Shahr-e Gour

Iran, Iran

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Shahr-e Gour (also known as Gur, Ardashir‑Khwarrah, or “the Glory of Ardashir”) is an ancient circular city in Fars Province, Iran, located about 120 km south of Shiraz and 3 km northwest of the modern city of Firuzabad, and it is recognized as Iran’s first and best example of a planned circular city from the Sasanian era. The city was founded by Ardashir I (Ardeshir Babakan), the first Sasanian king, in the early 3rd century AD, likely on the site of an earlier settlement that had been destroyed, and it was designed as a perfect circle with a diameter of about 2 kilometers and a total area of around 300 hectares, surrounded by a deep ditch and high defensive walls. Four main gates gave access to the city, named Mehr (Sun), Hormizd (Afterlife), Bahram (War), and Ardashir, and the interior was divided into 20 equal parts by radial streets that met at the center, where a tall, fortified structure called the Milo Minaret stands and is thought to have been a palace, watchtower, or possibly a fire temple.