File:Eshkaft-e Salman I.jpg

English: Elamite rock relief said Eshkaft-e Salman I depicting a religious office at Eshkaft-e Salman (Salomon’s cave), also known as the “temple of Tarisha”. It was discovered in the 19th century by the british orientalist traveller and archaeologist Austen Henry Layard. The relief is the first of a serial of 4 carved in and around the spring located in the cave by Elamite King Hanni, 8th-7th centuries BCE. Religious theme is a classic in Elamite rock reliefs, and it is not surprising to find such reliefs around a spring as water was holy. But the first and second reliefs of the site are also remarquable for having a family theme with the very first representations of a queen : from the left to the right, it shows Shutruru (high priest and dignitary) performing the office above an altar, then King Hanni with hands joined, one of his sons, then the queen with a gesture of respect . After Elamite times, no queen will be represented on any rock relief until Sasanian king Bahram II and the second Persian empire. Cuneiform inscriptions written in Neo-Elamite explains the scene. All the characters look in the direction of the spring. City of Izeh, Khuzestan province, Iran, April 2008.