The site at Bisotun is a World Heritage Site as the inscription is a significant site of monumental art and writing, and is open to visit. However, check your government’s advice on travelling to Iran before arranging your visit.
Though hard to date exactly, the Behistun Inscription would have been produced around 520 BC and recounts the campaign waged by Darius the Great (who ruled between 522 and 486 BC) to secure his supremacy over usurpers to the throne. The inscriptions not only recounted his successes against Cyrus the Great and controlling the Persian Empire, but demonstrated his royal lineage.
The inscription was around 15 metres high and 25 metres wide, carved 100 metres up a cliff along the ancient road linking the capitals of Babylonia (Babylon) and Media. The text was written in 3 languages and was illustrated by life-size pictures of Darius I holding a bow – the sign of kinship – with his foot squashing the pretender, Guamata.
In the mid-19th century a British officer, Sir Henry Rawlinson, was able to copy and translate the inscription. Rawlinson’s work was influential in the future study of these languages, prompting many to liken the Behistun Inscription to the Rosetta Stone.
As well as the inscription, the archaeological site also contains remains from the Median, Achaemenid and post-Achaemenid periods, including a statue of the king Bahran as Heracles and a number of other rock-carved reliefs.
Expect to spend around 2 to 4 hours exploring the immense ancient site at Bisotun, and wear comfortable footwear as the site climbs a slope. A pair of binoculars will also help to see the reliefs more easily.
Located just off the highway 48, Bisotun Archaeological Site is only a 38 minute drive from Kermanshah.
]]>Located between Anshan and Suse, the city of Chogha Zanbil is thought to have been founded in 1250BC by King Untash-Napirisha and dedicated to the powerful god Inshushinak. Whilst it’s often called a city or town, in reality it’s thought not more than a handful of ordinary people lived here – the complex was primarily a religious one.
The site was never completed, and eventually ended up being abandoned in 640BC, following a devastating attack by King Ashurbanipal of the Assyrians.
The undeniable focal point of the ruins of Chogha Zanbil, is one of the greatest – if not in fact the greatest – ziggurats to have been built in Mesopotamia. Originally a temple dedicated to the deity Inshushinak, it developed to become the ornate pyramid-like structure – ziggurat – that stands today, although at 25 metres high it is now just a shadow of its former self having once risen to 60 metres.
Beyond its great ziggurat, visitors to Chogha Zanbil can also view ancient temples and palaces, including its 13th century BC Untash-Gal Palace. Tchogha Zanbil is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
With a dramatic desert location, Chogha Zanbil is worth the effort it takes to get there. Go for early morning or golden afternoon light to see it in its full glory. Due to the scared nature of the original site, visitors are still prohibited from climbing to the ruins – in its heyday, only the very elite would have been allowed to climb the ziggurat.
The site is guarded round the clock after attempts by robbers to sack the site but is only open between 7am and 6pm. Entry is normally paid in rials.
Chogha Zanbil is remote: you’ll need to hire a private taxi tour to get here, or else brave hitching (not recommended)! Shush and Shooshtar are your best bets for finding a taxi.
]]>Kandovan Village was likely founded in the late 13th or early 14th centuries, though it’s thought these dwellings may well date back as far as the 7th century. Some researches of archeology even estimate the dwellings’ age up to 7,000 years old.
It is believed that the Kandovan caves were used as a place of refuge by people fleeing a Mongol invasion – as well as a safe shelter keeping the dwellings cool during summer and warm during winter. These inhabitants are thought to have decided to stay on permanently, turning the area into a settled village which is still occupied.
The cliffs have shaped hive cells which are also known as ‘Karan’. Every room of the cliff houses is carved out of stone, with earlier inhabitants making windows for the rooms and later decorating them with colorful glasses.
Today, some of these dwellings are still in use and are made up of cone-shaped rock-formations which are truly astounding to gaze upon.
A visit to Kandovan is a must for anyone staying in Tabriz. In recent times, Kandovan has started to become a tourist destination and a few hotels and restaurants cater for the tourist trade. It is also possible to take a tour of the cave-dwellings for a small fee.
Kandovan is located on the mountain flank of Sultan Daghi, Sabalan Mountain, located in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. The nearest city is Tabriz, the capital city of East Azerbaijan Province. Kandovan is approximately 34 miles from Tabriz (around a 1 hour 10 minute drive via Route 21), making it a great destination for a day trip.
It’s easiest to get here by car, but mini-busses to Osku, the closest town to Kandovan, depart from Railway Square in Tabriz (slightly far out from the main centre). From Osku, you’ll then need to take a taxi to reach Kandovan – a 20 minute scenic ride through rocky hills. Tours are also available.
