave him the rank of noble and appointed him as the
custodian of the dynastic shrine at Istakhr and as the supreme judge of the
empire (Shahbazi 1989: 516).

The relief at Guyum shows the standing king Bahram II in full with his
body almost in a frontal position (Pl. 1-12). As is common in Sasanian rock
carvings, he is shown with exaggerated shoulders. Since many reliefs are
carved at quite a height, the exaggerated shoulders create an optically more
correct figure with normal proportions when viewed from ground level.
The carving is much weathered, which of course may account for the
loss of some details, but the carving itself was probably not much detailed
from the start. This is obviously worsened by certain willingly inflicted
damages, such as on the kings’ face.
Bahram II is not represented in a nicely cut rectangular panel, as is usu-
ally the case, but in an irregular panel that largely follows the king’s out-
line. This is also more or less the case at Barm-i Dilak (Pl. 14-17), but here
it may have another explanation. It is not to be excluded, that the Guyum
relief was in fact never finished.

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 534 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

At Guyum the area in front of the king is obviously flattened. The paral-
lel chiseling lines are still clearly visible on Pl. 3, 4 and 6. Also the hori-
zontal ledge on which the figure is placed extends in front of this flattened
area. The top of the panel above the king and above this flattened area is
cut away in the same manner and to the same depth as the lower ledge. It
seems probable that a second figure, an object (e.g. an altar) or a panel with
an inscription was originally intended to be placed in front of the king.
From the unfinished rock sculpture of Narseh at Naqsh-i Rustam (Pl. 13),
we do have some ideas about how the Sasanian sculptors went ahead.
Starting from a flat panel, they cut the outline of the figure and completely
finished the figure before starting work on the next figure. At Guyum, it is
only around the Bahram II figure that the sculptor has worked the relief to
the intended full depth of the representation. It seems the sculptor finished
this royal figure (or in view of the limited detail, almost finished the royal
figure) and was about to start on the area in front of the king when the
project was either abandoned or altered. This is of course a speculative
interpretation of this monument, since we do not have any historical infor-
mation to document the original concept or the circumstances in which it
was created.

The royal figure is shown with hair in curly bunches at the back of his head
and with a winged crown topped by a huge korymbos that cuts into the
border of the panel (Pl. 10). The crown is not very detailed. Only the out-
line of the wings is still clearly recognisable. The crown, however, allows
an identification as Bahram II, since this king is always shown with this
particular crown on the reliefs and on the coins (Göbl 1968: 43 sq.). Bah-
ram II is described in the lost “Book of Portraits of Sasanian Kings” as
wearing a red gown, green trousers and a crown with a sky-blue globe
(Erdmann 1951: 96 no 35; Shahbazi 1989: 516). The wings on his crown
refer to the wings of the bird of his patron god Bahram (a bird of prey,
possibly a falcon) (Jamzadeh 1989: 514; see also on the old Iranian god
Bahram: Gnoli 1989).
At Guyum the king’s face is almost completely destroyed. The head
is shown in right profile. He probably wears a necklace that is, however,
not as detailed as on his other rock carvings. His right arm is outstretched,
but slightly flexed and he is shown with bent forefinger, in front of
his upper body (Choksy 1992: 205). The beard is held at the chin by a
ring.

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 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 535

Long ribbons with stylised folds are shown behind his right shoulder.
He does not wear a cloak or loose sleeveless outer garment as at Barm-i
Dilak IIA (Pl. 15-17). He is shown with a tunic belted at the waist that
reaches to the knees. At the height of his left knee a circular hem-weight
is hanging from the lower edge of the tunic (or the cloak?) as is also to be
seen on his tunic at Barm-i Dilak IIA (see Pl. 17). The same hem-weight
is faintly visible at the height of his right thigh. The tunic’s girdle is tied
in a bow and the folded ends fall on his thighs and are shown on top of the
heavy sword belt. Below the tunic he wears loose trousers with stylised
folds that give the impression of being caught by the wind. The trousers
fall onto his feet. His shoes are tied with ribbons, as is best visible on the
right foot. The straps are sculpted in low relief on the flat base-line of the
relief. His right foot is shown in 3⁄4 and the left one is depicted in profile.
His right leg is in a frontal position while the left leg is shown in 3⁄4.
The king’s left hand rests on the grip of his sword, which is bearably
visible. The sword itself disappears behind the king’s legs.

