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.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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Unwarranted Adjuncts Spoil Authenticity of Taq-e Bostan: Researcher
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19 September 2007 |
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Qajar ruler Mohammad Ali Mirza along with his son and two Qajar officials are depicted in a bas-relief carved in the middle of Taq-e Bostan’s larger arch in 1821 (Click to enlarge) |
LONDON,
(CAIS) -- The
beauty and authenticity of the Sasanian site of Taq-e Bostan has been spoilt by
unwarranted additions, Taq-e Bostan Research Centre director Siamak Khadivi
said.
Throughout
history Taq-e Bostan has had a strange attraction for graffitists, would-be
artists, royal inscribers and vandals and these additions have spoilt the beauty
and authenticity of the original monument.
“Writing
graffiti on ancient monuments and illegally adding artworks to cultural heritage
sites and artefacts are the actions of people devoid of culture. Such activities
only serve to ruin the beauty, significance and authenticity of our heritage,”
Khadivi told the Persian service of CHN on Monday.
“However,
since most of the additional artworks and inscriptions on Taq-e Bostan have been
created by Qajar rulers and officials, these appendages are now considered to be
part of the history of the site,” he added.
The
Taq-e Bostan Research Centre has recently completed a project on the subject.
The
research, which is soon to be published in book form, has discovered that
additional inscriptions have been written in Persian, Arabic, English, French,
Hebrew, and several other languages.
Located
between mounts Paru and Farrokhshad, the Taq-e Bostan monument comprises two
arches bearing many unique bas-reliefs on their inner and outer facades
depicting various aspects of the political, religious and social lives of the
Sasanian dynasty (224-651 CE).
One
such relief depicts a scene in which the Sasanian Emperor Khosrow II (r.
590-628) is being crowned by a Zoroastrian deity and Anahita. There are also
bas-reliefs of the Sasanian king of kings Ardeshir II (r. 379-383) and Shapur
III (r. 383-388).
The
larger of the two arches also carries bas-reliefs portraying a Sasanian monarch
on a hunting ground.
Mohammad
Ali Mirza Dowlatshah, son of Qajar king Fathali Shah, created the largest
additional inscription and bas-relief on the underside of Taq-e Bostan’s
larger arch in 1821. The bas-relief
depicts Mohammad Ali Mirza on a throne, his son, and the Qajar official Aqa
Ghani Khajebashi. Certain eulogies composed by Besmel, a poet from Kermanshah,
have also been carved beside the bas-relief.
In
another inscription, Mohammad Ali Mirza has compared the region with Mount Sinai
and has also likened himself to Moses.
Unfortunately,
modern vandals have also caused damages to the site by adding further graffiti.
Bizarrely, one of them has carved the name of the former Dutch footballer Ruud
Gullit on the underside of the larger arch.
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Extracted From/Source*: Mehr News
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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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