TEHRAN – Drilling deep wells near Naqsh-e Rostam, a royal rock-hewn necropolis in Fars province, southern Iran, has been banned over probable subsidence of land and damage to the ancient site.

Drilling new wells are subject to gain official permission from the cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts department general, CHTN reported.

Naqsh-e Rostam, meaning “Picture of Rostam”, incorporates memorials of the Elamites, the Achaemenids and the Sassanians. It is where four Persian Achaemenid kings are laid to rest, those of Darius II, Artaxerxes I, Darius I and Xerxes I (from left to right facing the cliff), although some historians are still debating this.

There are gorgeous bas-relief carvings above the tomb chambers that are similar to those in Persepolis, with the kings standing on thrones supported by figures representing the subject nations below.

Beneath the funerary chambers are dotted with seven Sassanian era (224–651) bas-reliefs cut into the cliff depict vivid scenes of imperial conquests and royal ceremonies; signboards below each relief give a detailed description in English.

AFM/MG