TEHRAN – The UNESCO-listed Bisotun archaeological site has completed preparations to receive pilgrims travelling to Iraq for Arbaeen commemorations, with authorities planning to hold a handicrafts market along the pilgrimage route, the site’s executive director said on Wednesday.

The management of the World Heritage site said infrastructure had been readied to accommodate visitors passing through the area during the annual pilgrimage to the Iraqi city of Karbala, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, Mirase-Aria reported on Wednesday.

Executive Director Samet Ejraei said the handicrafts market was intended to provide services for pilgrims while introducing them to the region’s traditional arts.

“We aim to manage visitor flows and provide services alongside these historical monuments so that pilgrims have an opportunity to rest and experience the area’s cultural heritage during their journey,” Ejraei said.

He said Bisotun’s historical and natural attractions, including the Darius inscription, the Hercules statue, the Sassanian palace, the Farhad Tarash rock face, the Safavid-era Shah Abbasi Caravanserai, Hunters’ Cave, springs and a lake, make it a stop for both tourists and pilgrims.

In Shia Islam, Arbaeen marks 40 days after Ashura, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (A.S.), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Each year, millions of pilgrims travel, many on foot, to the Iraqi holy city of Karbala to commemorate the occasion.

Bisotun, in western Iran’s Kermanshah province, was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2006. Located on the ancient trade route linking the Iranian plateau with Mesopotamia, the archaeological site contains remains spanning prehistoric times through the Median, Achaemenid, Sassanian and Ilkhanid periods.Bisotun’s best-known monument is the rock relief and trilingual cuneiform inscription commissioned by Achaemenid King Darius I around 521 BC, documenting his accession to the Persian throne and military campaigns to consolidate the empire.

AM