It is obvious that the Guyum rock carving is almost identical to Barm-i

Dilak IIA (compare Pl. 1-13 to Pl. 15-19), though the Guyum relief is less
detailed. The king on both reliefs is shown facing right in the same atti-
tude. He displays a bent forefinger, possibly in a venerating position to a
not represented god (?) (Choksy 1992: 204-205; 2002: 20-23) and rests
his left hand on a long sword. Vanden Berghe (1959b: 7, 21, 24; 1988:
1527-1528) suggested that Guyum remained unfinished and was intended
to be an investiture scene with a deity (remark: so far no investiture scene
of Bahram II is known). Eric De Waele (1978: 14-15), on the contrary
suggests that the attitude of veneration at Guyum and Barm-i Dilak is in
honour of the god venerated at the site. He identifies this god as Anahita
in view of the presence of the water source, the lush vegetation and the
gesture of the king towards the source.

On the whole, the relief at Guyum is badly weathered and damaged and the
standard of carving is relatively poor. Vanden Berghe (1959b: 20) consid-
ered it as reflecting a provincial style. Eric De Waele (1978: 26) and Geor-
gina Herrmann (2000: 42-43) suggested that Guyum and other reliefs like
Sarab-i Qandil or Barm-i Dilak were non-official reliefs. These might not
belong to the central Sasanian royal production and need not necessarily
have been a royal commission. These relatively small rock carvings could

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 536 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

be private representations commissioned by a local nobleman or by a dig-

nitary of high standing. These local high officials represented themselves
and/or the king (Sarab-i Qandil, Barm-i Dilak and Guyum) as a token of
gratitude or to please the sovereign. At the same time they emphasized their
own importance.

Bibliography
CHOKSY, J.K., 1992. Gesture in Ancient Iran and Central Asia II. Proskynesis and
the Bent Forefinger, Bulletin of the Asia Institute 4: 201-207.
—, 2002. In reverence for deities and submission to kings: a few gestures in
ancient Near Eastern societies, Iranica Antiqua XXXVII: 7-29.
DE WAELE, E., 1978. Sur le bas-relief sassanide de Tang-e Qandil et le “bas-relief
au couple” de Barm-e Dilak, Revue des archéologues et historiens d’art de
Louvain, vol. XI: 9-32.
ERDMANN, K., 1951. Die Entwicklung der sasanidischen Krone, Ars Islamica 15-
16: 87-123.
GNOLI, G., 1989. Bahram. I. In Old and Middle Iranian Texts, in: Yarshater E.
(ed.), Encyclopaedia Iranica vol. III, London/New York: 510-513.
GÖBL, R., 1968. Sassanidische Numismatik, Brunswick.
HERRMANN, G., 1970/2. The sculptures of Bahram II, Journal of the Royal Asiatic
Society: 165-171.
—, 1983. The Sasanian Rock Reliefs at Bishapur: Part 3. Bishapur I, Bishapur
II, Darab-i Bahram, The Rock Relief at Tang-i Qandil, (= Iranische Denk-
mäler, Lieferung 11, Reihe II. Iranische Felsreliefs G), Berlin.
—, 2000. The Rock Reliefs of Sasanian Iran, in: Curtis J. (ed.), Mesopotamia and
Iran in the Parthian and Sasanian Periods. Rejection and Revival c. 238 BC-
AD 642 (Proceedings of a Seminar in memory of Vladimir G. Lukonin), Lon-
don: 35-45.
HERZFELD, E., 1926. Reisebericht, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen
Gesellschaft 80 (=NF Bd. 5): 225-284.
JAMZADEH, P., 1989. Bahram. II. Representation in Iranian Art, in: Yarshater E.
(ed.), Encyclopaedia Iranica vol. III, London/New York: 513-514.
LEVIT-TAWIL, D., 1993. Re-dating the Sasanian reliefs at Tang-e Qandil and Barm-
e Dilak: Composition and style as dating criteria, Iranica Antiqua XXVIII:
141-168.
MATHESON, S.A., 1972. Persia: An Archaeological Guide, London.
SCHMIDT, E., 1970, Persepolis III: The Royal Tombs and Other Monuments, The
University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications LXVIII, Chicago.
SHAHBAZI, A.Sh., 1989. Bahram. II. Bahram II, in: Yarshater E. (ed.), Encyclo-
paedia Iranica vol. III, London/New York: 516-517.
STEIN, A., 1940. Old Routes of Western Iran. Narrative of an archaeological
journey, London.

1504-08_Iran_Antiqua_44_14 536 20-03-2009 13:04:13

 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 537

VANDEN BERGHE, L., 1959a. Archéologie de l’Iran Ancien, Leyde.

