There are quite a few signs left from the Assyrian rulers in western Iran. They plundered and killed in their successive raids on the neighboring civilizations in the west of the Iranian plateau. Then they left a stone inscription or a picture of themselves as a memorial so that future generations would know what harm the Assyrian kings had done to their neighbors and their unparalleled power. The petroglyph of “Tangivar” is an example of the monstrous behavior of Assyrian kings.
Tangivar is a village in Kamyaran district, Kurdistan province. This village is in the beautiful valley of Oraman, and the high Zainaneh mountain gives it a unique view. The Assyrian petroglyph in that village is carved on this same mountain and is known as Tangivar. It is more than 1 meter in height and a little less in width, carved on a solid rock. A little further from there, there is another village called Yuzidar.
Tangivar petroglyphs and inscriptions were carved on the rock in the first millennium BC. The petroglyph is that of Sargon II, and the text is narrated from his harsh language. Sargon II was one of the most famous kings of the Assyrian Empire and ruled a wide area between 722 and 705 BC. He called himself “the king of the four corners of the world” and did not miss any opportunity to encroach on the territory of his far and near and far neighbors and capture and kill them!
Tangivar’s petroglyph inscription is carved on the long beard of the image (Sargon) in cuneiform and Assyrian language, and a part can be seen on his body. This writing tells about the capture of its cities and Sargon’s unjust treatment of the people, and the victories he achieved. Below we will quote translation of part of that script.
The petroglyph and the inscription are 50 m above the ground. It has about 50 lines and begins and ends with prayers to the Assyrian gods and the curse of Sargon’s enemies. It contains words that are very valuable for understanding the mechanism of the Assyrian empire during the time of Sargon II. Part of that writing is as follows: “Sargon II, the great king, the mighty king, the king of the world, the king of Assyria, the conqueror of Babylon, the king of the land of Sumer and Akkad, chosen by the great gods… The gods of Assyria, Nebu and Marduk helped me create a kingdom with a rival and helped me reach the highest position… I defeated the soldiers of the Elamite Humbanigash; I destroyed the land of Kerala, the land of Shurda, the city of Kishsim, the city of Harhar, the land of the Medes, and the land of Elipi. I brought to my knees and defeated the land of the Urartos, I defeated the land of Urartos, I crushed the land of the Andes, and all of them accepted the payment of tribute to surviving… I put Shapataku, the king of the land of the Melos, in iron chains and handcuffs. He set himself on fire in my presence. I destroyed and depopulated all the lands of Nebalu and Casco…”
Remains of a ruined fortress can be seen surrounding this petroglyph. Maybe that fortress was a military base to guard that area. It should also be mentioned that there is a crack in front of the stone inscription, which the natives call Zainaneh (meaning a small prison).
It is not far from the mind that that gap in the heart of the mountain was indeed a prison in the ancient past and during the time of the Assyrians. It is challenging to pass the hill and reach Zainaneh. Field reports inform about the erosion of Tangivar’s writing (Fars news agency report – Esfand 1401) and make maintaining and caring for it more necessary. The frosts of the year’s cold months have caused more damage to this picture and its 27-century writing.
