Shapur I Cave

12 km on the road from Kazeroon to Shiraz lies the ancient city of Bishapur, onlooking a gorgeous lush greenery valley known as Tang-e Chogan.
A paved road connects the valley to a village carrying the same name. From there, you will have a pleasant yet tough mount climbing,1and a half hours, to reach the mouth of Shapur Cave.

The cave placed on the wall of a mountain encompassing Tang-e Chogan is covered in beautiful reliefs and admiring engravings depicting parts of the Sassanid history.

Since Shapur I and Artaxerxes I of Persia were determined to practice religious unity among people, they turned caves to a place for worshiping. Therefore the historic cave was initially a sacred place for holding religious and cultural rituals like the caves of Baba Jaber in Delijan and Niasar in Kashan.

Shapur commanded to make his own sculpture inside it, portraying the glory of the Sassanid kingdom. Even after 1,700 years, it is still there as a symbol of the power and mastery of the dynasty. The 7 m tall statue is destroyed to some extent; the two hands are fallen off while the head is still safe. The king is dressed in a groomed costume with a belt and sword. The trimmed bearded, and long wavy-haired king has a crenate crown on his head. It finely pictures the outfits of Sassanid dignitaries.

The cave of minerals has reservoirs for saving water. In fact, water coming in through the ceilings was stored for the nearby residents. So you will come across pits all the way through. The fairly long, about 450 m, is an exciting  journey for adventurous cave lovers who are professionally following caving.