7:50 am. Sat in the morning sun below a truly awesome crag, Bisotun, 32 km west of Kermanshah. [Bisotun is a World Heritage site, where (amongst other things) there is a bas-relief due to Darius I, dating from 521 BC (when he rose to the throne of the Persian Empire). According to the guidebooks, there are also remains from the Median period (8th to 7th centuries B.C.) as well as from the Achaemenid (6th to 4th centuries B.C.) and post-Achaemenid periods. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1222 ]
Last night when we arrived below this awesome piece of rock it looked like four pitches or something. Now I can see the true scale of the thing, say at least 16 pitches high! Despite being part of such an important an archeaological site there is a climbing too, and access should be possible, so long as we keep well to the left of the archaeological remains. The crag extends for several km. Indeed this might be the crag to climb on in Iran.
Not a brilliant camping site - (gravel car park), so slept on the bus. Would much prefer to camp though. [Later I was able to pitch my tent amongst some trees.] A good day - started climbing about 8 am, after a breakfast of very runny scrambled eggs. No (climbing) guidebook - just walked up to the foot of the cliff and started up (in hindsight) a very audacious line. First pitch (Simon led) okay, but second pitch unprotected. Climbing up a single fluting - looked like a good crack line, but wasn't. 
Climbed up twenty feet (5a/b-ish) then had to try and reverse it back down. Scary stuff. Draped a (useless) sling around a thyme (?) bush growing out of the cliff, a few useless wires etc. Anyway, got back down, went left and climbed a wandering line. Simon led a third pitch. Nothing special - but nice to be climbing in Iran! (Yellow line). Abseiled off. 1.5 litres of Iranian Fanta (called Zam Zam) for lunch. Then tackled a three pitch crack climb (all trad) (right hand side of the cliff). