Stand-alone Rock Reliefs
'Relief carving' of rock which remains 'in situ'.
Where the representation consists of 'line' drawings, patterns or characters scratched, pecked or etched into the rock, this has been categorised under 'Petroglyphs'. Where such carving exists as part of a rock cut architecture ensemble, it is only represented under that 'Connection'.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Bamiyan Valley | Two monumental Buddhist statues carved out of a cliff | |
| Bisotun | Includes a monumental bas-relief that includes an image of King Darius “holding a bow as a sign of sovereignty, and treading on the chest of a figure which lies on his back before him”. It also has a Seleucid reclining Hercules of 148 BC with a Greek inscription. | |
| Champagne | In her cellars in the Saint Nicaise hill, Madame Pommery had a series of bas-reliefs made by Gustave André Navlet between 1882 and 1885. These are sculpted in the soft chalk of the chalk pits and sometimes reach 10 meters long by 6 meters wide. The Veuve Clicquot cellars feature high reliefs sculpted by Navlet. These works, commissioned by Alfred Werlé, successor to Madame Clicquot, were created between 1907 and 1914. Bas-reliefs by Navlet can also be seen in the cellars of the Maison Mercier under the Avenue de Champagne. (Nomination file, p. 103, 106, 152, 261) | |
| Dazu Rock Carvings | "Some are in rock-cut cave shrines, in the usual Chinese Buddhist style, but many others are rock reliefs carved into the open rock faces" (wiki) | |
| El Fuerte de Samaipata | only the part with the intricate carvings that is carved directly out of the natural sandstone bedrock | |
| Gyeongju | 11 Buddhist rock-cut reliefs; the most impressive is probably the Buddha Rock, a massive natural formation in the T’apkol Valley. (AB ev) | |
| Hattusha | At Yazılıkaya, a series of reliefs of Hittite gods in procession decorate open-air "chambers". | |
| Madara Rider | OUV: "The Madara Rider is a unique relief, an exceptional work of art,... It is the only relief of its kind, having no parallel in Europe. It has survived in its authentic state. It is outstanding not only as a work of Bulgarian sculpture, with its characteristically realist tendencies, but also as a piece of historical source material dating from the earliest years of the establishment of the Bulgarian state. The inscriptions around the relief are, in fact, a chronicle of important events concerning the reigns of very famous Khans." | |
| Mahabalipuram | The 'Descent of the Ganges': a large 7th-century Hindu scene with many figures that uses the form of the rock to shape the image | |
| Mount Emei, including Leshan Giant Buddha | Leshan, "a 71-meter (233 ft) tall stone statue, built between 713 and 803 (during the Tang dynasty). It is carved out of a cliff face" (wiki) | |
| Petra | The camel caravan carved out the Siq | |
| Polonnaruva | Gal Vihara: four rock relief statues of the Buddha, which have been carved into the face of a large granite gneiss rock. | |
| Quanzhou | The "massive stone statue of Lao Tze (...) is China's largest extant Taoist carved stone statue." The statue of Mani in Cao'an Temple "was carved in the cliff wall inside the stone chamber. (...) The stone relief of Mani is placed in the middle of the cliff wall opposite the entrance." (Nomination file, p. 155, 179-180) | |
| Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries | Rock-carved Seated Buddha, Treasure No. 216 (Beopjusa Temple) - Nomination File | |
| Sassanid Archaeological Landscape | Firuzabad, Fars and Bishapur have groups of Sassanian reliefs, the former including the oldest, a large battle scene, now badly worn. (wiki) | |
| Sigiriya | the paws at the colossal lion gateway to the hill-palace | |
| Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines | Includes "four chapels and numerous statues carved by miners out of the rock salt, and more recent sculptures by contemporary artists" (wiki) |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Stand-alone Rock Reliefs?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source