Bisotun, an ancient Iranian site bearing bas-reliefs and inscriptions of Darius the Great, received the world heritage certificate of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) during a ceremony in Kermashah. UNESCO grants the official document to the sites and monuments, which have previously been registered on the World Heritage List.

Located in western Iran some 30 kilometers east of the provincial capital Kermanshah and at the foot of the Zagros Mountains, Bisotun was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on July 2006. UNESCO officials compared Bisotun with Persepolis and the Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat, other registered Iranian ancient sites, and said that each site faces some urgent problems.

Officials have warned about the lichen growing on the bas-reliefs and inscriptions, and construction of industrial projects on the perimeter of Bisotun as significant threats posed by the forces of nature and by humans towards the site.

Source: Tehran Times, Read More About Bisotun