The Baharestan Carpet, also known as the “Spring of Khosrow” (Bahar-e Khosrow), was one of the most legendary works of art in Iranian history and perhaps the most valuable carpet ever created. It was woven during the Sasanian era by order of Khosrow I for the royal palace in Ctesiphon.
Its original name was “Spring of Khosrow” or “Baharestan.” Islamic historians such as al-Tabari described it as though a real Persian garden had been spread across the floor. The carpet was designed for winter days so that the king, while residing in the palace, could enjoy a view resembling spring gardens beneath his feet. For this reason, it was also known as the “winter carpet.”
In its design, streams of water were represented with crystal and glass, while the soil of the garden was woven with golden threads. Flowers and fruits were fashioned from rubies, emeralds, pearls, and other precious stones. The leaves were made of colored silk, and the border was decorated with emeralds to evoke a lush meadow.
The carpet was far more than a floor covering; it symbolized the Iranian concept of the “garden of paradise” and the power of the Sasanian monarchy. Some sources estimate its dimensions at approximately 27 by 27 meters, roughly the size of a small modern square. It covered the main hall of the palace at Ctesiphon.
Historically and culturally, the carpet was of great significance because it was not merely decorative. It represented the pinnacle of Sasanian achievement in carpet weaving, goldsmithing, gemstone inlay, and Persian garden design. Many scholars consider it the earliest famous example of a “garden carpet,” a style that later appeared in Safavid-era Persian carpets.
However, in 637 CE, at the time of the fall of Ctesiphon, the Arab conquest of Iran, the carpet was taken as war booty. It was so large and heavy that transporting it intact was impossible. After being brought to Medina, a decision was made regarding its fate. According to historical accounts, the second caliph ordered the carpet to be cut into smaller pieces and distributed among the warriors as shares of the spoils. Each piece was extraordinarily valuable because of its gold and jewels. This decision destroyed the carpet’s original form, and its fragments were eventually sold separately or melted down. No known part of it survives today.
Most historians believe that the carpet truly existed because several independent historical sources mention it. However, since no fragment remains, there is disagreement about its exact construction, actual dimensions, and weaving techniques. Some researchers even suggest that it may have resembled a vast jeweled textile more than a knotted carpet in the modern sense.
In Iran’s historical memory, the Baharestan Carpet has become a symbol of the splendor of the Sasanian Empire, the extraordinary skill of Iranian artisans, and one of the greatest lost artworks in world history. Many consider it comparable to other lost masterpieces that, had they survived, would rank among the world’s greatest artistic treasures.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect is that the carpet was not merely decorated with jewels; its entire structure sought to recreate an eternal Persian garden using gold, silk, and precious stones, as though the Sasanian king ruled over spring even in the depths of winter.
Other lost cultural treasures of Iran include the music of Barbad and the complete Sasanian Avesta. From a cultural perspective, their destruction may be even more tragic than the loss of the Baharestan Carpet, because the carpet was a physical artwork, whereas those two represented the knowledge, literature, thought, and artistic achievements of an entire civilization. Their disappearance meant the loss of part of Iran’s cultural memory.
The Avesta is the most important collection of sacred texts in the Zoroastrian religion. What survives today from the Sasanian Avesta is only a portion of a much larger compilation that was gathered and codified during the Sasanian period. Scholars refer to this collection as the “Sasanian Avesta” or the “Great Avesta.”
According to the Pahlavi text *Denkard*, the Sasanian Avesta consisted of twenty-one nasks (books or divisions). Yet from this vast collection, only portions such as the Yasna, Visperad, Vendidad, and a few other texts have survived, while most of the nasks have been lost.
There are different views regarding the reasons for the destruction of these texts. In Zoroastrian tradition, it is said that many copies of the Avesta were destroyed after the invasion of Alexander the Great. However, some historians argue that the historical evidence for this account is incomplete and that much of the material may have been lost through oral transmission, wars, political changes, and the decline of the Zoroastrian population in later centuries.
Interestingly, the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Avesta date only to the medieval period, and no manuscript from either the Achaemenid or Sasanian eras has survived. Nevertheless, the Zoroastrians’ oral tradition preserved parts of this heritage for centuries.
Barbad was the most famous musician of the Sasanian era and a court musician of Khosrow II. He lived in the seventh century CE and is described in both Persian and Arabic sources as the greatest musician of his age.
Barbad’s fame was not limited to his performance skills; he is also regarded as a founder of part of the Iranian musical system. According to historical traditions, he organized a musical structure consisting of seven “Khosravani” modes, thirty melodies, and 360 dastans (musical pieces), numbers symbolically associated with the days of the week, month, and year in the Sasanian calendar.
Unfortunately, almost all of Barbad’s musical compositions and lyrics have been lost. Only the names of some melodies and stories about his extraordinary skill survive in later sources. Nevertheless, his influence on Iranian music was so profound that centuries later his name remained alive in major literary works such as the "Shahnameh".
The reign of Khosrow Parviz is often described as the “Golden Age of Sasanian Music,” and alongside Barbad, musicians such as Nakisa, Sarkash, and Bamshad were also active at the royal court.
The Great Sasanian Avesta, the music of Barbad, and the Baharestan Carpet are examples of the cultural heritage of ancient Iran. Yet only fragments of the vast Sasanian Avesta remain, only the name and reputation of Barbad’s music have survived, and nothing remains of the Baharestan Carpet. Even so, these remnants demonstrate that Sasanian civilization achieved an exceptionally advanced level in the fields of art, religion, literature, and music.