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Saturday 2004-05-29 - Kermānshāh, Iran
Ancient history
On our way to Hamedān we make a stop at Kermānshāh to visit Taq-e Bostan (“Shelter of God”) near Bisotun where one can see splendid reliefs and some architectural remains from the Sassanid era. The reliefs are in their original location, hewn from the rock wall, and depict kings and gods of the Sassanids, such as Mithra (recognizable by the sun rays around his head), a tree of life (acanthus leaves), hunting scenes showing elephants used to flush the deer from their shelter, a female deer with a ribbon round her neck used to attract the males, and a hunting goddess (the equivalent of the Greek Artemis). It’s one of the best examples of ancient Persian art.
Saturday 2004-05-29 - Kangāvar, Iran
More ancient history
Our next stop is at Kangāvar, halfway between Hamedān and Kermānshāh, where we (or at least some of us) visit the site of the Anahita temple. Only a few pillars are left to stand now, but the outlines of the original buildings can still be seen. The whole complex was burnt at the Arabian invasion - some ashes from that disaster were found by archaeologists. Of the largest building, which originally had 48 pillars, a few still stand: impressively heavy, more than a meter thick, but only some 4 meters high, with a square undecorated capitol. Walls built from small stones were Sassanid, ones with large blocks are from the Parthian period.
Anahita was a fertility goddess. The whole site is unique for several reasons: because it’s the first temple built for a goddess but also because the Zoroastrians for the first time built one of their fire temples next to that of a goddess here.
Saturday 2004-05-29 - Hamedān, Iran
Mirror, mirror on the wall … no, everywhere!
The hotel in Hamedān is inconveniently far outside the town center - and there’s a big thunderstorm when we arrive. Carla and I decide to stay in the hotel; inside practically every surface except the floor is covered in faceted mirrors, with glaring white lights in-between: truly dazzling. I attempt to catch the glitter in a photograph — it’s hard to know how that will turn out: glaring lights tend to confuse my camera’s light meter…
Another surprise: for the first time in Iran we see ladies behind the reception desk.
