Kermanshah - Let's Go to Iran, Your Ultimate Iran Travel Partner !

Bisotoon

The Bisotoon (or Behistun) mountain stands some 30 km to the northeast of Kermanshah via the main road to Hamadan, which itself follows the ancient caravan route along the bottom of a fine velvety fawn-colored cliff. Long before Achaemenians, even prehistoric man inhabited Bisotoon according to Carleton Coon, who found while excavating a cave there in 1949 evidence of a highly developed industry dateable to the Middle Paleolithic, indicating that Bisotoon was inhabited during the Wurm glaciation.

Taq-e Bostan

The bas beliefs at Taq-e Boston (Arch of the Garden), 6 km northeast of Kermanshah, are, with one exception, the only Sassanian rock carvings outside Fars Province; they are also the latest of Sassanian carvings. The Sassanians carved majestic sculptures out of the living rock, mostly in their native province of Fars, designed to exalt their kings and perpetuate their fame. Taq-e Bostan is discovered along the avenue now floodlit: the favourite excursion place of the townspeople. The bas-reliefs decorate two grottoes, large and small, which have been cut out of a rock cliff rising high above a pool of clear water, which recalls the Sassanian site at Darab (Fars Province).

Khosrow Bridge (Bistoon)

A long the old road of Bistoon to Takht-e-Shirin and Sarmaj there are gigantic bases of the famous Khosrow Bridge. The construction of the Khosrow Bridge is attributed to Shah Khosrow Sassanid. The Khosrow Bridge is the only bridge that the Arabs crossed, and after passing through Takht-e-Shirin and Sarmaj went Nahavand and defeated Yazdgerd III, the last of the Sassanide rulers in that city. The Khosrow Bridge with the passage of time, has sustained abundant losses, in such a manner that in Safavid period this bridge was unusable. For this reason, at that time another bridge was built on the Dinvar Ab River, about 1 km. beyond the former bridge.

Temple of Anahita (Kangavar)

This is one of the architectural monuments of ancient Iran, with its history going back to the Parthian period (200 BC), recently unearthed at Kangavar, 90 km to the east of Kermanshah, and on Hamadan Kermanshah road. The worship of Anahita goddess of abundance and guardian of water in ancient Iran, and goddess of beauty and fecundity in some other countries was broadly practiced during the Parthian period. However, nothing is said of her existence in numerous Achaemenid inscriptions. The cult of the goddess and the building of temples to her, continued during the Sassanian period. Despite historical references to the temple, its location and architectural decorations by few Muslim and Greek geographers and historians, the greatest bulk of material evidence on the history of the temple and the cult has been gathered as a result of excavations carried out at the temple site on an outcropping rock.

Sassanid Palace (Qasr Shirin)

The ruins of a few Sassanid palaces and other relics which indicate the expansion of such Sassanid structures are remains in Qasr Shirin. The aggregate of relics of such edifices, are currently reputedly known as the Khosravi edifice. Its construction goes back to Khosrow Parviz Sassanid era. This majestic palace has been built on a high platform and comprises of a three dimensional porch, with a large rectangular hall behind it. The palace aggregate is 370 m. in length and 190 m. in width and is located in an enclosed area which is currently in a state of ruins but expresses the grandeur of its past.

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