A comparative study of stone relief from the Sassanid and Qajar era

Sassanid stone reliefs that were carved on the mountains are the main part of the artistic heritage of this ancient era, but the art of stone reliefs have worn by the rise of Islam and its spread through the country, then Qajar dynasty, especially Fath Ali Shah, has revived this art after 1200 years. There are some stone reliefs remained from Qajar era, that have significant similarities with Sassanian artworks. The purpose of this study is to compare the stone reliefs of the two historical eras to determine their similarities and differences, and also to introduce the characteristics of the stone reliefs accurately. This study seeks to answer this question that; Does Qajar dynasty create their own stone reliefs affected by the Sassanids? This study uses the descriptive-comparative method, and the presented information is the combination of library and field research. The results show that Qajar dynasty has been affected by the Sassanian art, they have had common purposes such as; propaganda to stabilize the central power and create a kind of national convergence about the character of the king. But the single purpose does not necessarily lead to the same results; therefore, despite many similarities between the stone reliefs of Sassanid and Qajar eras, the significant differences are also visible.