INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN-- The economic sector is preparing to invest one trillion rials ($2.5 million) in the UNESCO-registered Bisotun, which welcomes huge
bas-reliefs and engravings of Darius the Great, in the western province of Kermanshah, the provincial tourism chief has said.The amount of
financial investment is expected to be invested in the advancement of the tourist infrastructure within the World Heritage website in the
future, IRNA estimated Mohammadreza Soheili as stating on Monday.Currently, around 250,000 tourists visit this World Heritage site every
year, and this number is expected to triple if the financial investment is made in the creation of brand-new centers and establishing
facilities, the main added.Situated some 30 kilometers from Kermanshah, at the foot of the Zagros Mountains, Bisotun was inscribed on
UNESCOs World Heritage list on July 13, 2006
The principal monument of this historical site is a huge bas-relief and cuneiform inscription bought by Darius the Great quickly after he
ascended to the throne of the Persian Empire in 521 BC.The bas-relief portrays Darius holding a bow, as an indication of sovereignty and
treading on the chest of a figure who pushes his back before the Achaemenid king
According to legend, the figure represents Gaumata, the Median Magus, and pretender to the throne, whose assassination caused Dariuss rise
to power.Below and around the bas-reliefs, there are about 1,200 lines of engravings telling the story of the fights Darius waged in 521-520
BC against the guvs who tried to take apart the empire founded by Cyrus.The engraving is composed in 3 languages
The oldest is an Elamite text describing legends explaining the king and the rebellions
This is followed by a Babylonian variation of similar legends
The last phase of the engraving is particularly crucial, as it is here that Darius presented the Old Persian version of his res gestae
This is the only recognized monumental text of the Achaemenids to document the re-establishment of the empire by Darius I
It also bears witness to the interchange of influences in the development of significant art and writing in the area of the Persian Empire
There are also remains from the Median duration (8th to 7th centuries BC) in addition to from the Achaemenid (6th to 4th centuries BC) and
post-Achaemenid periods.According to the UN cultural body, Bisotun bears exceptional statement to the essential interchange of human values
in the advancement of significant art and writing, showing ancient traditions in huge bas-reliefs
The area was on the ancient trade route connecting the Iranian high plateau with Mesopotamia and consists of remains from prehistoric times
to the Median and Achaemenid eras.ABU/ AM
