Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/234

 202 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTUllE. Pakt I. Fire Temples. Near the town of Istakr, and opjiosite the tombs of Naksh-i- Rustam, stands a small tower-like building, represented in Woodcut No. 97. The lower part is solid ; the u])per contains a small square apartment roofed by two great fiat slabs of stone. Access to this chamber is obtained by a doorway situated at some distance from the ground. Both the traditions of the place and the knowledge we have of their religious practices, point to this as one of the fire temples of the ancient Persians. Its roof is internally still black, probably with the smoke of ancient fires, and though simple and insignificant as an architectural monu- 97. Kaabuhatistukr. No scale. ^^^^^^^ -^^j^ interesting as the Only form of a tem])le apart from regal state which the ancient Persians possessed. Anothei-, almost identical in form, is found at Passargadae. The celebrated Kaabah at Mecca, to which all the Moslem world now bow in prayer, is probably a third, while the temple represented in •Woodcut No. 81, from Lord Aberdeen's Black Stone, may be a repre- sentation of such a temple as these, with its curtains and paraphernalia complete. It is too evident, however, that the Persians were not a temple-building people, and the exami)les that have come down to our time are too few and too insignificant on which to found any theory. Tombs. Little requires to be said of the tombs of the Persians ; that of Darius is represented in plan and elevation in Woodcut No. 88, and, as before remarked, it is a literal copy on the rock of the fa9ade of his ]>alace. Internally, three small cells contained the remains of the king, with those of the persons, probably his favorite wife or wives, for whom lie had destined that honor. Close by this, at Naksh-i- Rustam, are four others, and in the rock behind Persepolis are three more tombs of the AchaMuenian kings, identical Avith these in all essential respects ; but still Avith such a difference in workmanship and detail as would enable a careful architectural student easily to detect a sequence, and so afiix to each, ap))roximately at least, the name of the king whose sepulchre it is. Unfortunately that of Darius only is inscribed ; but his jtosition in the dynasty is so well known that, starting from that point, it Avould be easy to assign each of these tombs to the king wlio excavated it for his own resting-place. Although these tombs of the Acluemenians are not remarkalile for