Glory of Darius the Great - Beautiful Iran 3

When I was a high school student, I learnt about the Behistun Inscription in a class of the world history. I couldn’t grasp well where Behistun (or Bisotun) was, but I was keenly interested in the story that a young army officer of the British East India Company found and deciphered the inscription in 1835. He was Henry Rawlinson (1810-1895), who had been assigned to the army of the Shah of Iran, fascinated to the old cuneiform: “If I can read it, it may open the door to the unknown past...” 

Mount Bisotun near Kermanshah 

In the afternoon of April 19, we visited Mount Bisotun near the city of Kermanshah. Our tour guide Mr. Musa was a history lover, who explained about the place by quoting a legend from the Iranian national epic Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) : 

“There was a sculptor named Farhad, who exiled to the Sassanid Persia under the dynasty of King Khosrau (II). The king had a princess called Shirin. Farhad fell in love with her. The king gave him an impossible task of cutting away the mount Bisotun to find water: ‘If you succeed it, I will permit you to marry Shirin.’ Farhad dug the mountain for many years and finally found water. However, the king sent a letter to him that Shirin had died. The poor sculptor went mad and threw himself from the top of mountain and died.”

The legend certainly tells us that a poor sculptor was abused to death by a shrewd tyrant, but at the same time it suggests that Bisotun developed from an oasis in the ancient times. A Greek historian Herodotus (484-425 B.C.) writes in his “The Histories” that the original Persians were nomadic tribes. They settled down in oases, built up cities, and developed the Achaemenid Empire in the fifth century B.C. 

Let us return to the Behistun Inscription. The author of the inscription is Darius the Great (Darius I, 550-486 B.C.). He wrote about his autobiography and achievements. It celebrated successive victories in his military campaigns from Central Asia, to Afganistan, modern Pakistan area, and Indus valley, to Babylon (south of Baghdad), to Scythia (Central Eurasia), and to Greece. He had the relief inscribed in old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian on a limestone cliff 100 meters high. That became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.

An old sketch of Mount Bisotun with the Behistun inscription

We looked up the cliff from the foot of Mount Bisotun, listening to Mr. Musa’s explanations. The sky was filled with light. The sun was beating down on our heads without any shade of trees. We were sweating. The rocky cliff looked dry and whitish.

“Shall we climb?” said someone. We followed our tour guide to walk step by step a winding path among rocks. After ten minutes or so, Mr. Musa suddenly turned around and said to us, “I am very sorry. It is now under repair.” Looking up, we saw nothing but huge scaffoldings in front of the famous relief. We were all disappointed and started going back the way we had come. So did other tourists.

Huge scaffoldings in front of the Behistun inscription 

Standing halfway down the Mount Bisotun, I took a brilliant view of the whole landscape with the blue waters of a lake surrounded by green forest and an old caravanserai over there. The long straight road ran across below us. It was the Royal Road that Darius the Great built up from Susa (Shush in Khuzestan Province) to Sardis (Sart in Turkey’s Manisa Province), a branch of the Silk Road. 

Bisotun Lake

“Bisotun is still an oasis park on the Silk Road, isn’t it?” I said to Mr. Musa, pointing to the lake. There were many colorful tents set up, and many people relaxed. 

“Yes, it is a nice place for picnic,” he smiled.

It was Friday, a holiday for Muslims!

The Royal Road

We went down and walked along the road to return to our tour bus. By the lake, here and there, families or friends gathered on the grass for a picnic. They reminded me of picnic scenes of lovers in an old Persian miniature painting. The traditional lifestyle has been handed down from generation to generation and still alive in the modern life.   

Many families and friends gathered for a picnic

We went to a rest room near the lake before getting on the bus, but we were stopped everywhere and were asked in English, “Where are you from?” “Japan.” “Oh! Japon.” They all smiled and eagerly asked us to join them and drink chai (tea) together. That was the first heart-warming welcome by the people that we experienced in this country. The Iranians were very friendly.

However, we were in a hurry because of the tight schedule. Saying “I am sorry we have no time,” we still took pictures of them and they took ours. “If you don’t have time to drink tea, please take them.” A family proposed us a plate filled with pumpkin seeds. “Kheiri motashakkeram,” (Thank you, very much) I took some. “Oh, farsi baladid?” (You understand Farsi?) “Ye kami.” (A little) “Oh! ...” Unfortunately, I didn’t understand any more. Finally I said, “Khoda hafez.” (Good-by) “Oh! Khoda hafez!”

Iranian family and my wife (left)

We all got into the bus with good impression of the people, but no impression of the Behistun Inscription - Glory of Darius the Great. We went to the next destination, Hamadan. 

A dream on a spring night - Beautiful Iran 2

The next morning we woke up at 6:30, got into a tour bus, started to the west of Tehran, and arrived at Mehrabad Airport. In the film “Argo” CIA operative Tony Mendez and 6 American fugitives nearly escaped by Swissair from this airport. When I saw the same frontage of the terminal building as in the movie, an uneasy feeling ran through my body again.

