Decision : 30 COM 8B.41
Nominations of Cultural Properties to the World Heritage List (Bisotun)
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Documents WHC-06/30.COM/8B and WHC-06/30.COM/INF.8B.1,
2. Inscribes Bisotun, Islamic Republic of Iran, on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iii):
Criterion (ii): The monument created by Darius I The Great in Bisotun in 521 BC is an outstanding testimony to the important interchange of human values on the development monumental art and writing. The symbolic representation of the Achaemenid king in relation to his enemy reflects traditions in monumental bas-reliefs that date from ancient Egypt and the Middle East, and which were subsequently further developed during the Achaemenid and later empires.
Criterion (iii): The site of Bisotun is located along one of the main routes linking Persia with Mesopotamia and associated with the sacred Bisotun mountain. There is archaeological evidence of human settlements that date from the prehistoric times, while the most significant period was from 6th century BC to AD 6th century. The Bisotun inscription is unique being the only known monumental text of the Achaemenids to document a specific historic event, that of the re-establishment of the Empire by Darius I The Great. It was the first cuneiform writing to be deciphered in the 19th century.
3. Requests the State Party to report on the design and construction of access routes to the site and the development and design of eventual visitor facilities, before such works are undertaken.
Original Decision Document