—, 1959b. Het Rotsreliëf te Guyum in het licht van de Hofkunst van de Sassa-
nidische Koning Bahram II (avec résumé en français), Gentse Bijdragen tot de
Kunstgeschiedenis en de Oudheidkunde, Deel XVII (1957-58), Gent: 1-25.
—, 1968. A la découverte des civilisations de l’Iran Ancien. Une initiative belge
de cooperation à la connaissance du patrimoine historique iranien. (=Textes
et Documents no 239-240), septembre/octobre 1968.
—, 1984. Reliefs rupestres de l’Iran Ancien, Bruxelles.
—, 1988. Les scènes d’investiture sur les reliefs rupestres de l’Iran ancien: evolu-
tion et signification, in: Gnoli G. & Lanciotti L. (eds.), Orientalia Iosephi
Tucci Memoriae Dicata (=Serie Orientale Roma LVI, 3), Roma: 1511-1531.
—, 1989. Barm-e Dilak, in: Yarshater E. (ed.), Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. III,
London/New York: 805-806.

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 538 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 1. The rock relief at Guyum, photograph by Ernst Herzfeld on February 18, 1924.
(Ernst Herzfeld papers, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Ernst Herzfeld photo file 8, vol. 2, image 154
= neg. 2490 / Gift of Ernst Herzfeld, 1946).

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 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 539

Pl. 2. The rock relief at Guyum, photograph by Ernst Herzfeld on February 18, 1924.
(Ernst Herzfeld papers, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Ernst Herzfeld photo file 8, vol. 2, image 155
= neg. 2491 / Gift of Ernst Herzfeld, 1946).

1504-08_Iran_Antiqua_44_14 539 20-03-2009 13:04:15

 540 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 3. Guyum: general view (photo L. Vanden Berghe, May 1957).

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 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 541

Pl. 4. Guyum: general view (photo L. Vanden Berghe, May 1957).

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 542 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 5. Guyum. (photo L. Vanden Berghe, May 1957).

1504-08_Iran_Antiqua_44_14 542 20-03-2009 13:04:17

 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 543

Pl. 6. Guyum. (photo L. Vanden Berghe, May 1957).

1504-08_Iran_Antiqua_44_14 543 20-03-2009 13:04:17

 544 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 7. Guyum. (photo Erik Smekens, late May 1975).

1504-08_Iran_Antiqua_44_14 544 20-03-2009 13:04:18

 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 545

Pl. 8. Guyum. (photo Erik Smekens, November 1972).

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 546 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 9. Guyum. (photo taken with flash, Erik Smekens, late May 1975).

1504-08_Iran_Antiqua_44_14 546 20-03-2009 13:04:19

 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 547

Pl. 10. Guyum: detail (photo Erik Smekens, November 1972).

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1504-08_Iran_Antiqua_44_14 548
548
E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 11. Extract from Ernst Herzfeld’s sketchbook with a drawing of the relief and a nearby inscription at Guyum (February 18, 1924).
(Ernst Herzfeld papers, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.,
Ernst Herzfeld’s Sketchbook SK-VII, page 6 / Gift of Ernst Herzfeld, 1946).

20-03-2009 13:04:21
 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 549

Pl. 12. Guyum: Field sketch by Erik Smekens (November 1972).

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1504-08_Iran_Antiqua_44_14 550
550
E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 13. The unfinished rock sculpture ascribed to Narseh at Naqsh-i Rustam (photo Erik Smekens).

20-03-2009 13:04:23
 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 551

Pl. 14. Barm-i Dilak: general view (photo Erik Smekens, November 1972).

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 552 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 15. Barm-i Dilak: panel IIA & IIB (photo Erik Smekens, November 1972).

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 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 553

Pl. 16. Barm-i Dilak: panel IIA (photo Erik Smekens, November 1972).

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 554 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 17. Barm-i Dilak: panel IIA (photo Erik Smekens, November 1975).

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 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 555

Pl. 18. Barm-i Dilak: panel IIA, detail (photo Erik Smekens, May 1972).

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 556 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

Pl. 19. Barm-i Dilak: panel IIA, detail (photo Erik Smekens, May 1972).

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 ROCK RELIEF AT GUYUM 557

a. b.

c. d.

Pl. 20. Head of Bahram II on a. Naqsh-i Rustam II (1975); b. Bishapur IV (1972);

c. Sar Mashhad (1975); d. Sarab-i Bahram (1972) (photos Erik Smekens).

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 558 E. HAERINCK & B. OVERLAET

a.

b.

c.

Pl. 21. Head of Bahram II (?) on a. Naqsh-i Rustam III and b. Naqsh-i Rustam VII,
top panel, c. Naqsh-i Rustam VII, lower panel (photos Erik Smekens 1975).

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