Bisotun: The Mountain of Darius’s Inscription
- Jamal Latif
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
Bisotun (Kurdish: Bîsutûn) is a towering limestone cliff rising beside the old road through Kermanshah Province in western Iran, in the Kurdish country of Rojhelat. High on its rock face is carved one of the most important inscriptions in the history of the world: the great relief and text left by Darius the Great around twenty-five centuries ago. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bisotun is a monument of staggering antiquity standing in the heart of the Kurdish region.
From the deciphering of cuneiform to the legends of star-crossed lovers, Bisotun holds an extraordinary place in history and imagination. This profile looks at the cliff, its inscription, and its meaning.
Key Takeaways
• Bisotun (Behistun) is an ancient cliff monument in Kermanshah Province in the Kurdish region of Iran.
• It bears the famous inscription and relief of Darius the Great, from around 520 BC.
• The trilingual inscription was the key to deciphering ancient cuneiform writing.
• The site holds many other carvings from later eras as well.
• Bisotun is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Bîsutûn
Type: Ancient cliff inscription and reliefs
Country / Region: Iran (Rojhelat)
Province: Kermanshah
Made By: Darius the Great, c. 520 BC
Famous For: The key to deciphering cuneiform
Languages: Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian
Status: UNESCO World Heritage Site
Contents
Where Is Bisotun?
Bisotun stands beside the ancient highway that runs east from Kermanshah toward Hamadan, in the Kurdish-populated country of Kermanshah Province that also takes in towns such as Sahneh. The great cliff rises dramatically from the plain beside a spring, on a road travelled for thousands of years — which is exactly why a king chose it to proclaim his power to all who passed.
The Inscription of Darius
The fame of Bisotun rests on the monument that Darius the Great carved high on the rock around 520 BC. In a large relief, the king is shown triumphant over the rivals and rebels who had challenged his rule, and beside the image runs a long inscription telling, in his own words, how he won and held his vast empire. Placed far up the cliff to last for the ages, it is one of the grandest royal proclamations to survive from the ancient world — a message in stone meant to outlast its maker, as indeed it has.
The Key to Cuneiform
Bisotun’s greatest gift to the modern world was unexpected. Darius had his inscription written in three languages — Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian — all in the wedge-shaped cuneiform script. Because the same text appeared in three forms, nineteenth-century scholars were able to use it, much as the Rosetta Stone unlocked Egyptian, to decipher cuneiform writing for the first time. Through Bisotun, the lost voices of ancient Mesopotamia and Persia could be read again, making this cliff in the Kurdish mountains one of the foundation stones of modern archaeology.
More Than One Monument
Bisotun is not a single carving but a whole landscape of history. Around the great inscription of Darius are other ancient remains from later centuries — reliefs and statues left by Parthian and other rulers, a reclining stone figure, and the traces of roads, caravanserais, and shrines that gathered at this famous spot over the ages. The cliff and its spring drew travellers, kings, and pilgrims for millennia, layering monument upon monument at the foot of the mountain.
Bisotun Today
Today Bisotun is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place of pilgrimage for lovers of history, set in the Kurdish countryside of Kermanshah. Visitors gaze up at the distant inscription, walk among the ruins and carvings, and take in the grandeur of the great cliff. For the people of the region it is a source of pride — a monument of world importance standing in the heart of the Kurdish land.
Timeline
c. 520 BC — Darius the Great carves his great relief and inscription at Bisotun.
later antiquity — Parthian and other rulers add further reliefs at the site.
19th century — Scholars use the trilingual text to decipher cuneiform writing.
2006 — Bisotun is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
today — Bisotun is a protected monument in the Kurdish region of Kermanshah.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Bisotun?
Bisotun is in Kermanshah Province in the Kurdish region of western Iran, on the ancient road between Kermanshah and Hamadan.
What is the Bisotun inscription?
It is a great relief and trilingual cuneiform text carved high on the cliff by Darius the Great around 520 BC, proclaiming his victories and his rule.
Why is Bisotun important?
Its trilingual inscription was the key that allowed scholars to decipher ancient cuneiform writing, making it one of the foundations of modern archaeology; it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What languages are in the inscription?
The inscription is written in three ancient languages — Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian — all in cuneiform script.
Related People, Places, and Topics
Darius the Great · the deciphering of cuneiform · ancient monuments of Kermanshah · Kermanshah · Sahneh · Sarpol-e Zahab.
References and Further Reading
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