Xerxes’s inscription

The trilingual cuneiform inscription sits carved on a smoothed rock face near Van Castle, positioned twenty meters above ground level.

King Xerxes I completed this inscription between 486-465 BCE on a surface initially prepared by his father Darius in the Achaemenid province of Armenia.

The inscription contains twenty-seven lines written in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian, demonstrating the multilingual nature of the Achaemenid Empire.

Visitors need specialized equipment and guidance to examine the inscription due to its elevated position on the mountainside near Van Castle.

This inscription represents one of the few authenticated Old Persian royal texts discovered outside the geographical boundaries of ancient Persia.

GPS coordinates: 38.50321,43.33913

Latest update: April 16, 2025 15:02