Kermanshah is one of the ancient cities of Iran
and it is said that, "Tahmores Divband", a
mythical ruler of the Pishdadian had constructed it. Some
attribute its constructions to Bahram of
Sassanid dynasty, 4th
century CE. During the reign of Qobad I and Anoushirvan Sassanid,
Kermanshah was at the peak of its glory. And then became the
secondary royal residence.
Evidence indicated that this province has been
the home of man since the Paleolithic and Neolithic age.
Considering the historical monuments found in Kermanshah, it was
very glorious in the Achaemenid
and Sassanid eras and was highly regarded by the kings of those
times. But in the Arab invasion suffered great damage. In the
Safavid
period, it made great progress. Concurrent with the Afghan
attack and the fall of Esfahan, Kermanshah was destroyed due to
the Ottoman invasion. Kurds, Lors, Arabs, and Turks are peoples
living in this province. In addition to the inhabitants of the
town and villages, there are nomadic societies through out the
province. The predominant language is Farsi, but Kurdi and other
languages are also spoken. From the Paleolithic time to the
present, this district has been the home of many peoples.
The monuments belong to the Sassanian era as well as caravansary
and bridge from Safavid period,
indicate the high importance of this district in different ages.
The distance between
Kermanshah and
Tehran
is 525 km. It is the trade center of rich agricultural region
that produces grain, rice, vegetable, fruits, and oilseeds, and
there are so many industrial centers, oil and sugar refineries,
and cement, textile and flour factories, etc.
The airport is located in north east of the city and the
distance from Tehran is 413 km. by air.
Darius I the Great's inscription at
Bisotoun (6th century BCE): At a site some 1300
meter high
in the mountains, one of the most famous sites in
Near Eastern archeology has been attracting
passersby since time Immemorial. It was, here that
Sir Henry Rawlison copied the trilingual inscription
of Darius I of Achaemenids, caved in 522 BCE. In old
Persian, Elamite and Akkadian, an important step in
the eventual decipherment of cuneiform in the mid
19th century. The Bisotoun relief above the
inscription depicts Darius facing the nine rebel
kings, whom the Achaemenid rulers uppercased when he
came to power.
At the foot of the hill there are three Parthian
relief believed to be the oldest Parthian reliefs,
badly damaged by ravages of time and land endowment
carved by Sheik Ali Khan Zanganeh, the premier of
Safavid king Shah Soleiman.
Tagh-e Bostan, Sassanid Reliefs (224-651 BCE):
The Sassanid kings chose a sensational setting for
their rock reliefs Taghe-e-Bostan, four miles
north-East of Kermanshah. A sacred spring gushes
forth from a mountain cliff and empties into a large
reflecting pool. In writer the entire scene is
shrouded in mist and clouds.
One of the most impressive reliefs, inside the
largest grotto or "ivan" is the gigantic equestrian
of Sassanid king, Khosrow II (591-628 CE) mounted on
his favorite charger, Shabdiz. Both horse and rider
are arrayed in full battle armor. There are two
hunting scenes on opposite side of the ivan, one
depicts the imperial boar hunt and the other in a
similar spirit shows the king stalking deer.
Elephants flush out the feeling boar from a marshy
lake for the king who stands poised with bow and
arrow in hand serenaded by female musicians
following in other boats.
These royal hunting scenes are among the most vivid
of all rock reliefs, true narrative murals in stone,
Jumping 1300 years in time the upper relief shows
the 19th century Qajar king Fath-Ali shah holding court.
The temple of Anahita (200 BCE) in
Kangavar: Kangavar is a small town of great
antiquity lying halfway between Hamadan and
Kermanshah (90 km. East of Kermanshah). In about
200 BC during the seleucid Greek occupation of
Kangavar, a major sanctuary was erected to the
mother Goddess Anahita who was worshipped in ancient
Persia along with Ahura-Mazda and Mithras.
|
|
|
