Behistun Inscription - Other Historical Monuments in The Behistun Complex

Other Historical Monuments in The Behistun Complex

The site covers an area of 116 hectares. Archeological evidence indicates that this region became a human shelter 40,000 years ago. There are 18 historical monuments other than the inscription of Darius the Great in the Behistun complex that have been registered in the Iranian national list of historical sites. Some of them are:

  • Hunters' cave
  • Farhad Tarash
  • Median fortress
  • Parthian town
  • Seleucid statue of Herakles
  • Parthian site of worship
  • Behistun Palace (said to be Palace of Khosrau II)
  • Ilkhanid caravanserai
  • Median temple
  • Bas relief of Mithridates II of Parthia
  • Bas relief of Gotarzes II of Parthia
  • Sheikh Ali khan Zangeneh text endowment
  • Safavid caravanserai
  • Balash stone
  • Carved Sassanian stones
  • Royal Road
  • Statue of Herakles in Behistun complex

  • Bas relief of Mithridates II of Parthia and bas relief of Gotarzes II of Parthia and Sheikh Ali khan Zangeneh text endowment

In the first image, Herakles with curly hair and a beard rests on the lion skin. Beside him, an olive tree is seen carved on the wall, while a quiver full of arrows is hanging from it, and a club resting close by. Behind the head of Herakles, an inscription of seven lines in old Greek is written on a smooth space with a frame similar to Greek temples. According to this inscription, the statue was carved in 139 BC on the occasion of a conquest for Seleucid Greeks (under Demetrius II Nicator) against the Parthians (under Mithridates I of Parthia), though the Seleucids were later defeated and driven from the region.

The second image is a bas relief of Mithridates II of Parthia: this was carved in 123–110 BC and represents Parthian king Mithridates and four of his satraps who are respecting the king. Bas relief of Gotarzes II of Parthia shows the conquest of that king over Meherdates, an Arsacid prince who lived in Rome. An inscription in Greek is seen on the left side of the top outer frame of the relief. Sheikh Ali khan Zangeneh text endowment: According to this text, written in Sloth calligraphy, Sheikh Ali khan Zangeneh, a local ruler of the 17th century, dedicates four shares (out of six) of his properties in Ghareh-vali and Chambatan (local villages) for Sadaats (descendants of the prophet Mohammad), and two remaining shares for the Bisotoun Safavid caravansarai.

Read more about this topic:  Behistun Inscription

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