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.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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Architectural Remains of of Khosrow Parviz Last Palace Discovered in Bistun
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08 September 2007 |
LONDON,
(CAIS) -- Previous
archaeological excavations in Bistun plain, located in Iranian Kermanshah
province, resulted in discovery of a number of chambers belonging to a
caravanserai dating back to Ilkhanid period (1256-1336 CE).
Announcing
this news, Mehdi Rahbar, head of Bistun excavation team, further explained about
discovery of stones of Bistun mountain under the remnants of this Ilkhanid
caravanserai, which were scraped in order to be implemented for construction of
the last palace of Khosrow ii Parviz OF THE Sasanian dynastY. According to
Rahbar, the name of the stonemason was also carved on the stones.
“The
construction of this Sasanian palace was left unfinished and later during
Ilkhanid era it was changed into a caravanserai. The chambers of this
caravanserai were erected around an 80x85 square meters area,” said Rahbar to
Persian service of CHN.
Archaeological
studies show that the caravanserai was completely destroyed due to an earthquake
hit the area. Afterwards during the Timurid era (1370-1506 CE) the caravanserai
was used every now and then by some groups and then it was completely abandoned.
A village was erected on the ruins of this ancient caravanserai during Qajar
dynastic era (1787-1921 CE).
The
first sounding works in the region was conducted by a German archaeology team
during 1963-1967. In an attempt to unearth the Sasanian palace, existence of
which was evident to archaeologists, in 1971 Iran’s Archaeology Research
Centre decided to transfer the village which was constructed on the remains of
the palace to somewhere else.
Then
an Iranian team under supervision of Mehdi Rahbar started the first season of
archaeological excavations in the area in 1976 which led into tracing
architectural evidence in the region. However, due to the 1979 Islamic
revolution in Iran and aftermath issues, archaeological excavations were put off
for a couple of years and then were picked up again in 2001 which resulted in
tracing the remains of an Ilkhanid caravanserai.
Bistun
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, Parthian Sasanian dynasties as well as Ilkhanid period. The
principal monument of this archaeological site is the bas-relief and cuneiform
inscription ordered by Darius the Great, the Achaemenid King, when he rose to
the throne of the Persian Empire in 521 BCE.
Bistun was inscribed in list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in 2006.
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"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
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Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
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