Bisotun

Bisotun is an archaeological site located along a historical trade route in Kermanshah Province of Iran, containing remains dating back to pre-historic times through the history of ancient Persia. It bears unique testimony to the Persian empire and the interchange of influences in art and writing in the region. Its primary monument is the Bisotun Inscription, made in 521 BC by Darius the Great when he conquered the Persian throne.

The inscription is written in 3 languages: Elamite, Babylonian and Old Persian. It is to cuneiform script what the Rosetta stone is to Egyptian hieroglyphs: the document is most crucial in the decipherment of a previously lost script. There is also a dramatic story (Bisutun), as written by Ferdowsi in Shahnameh, about a man named Farhad, who was a lover of King Khosrow's wife, Shirin. The legend states that, exiled for his transgression, Farhad was given the task of cutting away the mountain to find water; if he succeeded, he would be given permission to marry Shirin. After many years and the removal of half of the mountain, he did find water, but was informed by Khosrow that Shirin had died. He went mad, threw his axe down the hill, kissed the ground and died. It is told that his axe was made out of a pomegranate tree, and, where he threw the axe, a pomegranate tree grew with fruit that would cure the ill. Shirin was not dead, according to the story, and mourned upon hearing the news.