The ruins and caravanserais in Kermanshah, Iran

*WS 171 - The ruins and caravanserais in Kermanshah, Iran*

Kermanshah is a province in west Iran, bordering Iraq. We were here in 2018 looking at 2 ruins and some caravanserais.  

The main attraction is the Bisotun Inscription, a rock relief on a cliff dating to around 500 BC. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. The relief is about 15 m high by 25 m wide, and located about 100 m up the limestone cliff. The author is Darius the Great, glorifying his conquests and battle victories. The inscription is illustrated by a life-sized bas-relief of the king, accompanied by his servants and attended to by the conquered peoples, portrayed in dwarf-size.  

The inscription was under some kind of restoration at the time of our visit and we could not go nearer. The 1st photo shows the archaeological park where many Iranians came for picnic. The 2nd shows a close-up of the cliff with the inscription in the middle of the photo, shielded by the scaffolding in front. The 3rd photo shows what the inscription and bas-relief would look like, this one shot from a poster. 

The place here was located along the old Silk Road, the 4th photo shows an abandoned 17th century caravanserai. The next 2 photos show the 5-star Laleh Bistotun Hotel with a beautiful reception area converted from the old Shah Abbasi Caravanserai. It is next to the Bisotun site and we stayed here for 2 nights.  

Another ruin visited was the Taq-e Bostan, meaning "Arch made by stone". It is a site with a series of large rock reliefs carved mostly around 4th century AD. They illustrate the investiture ceremonies of several kings.  

The 6nd photo shows the relief of kings Sapur II and Sapur III. The 7th photo shows a winged deity "Victoria" at the outside façade while the 8th shows King Mithradates II being crowned. This one is dated to 100 BC.