TAQ-E BOSTAN

or Taq-i-Bustan, village in western Iran, just northeast of Kermanshah city. It is known for its rock carvings (bas-reliefs) of Sasanid origin (3rd to 7th century AD). The carvings, some of the finest and best-preserved examples of Persian sculpture under the Sasanians, include representations of the investitures of Ardashir II (reigned AD 379383) and of Shapur III (383388), the latter in a man-made cave carved in the form of an iwan (three-sided, barrel-vaulted hall, open at one end).