Tourism Information of Kermanshah
The city of Kermanshah is the capital of Kermanshah Province, located in the western part of Iran. Kermanshah is the largest and central city in the west with a population about one million people. Kermanshah developed in the 4th century AD under the patronage of the Sassanid. The city is situated on the foothills of the Zagros mountain range, 525 km south-west of Tehran. It has many natural and historical sightseeing in the city and the towns around. The city enjoys a temperate climate and regular seasons. The people of Kermanshah are warm and friendly. The languages spoken by the people are Kurdish and Farsi. The beautiful nature, together with its people’s dialects and their spiritual and religious characters make the province substantially unique in the region. Kermanshah has a rich history of culture and civilization, possessing monuments illustrating its people’s values for life and humanity throughout historic and prehistoric periods.
Taq Bostan is a collection of lithographs of the Sassanid period located in Iran in the Taq Bestan neighborhood in the northwest of Kermanshah and in western Iran. This collection built in the third century AD and has great artistic and historical value. Also, several historical scenes such as the coronation of Khosrow Parviz, the coronation of Ardeshir II, the coronation of Shahpour II and III, as well as several inscriptions (inscriptions) in the Pahlavi script and boar hunting ceremonies by riders and playing music with harp instruments engraved in it.
Throughout history, kings have tried to showcase and immortalized their glory not only for their peoples, but also for all history by using art. Besides, one way to show the strength and magnitude of kings has carved on rocks, mountains and creating prominent roles in important events of the time. So, they asked artists to carve out events such as coronation, victory over enemies on the mountain and on a cliff so that every passerby passing by nearby would see it.
Bisotun is located along the ancient trade route linking the Iranian high plateau with Mesopotamia and features remains from the prehistoric times to the Median, Achaemenid, Sassanian, and Ilkhanid periods. The principal monument of this archaeological site is the bas-relief and cuneiform inscription ordered by Darius I, The Great, when he rose to the throne of the Persian Empire, 521 BC. The bas-relief portrays Darius holding a bow, as a sign of sovereignty, and treading on the chest of a figure who lies on his back before him. According to legend, the figure represents Gaumata, the Median Magus and pretender to the throne whose assassination led to Darius’s rise to power. Below and around the bas-reliefs, there are ca. 1,200 lines of inscriptions telling the story of the battles Darius waged in 521-520 BC against the governors who attempted to take apart the Empire founded by Cyrus. The inscription is written in three languages. The oldest is an Elamite text referring to legends describing the king and the rebellions. This is followed by a Babylonian version of similar legends. The last phase of the inscription is particularly important, as it is here that Darius introduced for the first time the Old Persian version of his res gestae (things done). This is the only known 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 monumental art and writing in the region of the Persian Empire. There are also remains from the Median period (8th to 7th centuries B.C.) as well as from the Achaemenid (6th to 4th centuries B.C.) and post-Achaemenid periods.