However, entering inside, we found no Revolutionary Guards in khaki-colored uniforms with sharp eyes to hunt for fugitives like in the film. We didn’t need to receive immigration and custom clearances. Since Imam Khomeini Airport opened in 2004, most of its international flights have been transferred to the IKA. The Mehrabad is now the primary airport for domestic flights. Our destination was Kermanshah.

In the plane I happened to sit next to our tour guide Mr. Musa. I talked to him in Farsi, and he looked surprised at me. “Farsi baladid?” (Do you understand Farsi?) he asked.“Bale, Ye kami baladam.” (Yes, I understand a little.) It was true. I had learnt some expressions for daily conversation, which opened the door to Mr. Musa. He spoke fluent Japanese. We talked in Japanese. I inserted Farsi words into my speech, he was pleased with them. “No Japanese travelers have ever spoken Farsi to me.” We enjoyed some chitchat until Kermanshah fardgha in parvaz neshasta (The plane sits down at the kermanshah airport).

Kermanshah is the capital city of Kermanshah Province, 525 kilometers southwest of Tehran. The city is in the heart of the Zagros mountains some 100 kilometers from the border of Iraq. It has a population of more than 800,000. The majority of the inhabitants are Kurds or of Kurdish origin. “This province is a part of Kurdistan,” explained our tour guide. “It was the Median Empire in the ancient time. Kurds are descendants of the Medes.” The Median Empire prospered from 678 B.C., but was conquered in 550 B.C. by Cyrus the Great (600 or 576 B.C-530 B.C), who established the Achaemenid Empire.

Many empires rise and fall one after another in Iranian history. I don’t name all the names. However, I think this country has a geopolitical charm that has kept inspiring the imperial ambition of the conquerors.

In the modern time former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein was also ambitious for this country. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Hussein took advantage of Iran’s revolutionary chaos and invaded this country on September 22, 1980. From that day the Iran-Iraq War continued for 8 years. The United States supported Hussein, and at the same time secretly sold arms to Iran, which brought about the Iran-Contra scandal to the Reagan administration. Mr. Musa said, “Through the war millions were killed on both sides. Kermanshah was hardest hit. It has never fully recovered.”

We took a tour bus along 5 kilometers north. There was the historical park “Taq-e Bostan” where is a series of large rock relief carved in the period of the Sassanid Empire (224-651).

The Achaemenid and Sassanid Empires are recognized as the most important periods in history, for the Persian territory was remarkably expanded under the both empires. At peak size the Achaemenid encompassed 8 million square kilometers from Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, to Central Asia to India. On the other hand, the Sassanid seemed to reach 6.6 million square kilometers roughly within the frontiers achieved by the Achaemenid. 

They are often compared to each other. While the Achaemenid peak leader was Cyrus the Great, the Sassanid one was King Khosrau II (570-628). A guide book says that the latter king was carved in the rock-face relief in Taq-e Bostan.

We entered the park, walked a road under the shade of plane trees and then found ourselves in front of a large blue pond reflecting craggy mountains behind it and the brilliant sky. Its source is spring water from the mountains. A quiet view stretched out before us.

A quiet spring scenery in Taq-e Bostan

Taq-e Bostan, literally meaning the arch of paradise, was an oasis on the Silk Road in the ancient times. This place must have been a real paradise for the caravan travelers and nomadic people who had struggled through hot and dry deserts or rocky mountains. Sassanid kings had their greatness carved on the rock walls along the road in order to appeal it to the passersby.

Our tour guide introduced us to the largest relief of King Khosrau II. Looking up, we saw the investiture scene in the upper part. It depicts that he is standing with Anahita, goddess of water on his right, and Ahura Mazda, the highest deity of Zoroastrianism on his left who presents him the diadem of sovereignty of the empire. The down part relief shows the king in full armor mounting a horse. Khosrau II conquered the Roman provinces of the Middle East in wars with the Byzantine Empire. This must have been a triumphant moment in his reign. 

The relief of Khosrau II

One of the winged female figures like NIke

I was attracted by two winged female figures at the top of the relief. Each having a garland in her right hand, they look like Nike, goddess of victory in Greek mythology. Khosrau II wanted to add the Greco-Roman elements to his relief in order to show his power reaching the Occident. But his last years were full of difficulties. He was finally assassinated by his son, and was the last great king of Persia before Arab conquered the country.

The relief of the investiture of Ardashir II

The other reliefs in Taq-e Bostan include representations of the investitures of Ardashir II (379-383) and Shapur III (383-388) under the Sassanid Empire. We looked around the park to see them one by one. Every king has abundant curly hair, wears a big crown and elegant robes, and holds a long sword. All of the kings boasted of their power, authenticity, and glory.