]]>Pasargadae is located around 90 km to the northeast of Shiraz. It was the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire which was founded by Cyrus II the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century BC.
It contains a collection of two palaces and their gardens as well as the famous mausoleum of Cyrus, all of which are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture. There is also a fortified terrace, a royal ensemble of gatehouses, and an audience hall, and ‘Tall-e Takht’ (Solomon’s Throne.)
Most of these structures were built in the 6th century BC under Cyrus the Great and expanded and renovated over the years. King Cyrus’ successor, Cambyses, carried out some of these works, as did Darius the Great.
Pasargadae’s architecture is all the more remarkable because of its fusion of different ethnic styles, all of which are incorporated to make a richly multi-cultured archaeological site. The vast Achaemenid Empire, which which extended from the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt to the Hindus River in India, is considered the first empire to be characterised by a respect for the cultural diversity that comprised it.
The site was first explored in 1905, with subsequent excavations taking place over the 20th century leading to the discovery of documents, fragments of wall paintings and pottery, and later, a hoard known as the ‘Pasargadae Treasure’ which consisted of jewellery made of precious gems and gold.
Today, the site is one of Iran’s most prominent archaeological sites.
Amongst the sites still visible at Pasargadae, which is a UNESCO World Heritage historical site, are several palaces – including the Presidential Palace – making up a royal complex, and a fortress known as the Tall-e Takht.
The Tomb of Cyrus the Great can also still be seen nearby.
From the centre of Shiraz, Pasargadae is a 1.5 to 2.5 hour drive via Route 65 and Kherameh – Arsenjan Rd.
]]>Today, it is among the world’s greatest archaeological sites, bearing witness to the sophisticated fields of architecture, urban planning, construction technology, and art that characterised the ancient and sophisticated civilisation.
The complex of Persepolis is raised high on a walled platform, with five ‘palaces’ or halls of varying size, and grand entrances. The complex was added to by successive kings after its initial construction by Darius the Great in 518 BCE.
It is unclear what the function of Persepolis was; it wasn’t one of the largest cities in Persia, and nor was it occupied year-round. Instead, the grand ceremonial complex was only occupied seasonally, and it is unclear where the king’s private headquarters would have been.
It was, however, the seat of government of the Achaemenid Empire, and a showplace and centre for the receptions and festivals of kings and their empire.
Persepolis remained the centre of Persian power until the fall of the Persian Empire to Alexander the Great.
The Macedonian conqueror captured Persepolis in 330BC, and some months later his troops destroyed much of the city. Famously, the great palace of Xerxes was set alight with the subsequent fire burning vast swathes of the city.
Persepolis does not seem to have recovered from this devastation and the city gradually declined in prestige, never again becoming a major seat of power.
So far, around 30,000 inscriptions have been found from the exploration of Persepolis which offer an insight into its function and the lives of the people who lived and worked there.
Persepolis was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979.
Today the imposing remains of Persepolis stand in modern-day Iran on a site also known as Takht-e Jamshid. Located roughly 50 miles northeast of Shiraz, the ruins of Persepolis contain the remains of many ancient buildings and monuments.
These include The Gate of All Nations, Apadana Palace, The Throne Hall, Tachara palace, Hadish palace, The Council Hall, and The Tryplion Hall. All are constructed of dark-grey marble, with fifteen pillars still intact, and three more pillars having been re-erected since 1970.
From the centre of Shiraz, Persepolis is an hour’s drive via Route 65. For those travelling from further afield, Persepolis is a 9 and a half hour drive from Tehran.
]]>Though the evidence relating to the origins of the Rawansar Tomb has been sparse, the archaeological and decorative features of the tomb have seen it dated to the Achaemenid Empire period between the 6th and 4th centuries BC.
The tomb is cut directly into the rock and consists of an entranceway and interior chamber which would likely have contained the remains of those buried inside. It has been speculated that this may have been a private family tomb, but there is no direct evidence that this is the case.
There is also a pillar base next to the Goni Khani Spring, called “Takhti Zangi”, which may have been created at the same time as the tomb, indicating the presence of a palace or smaller buildings near the spring. Therefore, during the Achaemenid period, Rawansar was probably one of the important centres of this government in the west of the country.
The Rawansar Tomb was badly damaged by fire around 2007 and has also been graffitied.
Today, outside the entranceway to the tomb a number of partially preserved carvings can be seen on the rock face of a type identified with the Achaemenid period. The figure of Ahura Mazda, a person and mass of firewood, appears on the right side of the entrance to this tomb.
Located just off route 15 in the modern town of Ravansar, the easiest way to reach the tomb is by car. The drive is 1 hour and 30 minutes from the Eshaghvand Rock Tombs close to Kermanshah.
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