Essaqwand Rock Tombs

Essaqwand Rock Tombs

 These rock-hewn tombs are twenty-five km southwest of Harsin in the northeast of the village Dehno of Essaqwand. The local people call it Farhadtash (Carved by Farhad, a legendary lover carving the mountain to gain the hand of his beloved woman, Shirin).

There are three rock-tombs side by side. The one on the right is in a higher position than the others. The rock tomb on the left is 85cm and its 2.1m wide. The middle one is 1.75m deep and 1.63m wide and the one on the right is the deepest. Some frames have been carved around each of these rock-tombs. On top of the middle tomb there is the bas-relief of a standing man 1.87m with his profile toward the viewers. He is wearing a folded robe, holding his hands in prayers in front of him. There is a torch 83cm high and a fire altar 94cm high in front of him. Behind the fire altar there is a standing man 80cm high, raising his hands above and to the back of his head and holding up something in his hands. Previously, it was attributed to the Medes, but nowadays, there is controversy about dating them. Herzfeld dated it back to the Achaemenids and believed the middle one belonged to Gaumata the magian. Some others date it to the Achaemenids but consider attributing it to Gaumata the magian as baseless. Recent researchers date back these tombs to the Seleucids. They believe the carving of the fire-temple and the man raising his hands and holding up something was during the Parthian.