Nisa, Turkmenistan

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Parthian Fortresses of Nisa
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Country	Turkmenistan
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii
Reference	1242
UNESCO region	Asia and Australasia
Inscription history
Inscription	2007 (31st Session)
Location of Nisa, Turkmenistan in Turkmenistan.

History of Iran
ANCIENT
Proto-Elamite 3200–2700 BCE
Elam 2700–539 BCE
Mannaeans 850–616 BCE
IMPERIAL
Median Empire 678–550 BCE
(Scythian Kingdom 652–625 BCE)
Achaemenid Empire 550–330 BCE
Seleucid Empire 312–63 BCE
Parthian Empire 247 BCE – 224 CE
Sassanid Empire 224–651
(Dabuyid dynasty 642–759/760)
MIDDLE AGES
Umayyad Caliphate 661–750
Abbasid Caliphate 750–1258
Saffarid Dynasty 867–1002	Ziyarid Dynasty 928–1043
Sallarid dynasty 941–1062
Sajid dynasty 889/890–929
Buyid Dynasty 934–1055	Samanid Dynasty 875–999
Ghaznavid Empire 963–1186
Great Seljuq Empire 1037–1194
Ghurid Dynasty 1148–1215
Khwarazmian Empire 1077–1231
Kurt Dynasty 1244–1396
Ilkhanate Empire 1256–1335
Chobanid Dynasty 1335–1357	Muzaffarid Dynasty 1335–1393
Jalayirid Dynasty 1336–1432	Sarbadars 1337–1376
Timurid Empire 1370–1405
Qara Qoyunlu 1406–1468	Timurid Dynasty 1405–1507
Agh Qoyunlu 1468–1508
EARLY MODERN
Safavid Empire 1501–1736
(Hotaki Dynasty 1722–1729)
Afsharid Empire 1736–1747
Zand Dynasty 1760–1794	Afsharid Dynasty 1747–1796
Qajar Empire 1796–1925
MODERN
Pahlavi Dynasty 1925–1979
Interim Government 1979–1980
Islamic Republic 1980–present
Related articles  Timeline of Iranian history Economic history Education history Military history Naval history

Nisa (also Parthaunisa) was an ancient city, located near modern-day Bagir village, 18 km southwest of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Nisa is described by some as one of the first capitals of the Parthians. It is traditionally assumed to be founded by Arsaces I (reigned c. 250 BC–211 BC), and was reputedly the royal necropolis of the Parthian kings, although it has not been established that the fortress at Nisa was either a royal residence or a mausoleum.

Excavations

Marble Statue of Aphrodite, unearthed in Nisa. National Museum of Turkmenistan.

Excavations at Nisa have revealed substantial buildings, mausoleums and shrines, many inscribed documents, and a looted treasury. Many Hellenistic art works have been uncovered, as well as a large number of ivory rhytons, the outer rims (coins) decorated with Iranian subjects or classical mythological scenes.

Nisa was later renamed Mithradatkirt ("fortress of Mithradates") by Mithridates I of Parthia (reigned c. 171 BC–138 BC).

Nisa was totally destroyed by an earthquake, which occurred during the first decade BC.

The fortress at Nisa was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007.(See List of World Heritage Sites in Turkmenistan)

See also

• History of Turkmenistan

Selected bibliography

Sorted by year then author:

1982
MASSON M.E., PUGACHENKOVA G.A., The Parthians rhytons of Nisa, Monografie di Mesopotamia (Introduction by A. Invernizzi), Firenze, Le Lettere.

1990
INVERNIZZI A., KOSHELENKO G.A., «Soviet-Italian Excavations in Old Nisa (Season 1990) », Mesopotamia, XXV, pp. 47–50.

1996
GABUTTI A., «The Italian Excavation in Old Nisa: the Northern Corner of the Round Hall Complex», Mesopotamia XXXI, pp. 161–177
INVERNIZZI A., «Archaeological research in Old Nisa 1990-1994», in La Persia e l’Asia Centrale da Alessandro al X secolo, Atti dei Convegni Lincei, 127, Roma, pp. 237–249.

1998
INVERNIZZI A., «New Archaeological Research in Old Nisa, 1990-1991», in The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Persia. New Light on the Parthian and Sasanian Empire, ed. V. Sarkhosh Curtis, R. Hillenbrand, J.M. Rogers, London-New York, 8-13.
INVERNIZZI A., «Old Nisa and the Art of the Steppes», Bulletin of the Asia Institute, 10, 33-38.
INVERNIZZI A., «Parthian Nisa. New Lines of Research», in J. Wiesehöfer (ed.), Das Partherreich und seine Zeugnisse, Beiträge des internationalen Colloquiums - Eutin, 1996, (Historia Einzelschriften, 122), Stuttgart, 45-59.

2000
INVERNIZZI A., «The Square House at Old Nisa», Parthica 2, pp. 13–53

2001
INVERNIZZI A., «Arsacid Dynastic Art», Parthica 3, pp. 133–157.
INVERNIZZI A., «Arsacid Palaces», in The Royal Palace Institution in the 1st Millennium BC (Ed. I. Nielsen), Athens, pp. 295–312.
LIPPOLIS C., book review of V.N. PILIPKO, Staraja Nisa. Zdanie s Kvadratnym Zalom, Moskva, 1996, su Parthica, 3, 2001, pp. 221–234.

2002
KOSHELENKO G, LAPCHIN A., «Ricerche nel complesso del Tempio Rotondo a Nisa Vecchia», Parthica 4, pp. 9–45.

2003
LIPPOLIS C., «Novije Issledovanija Staroj Nisji», Kulturnye Ziennosti 2000-2001, Ashkhabad.
LIPPOLIS C., «Nisa-Mithradatkert: the building to the north of the Round Hall. Preliminary Report of the 2000-2001 excavations campaign», Central Asia Cultural Values, vol. I, n. 2, June 2003, p. 1-17.
LIPPOLIS C., book review of PILIPKO V.N., Staraja Nisa – Osnovnye itogi arheologicheskogo izuchenija v sovetskij period, su Parthica 5, 2003, p. 3-13.

2004
INVERNIZZI A., «The culture of Nisa, between steppe and empire», After Alexander-Central Asia before Islam. Themes in the history and archaeology of Western Central Asia, British Academy Conference, 23–25 June 2004.
INVERNIZZI A., «Thoughts on Parthian Nisa», in Parthica 6, pp. 133–143.

2005
INVERNIZZI A., «Representations of Gods in Parthian Nisa», Parthica 7 (2005), pp. 71–80.

External links

• Annotated Parthia Bibliography.
• Archaeological Missions in Nisa
• Nissa Fortress, Ayan Tourism & Travel Company
• Historical site Nisa, State Committee of Turkmenistan for Tourism and Sport.