The first recorded images of Persepolis | The Art of the Italian Photographer
So far, we have reviewed many parts of Iran history together, and now we want to turn another page and look at one of the most important historical symbols of our beloved country, Persepolis. A building with thousands of years old, whose name appears on the UNESCO World Heritage List. You can’t find someone in the world who hasn’t heard the name Persepolis, but some people may not be very familiar with the identity of this structure, so we will give a brief explanation about it here.
What is left from Persepolis
The name Persepolis or Persepolis now referred to a historical ruin in Fars province, but you should know that in fact, Persepolis is the name of one of the ancient cities of Iran that founded during the Achaemenid rule and in the time of Darius the Great. This ancient city gradually developed, and kings such as Xerxes and Ardashir I added to its splendor, making Persepolis the glorious capital of the Achaemenid Empire for many years. Although in these days, Persepolis no longer has the glory of its past, and many parts of this structure have been destroyed or are not in their place, but you can still close your eyes and visualize those days in your mind. . Looking at the paintings and drawings of this building, we can see the greatness of the Achaemenid Empire.
The history of images of Persepolis
Today, we want to go to Fars province under an interesting excuse and visit Persepolis region which is a relic of the Achaemenid capital. Around 1227 AH, an Italian colonel and photographer named Luigi Pesce came for our country. At that time, Nasser al-Din Shah was in charge of Iranian government. Shah Shahid was very interested in modernizing Iran and at the head of all modern arts, he was very interested in photography. That’s why they hired this Italian colonel or colonel, and since then, Luigi has taken several pictures of those days in our country. Among the photographer’s recorded images are three portraits of Nasser al-Din Shah in his youth and a group photo. There is also an album of pictures of the architecture of that time and, of course, men from different classes of society in his collection of pictures which well reflect the living conditions of the people and courtiers at that time. Interestingly, there are no images of women in her photography collection. All these recorded photos are very valuable, but among them, there is a precious gem, and that is the collection of “the first recorded images of Persepolis”.
Nasser al-Din Shah, who had seen the pictures of this photographer, asked him to go to Persia and take photos of Persepolis, and of course, Luigi Moshe willingly accepted his request. Thus, around 1237 AD, this Italian photographer traveled to the ancient land of Persia and recorded valuable images of Persepolis, Pasargadae and Naqsh-e Rostam. He presented the album of these images to the young Nasser al-Din Shah which is currently being held at Golestan Palace. Of course, Mosquito donated some of his paintings to King William I of Prussia, then part of the German Empire, and another album of 75 photographs was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In the following, we want to see the first recorded images from Persepolis by this photographer.
The collection of images of Persepolis
1- A valuable treasure of history
2- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Persepolis was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, number 114, and is an honor for Iranians.
3- A unique opportunity for photography
Luigi Mosquito, with the help of Nasser al-Din Shah, had the chance to capture the first images of Persepolis.
4- Columns left from the Achaemenid Empire
5- A memorial to the three great kings of Iran
The ancient city of Persepolis was founded by Darius the Great, and kings such as Xerxes and Ardashir I rendered valuable services in this region, adding to the city’s splendor.
6- The glorious and ceremonial capital of the Achaemenids
The columns left from this structure still show the glory of the distant days.
7- The first time the camera lens fell on Persepolis
Luigi Moshe presented his first photographs of Persepolis in an album to Nasser al-Din Shah. The album is currently being held at Golestan Palace.
8. A memento of the world’s largest empire
9- Highlights full of words and speech
10- Gate Palace of countries
The Palace of the Gates of States or the Palace of Gates of All Nations was one of the palaces of Persepolis, located next to the entrance stairs. Today, the remains of its gates can be seen on the site. On the gates, the design of winged men and the design of two stone cows with human heads can be seen. At the top of these gates are six cuneiform inscriptions, which, after mentioning the name of Ahuramazda, express such a theme:
Everything that is beautiful is done at the request of Ormazd.
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11- Oriental stairs of Apadana Palace
Apadana is one of the inner palaces of Takht-e Jamshid, which is famous for its motifs on the walls of its staircase.
12- One of the masterpieces of world architecture
13- Naqsh Rostam
Naghsh-e Rostam archeological complex is located in the north of Marvdasht city and six kilometers away from Persepolis. This ancient site is the tomb of four Achaemenid kings.
14- A valuable treasure for the whole world
Luigi Moshe did not leave these valuable images to Nasser al-Din Shah alone, but donated a number of them to William I; 75 photographs were also given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
