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Photographer’s Note

The Ka'ba-i Zartosht (alt: Kaba-i Zardusht, Kaba-ye Zardosht), meaning the "Cube of Zoroaster", is a 5th century BCE Achaemenid-era edifice at Naqsh-e Rustam, an archaeological site just northwest of Persepolis, Iran.

The structure, which is a copy of a sister building at Pasargadae,[1] was built either by Darius I (r. 521-486 BCE) when he moved to Persepolis, or by Artaxerxes II (r. 404–358 BCE) or Artaxerxes III (r. 358–338 BCE). In Frye's opinion "the intention was the same [as that of its sister building], that is, to build a safety box for the paraphernalia of rule in the vicinity of Persepolis as had been done at Pasargadae."[1]

From a reference to fire altars in a Sassanid-era inscription on the building it has been inferred[2] that the structure was once a fire altar, or perhaps as an eternal-flame memorial to the emperors whose tombs are located a few meters away. This is however highly unlikely since the lack of cross-ventilation would have soon choked the flame,[3] and in any case, the author of the inscription is unlikely to have known the purpose of the building seven centuries after its construction.[4]

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Photo Information
  • Copyright: hamid azhari (hamidazhari) Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 35 W: 11 N: 15] (238)
  • Genre: Places
  • Medium: Color
  • Date Taken: 2007-04-30
  • Categories: Architecture
  • Exposure: f/6.3, 1/2500 seconds
  • More Photo Info: view
  • Photo Version: Original Version
  • Date Submitted: 2007-07-01 7:19
Viewed: 1366
Points: 2
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Additional Photos by hamid azhari (hamidazhari) Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 35 W: 11 N: 15] (238)
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