Inscription
of Darius the Great at Bistun
Comparative
studies of geophysical structures in Bistun plains
with the map provided by Roads and Transport
Organization of Kermanshah province indicate that
a road due to be built will be located on the
ruins of an ancient city.
According to CHN, remains of an ancient water
distribution network, unique stone mines and
probable urban life indicated that the ancient
city of Bistun covered an area of 2,500 hectares.
Geophysical maps also support this theory.
Director of the Bistun project Maliheh Mehdi-Abadi
said that following geophysical studies in Bistun
plains and comparing the maps available, the ring
road of Kermanshah is due to pass Bistun.
She said that many experts believe that the
historical city of Bistun lies buried under the
site of the ring road that the Ministry of Roads
and Transportation plans to construct.
“If the road is built on the ruins of Bistun,
the city will remain buried before it is
unearthed,“ she warned.
She said that experts believe that unearthing the
city of Bistun is cheaper than constructing the
new road. On the other hand, the moral cost of
losing the historical city of Bistun is
irreparable, Mehdi-Abadi said.
She said that construction of cable car line will
have negative impact on registering Taq-e Bostan
arch, Kermanshah, on UNESCO’s list of global
cultural heritage sites.
She said that construction of the ring road may
also jeopardize the registration of Khosrow
hunting ground in Kermanshah.
Bistun, is located 20 km to the northeast of
Kermanshah on the foothill of a mountain by the
same name. There are many pre-historical caves,
the inscription
of Dariush the Great, statues of Mehrdad the
Great, Hercules and Ganj-Namé inscription as well
as bridges built during the Sasanid era.
