Bestun Historical Monument Complex is one of the most important tourist attractions in Kermashan province. Bestun is a mountain located 30 kilometers northeast of Kermashan on the road from Kermashan to Hamedan. The town of Bestun, which is a district of Harsin City, Kermashan province, is located next to the mountain.
The Bestun Monument Complex contains 28 nationally and internationally registered monuments, the oldest of which date back four thousand years ago and the latest of which is several hundred years old and was built during the reign of the Safavid kings. The monument covers an area of 1650 hectares and is world-famous for its archaeological diversity.
The most important monuments of this group are the Bestun inscription, Bestun stone carving, Hercules statue, Bestun palace, Ilkhani caravanserai, Farhad Tash, Bestun lake, Medi temple, Medi castle, Gudarz and Mehrdad Ashkani stone carving, Shah Abbasi caravanserai, Sheikh Ali Khan inscription, Sassanid Bridge, Bestun Bridge, and Bestun Caves.
Bestun inscription
This inscription tells the story of the victory of Darius I of the Achaemenid over Gaumata and is one of the most important historical and artistic monuments of the Achaemenid period. It is one of the most famous monuments of the Bestun Complex and has received a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The inscription is carved on a limestone rock and after carving, it is covered with a transparent coating to prevent the inscriptions from being destroyed. The inscription is 22 meters long and 7.80 meters wide and is written in three languages, Avestan, Ilami, and Akkadian. It is inscribed in Cuneiform and carved on the stone are paintings of Ahura Mazda and the personalities mentioned.
Bestun stone carving
This stone carving is 6 meters long and 3.20 meters wide. The stone tablet depicts the victory of Darius the Achaemenid over Gaumata and the capture of him and his supporters. The scene of Ahura Mazda is carved at the top giving the ring of power to Darius the Achaemenid. There is also a scene of Darius, 180 cm tall, with his left leg on Gaumata's chest. Nine prisoners, 120 centimeters tall, lined up in front of Darius, handcuffed and shackled. An archer and a lancer, 150 cm tall, stand behind Darius.
The statue of Hercules
We have published an article about the statue of Hercules in Kurdshop; read it here.
Bestun Palace
It is a ruined and incomplete palace located right opposite the inscription of Bistun and belonged to the Sassanid king Khasrow Parviz. According to archaeological research conducted in the area since 1976, the palace was built only on the surrounding walls, and for unknown reasons, the palace remained incomplete, and later turned into a caravanserai. Later, the caravanserai was destroyed by an earthquake and a village was built on the site during the Qajar rule.
Farhad Tash
It is a 200-meter-long and 36-meter-high carved stone slab, also known as Faratash and Takhti Farhad. Abraham Jackson, who visited the site in 1903, believes that the stone, which has no inscriptions or carving, was intended to record the future victories of a king, but did not have time to record his victories. Other archaeologists believe that this site was actually a stone-cutting manufactory to prepare the materials needed to build Khasrow Parviz's palace. According to local folklore, this place was carved by Farhad Kokan (stonemason) to prove his love for Shirin.
Ilkhani Caravanserai
Another monument is the Bestun complex, located near Farhadtash and built on the remains of a half-built Sassanid palace. In addition to a large courtyard, the caravanserai had 64 rooms and a small mosque. The site was destroyed by an earthquake but some of the remains of the caravanserai remained. During the reign of Shah Abbas, the Safavid, the ruins of this site were used to build the Shah Abbasi caravanserai.
Bestun Lake
The water of a spring that collects in a lake near Bestun Mountain has become a source of life and human settlement in this place. In ancient times, caravans traveling from the east to Iraq stayed at these springs. Many of the monuments of the Bestun complex, including the inscriptions and stone carving of Darius, the Ashkani stone carving, the statue of Hercules, the Medes temple, the caravanserai of Shah Abbasi, and several other monuments are located around Bestun Lake.
The water of this spring is tasteless and odorless and is used both for drinking and irrigating agricultural fields in the area. The spring is surrounded by tall poplar trees that make it an attractive place for tourists.
The Temple of Medes
The Medi temple is another important monument of the Bestun complex and is located under the inscription of Darius. The temple is an area 10.50 meters long, 7 meters wide, and 1.5 meters high, built of uncut stone, and divided into two parts by a corridor seven meters long and 1.5 meters wide. There is a room at the end of the passage. In 1962, a German archaeological group declared the site a Median temple. Excavations at the site yielded several fragments from the first millennium BC.
