Mount Behistun
Encyclopedia
Mount Bisotoun is a mountain in the Kermanshah Province
is located in the middle of the western part of Iran
. It is located 525 kilometres (326.2 mi) from Tehran
.
It is well known for its rock relief in which the great Achaemenian King, Darius the Great, had the narrative of his exploits
engraved around B.C. 500.
A legend began around Mount Bisotoun, as written about by the Persian poet Ferdosi in his Shahnameh
(Book of Kings) circa 1000 AD, about a man named Farhad
, who was a lover of Khosroes' wife, Shirin
. The legend states that, exiled for his transgression, Farhad was given the task of cutting away the mountain to find water; if he succeeded, he would be given permission to marry Shirin. After many years and the removal of half the mountain, he did find water, but was informed by Khosroes that Shirin had died. He went mad, threw his axe down the hill, kissed the ground and died. It is told in the book of Khosrow and Shirin that his axe was made out of a pomegranate tree, and, where he threw the axe, a pomegranate tree grew with fruit that would cure the ill. Shirin was not dead, according to the story, and mourned upon hearing the news.
Kermanshah Province
Kermanshah Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. The province was known from 1969 to 1986 as Kermanshahan and from 1986 to 1995 as Bakhtaran.-Counties:...
is located in the middle of the western part of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. It is located 525 kilometres (326.2 mi) from Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
.
It is well known for its rock relief in which the great Achaemenian King, Darius the Great, had the narrative of his exploits
Behistun Inscription
The Behistun Inscription The Behistun Inscription The Behistun Inscription (also Bistun or Bisutun, Modern Persian: بیستون The Behistun Inscription (also Bistun or Bisutun, Modern Persian: بیستون...
engraved around B.C. 500.
A legend began around Mount Bisotoun, as written about by the Persian poet Ferdosi in his Shahnameh
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
(Book of Kings) circa 1000 AD, about a man named Farhad
Farhad
Farhad is a Persian name meaning elation or happiness, and may refer to:*Farhad or Phraates, the name of 5 kings in the Arsacid Empire**Phraates I of Parthia**Phraates II of Parthia**Phraates III of Parthia**Phraates IV of Parthia...
, who was a lover of Khosroes' wife, Shirin
Shirin
Shirin was a wife of the Sassanid Persian Shahanshah , Khosrau II. In the revolution after the death of Khosrau's father Hormizd IV, the General Bahram Chobin took power over the Persian empire. Shirin fled with Khosrau to Syria where they lived under the protection of Byzantine emperor Maurice...
. The legend states that, exiled for his transgression, Farhad was given the task of cutting away the mountain to find water; if he succeeded, he would be given permission to marry Shirin. After many years and the removal of half the mountain, he did find water, but was informed by Khosroes that Shirin had died. He went mad, threw his axe down the hill, kissed the ground and died. It is told in the book of Khosrow and Shirin that his axe was made out of a pomegranate tree, and, where he threw the axe, a pomegranate tree grew with fruit that would cure the ill. Shirin was not dead, according to the story, and mourned upon hearing the news.