When I came to myself by the side of the pond, I found a boy giving bread crumbs to ducks in water. Now there was no empire, no king, no glory. All things disappeared like a dream on a spring night.

Beautiful Iran 1 - A Nightmare of "Argo"

“Is it OK for you to travel around Iran?” one of my friends asked me when I talked about the plan of my trip to Iran. “I’m sure I’ve heard of no accident.”  “I don’t mean that. Iran is a country of terror, isn’t it?”

This was a typical reaction of Japanese people toward Iran, for the mass media usually flow the negative news against this country; for example, Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the United Nations sanctions led by U.S. government, and Iran’s warning of the Strait of Hormuz closure... 

On the night of April 17, 2013, my wife and I, together with our 12 fellow travelers, 4 men and 8 women, got aboard Emirates A 380 and departed from Narita, Tokyo to Tehran. 

Incidentally, in the plane I watched the best picture of the 2013 Academy Awards, “Argo”, which was uploaded in the list of in-flight movies.  

In November 1979, to support the Iranian Revolution, a group of Islamist students stormed in the U.S. Embassy in Teheran and captured 52 American staff members, which ignited a 444 day hostage crisis. During the seizure, 6 American diplomats fled out and took shelter at the residence of Canadian Ambassador. The story of “Argo” is that CIA operative Tony Mendez led their rescue by making up a cover story for the 6 fugitives being Canadian staff of the SF film “Argo”. At the scene Ben Affleck as Mendez entered into Tehran, I felt uneasy to look at an executed man hanging from a crane.

We arrived at Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport in the morning of April 18. Before getting off the plane women had to dress themselves with a scarf around the head and loose clothes to hide their body lines, because our tour conductor said even tourists or foreigners must obey Islamic dress-code. 

Going through the arrival gate to the baggage claim, we came across two airport workers riding on a small electric vehicle. One of them spoke a very fluent Japanese to us, “Konnichiwa, Iran ni yōkoso.” (Hello, welcome to Iran)   

“Nihongo jōzudane,” (Your Japanese is good) said a woman of our group.

“Datte Nihonjin dakarane.” (Because I am a Japanese) He made a joke. 

“Kami ga mietara ikenaidesho,” (It is banned to show our hair, isn’t it) she asked.

“Daijōbudayo. datte obāchanjanaika.” (It’s OK, because you are an old lady)

All of us bursted into laugh. 

“Jōdandayo. Iran ni yōkoos,” (It’s a joke. Welcome to Iran) he said and drived away. 

But what he said was true. No Iranian authorities paid attention to Japanese elderly ladies’ hair. 

  

On the way to the hotel by sightseeing bus I found, fortunately, no body dangling from a crane anywhere. Looking out of the window, I saw cranes working for high buildings under construction instead.   

There are many high buildings under construction in Tehran

I asked our guide Mr. Musa about the public execution: “Before this trip I checked Zahedan near the border of Pakistan on the internet, for a big earthquake had taken place there. I found a picture of three men publicly executed. Is the execution carried out in public in Iran?”

“I don’t think so, but some people wish it,” he answered. The Guardian (January 31, 2008) reported that Iran banned the public execution except in cases approved by the judiciary chief. I think it was a good decision for the civilized society.

We were involved in a trafic jam in the center of the city. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch. There I ate Persian cuisine for the first time. I think whether you can love the country you travel depends on whether you can taste the traditional cuisine the people usually eat there. 

We ate Abgoosht. ‘Ab’ means water, ‘goosht’ meat in Farsi, and Abgoosht is in fact a meat and vegetable stew. It is a traditional peasant food in Iran usually made with lamb, chickpeas, white beans, onion, potato, tomato, and black lime. The stew simmers for hours.

A boy mashed meat and vegetables in the pot.

We soaked pieces of nan in the broth. 

Abgoosht was served in a small pot. First we took only the broth and soaked pieces of nan (flatbread) in it and ate them like a soup. Next we mashed the remaining meat and vegetables until it became a well-mixed paste. We ate it with fresh nan. Abgoosht tastes simple with salt and pepper, but that flavor is universal in the Middle East and the Central Asia, that I have experienced from the east Turkey to Syria and Jordan. 

As the law bans the sale of alcohol drinks in a restaurant, we were drinking non-alcoholic beer, soda, or water. I found our bus driver pouring white fluid into a glass from a jug at the next table. I asked him in my smattering Farsi, “What is it?” “Doogh,” he answered, filled another glass and gave it to me. I gulped it. It was a cold yogurt-based drink. “Not sweat, but very tasty. It is like Ayran in Turkey,” said I. Doogh was seasoned with mint and salt. The driver, whose name was Golam, nodded and smiled.  

After that experience, I acquired a taste for Doogh. Since then I always ordered it at meals. 

A nightmare of “Argo” disappeared from my mind. 

Azadi Square in Tehran