[2] The town is at the foot of Bisotun Mountain, the flank of which is the location of an important historical site.

The imperial road from Ekbatana to Babylon passed at the foot of the mountain.

On the rocky slopes king Darius I left the Behistun Inscription.

Late Sasanian rulers prepared a large piece of rock for another victory relief which was never finished because of the subsequent Arab invasion.

[citation needed] Later folklore connected this place to the legend of Farhad and Shirin.