Bisotun

Bisotun is geographically located on an ancient trading route in current Kermanshah which connected Iranian Great Plateau to Mesopotamia and its characters remain from prehistoric times to Median, Achaemenid, Sassanid and Ilkhanid Periods. The main inscription which is a base relief and cuneiform was constructed upon the order of Darius l when he became the king of Iran in 521 BC. This inscription shows Darius while he is carrying a bow, indicating his kingdom and walking with a figure who lies on his back. Considering different stories, that figure shows Guamata, the Median Magus and pretender to the throne, the person who Darius succeed to be the king after he was assassinated. There are about 1200 lines of inscription around the bas reliefs. They depict Darius’s battles against those governors who tried to be separated from the Empire Cyrus founded in 521- 52 BC. Three different languages are seen in the inscriptions. One of them which is believed to be the oldest, refers to the legends about the king and rebellions and is an Elamite text followed by a Babylonian version of similar stories. Due to the fact that Darius had experienced hid deeds on the last part of the inscription in the Old Persian, it has special importance.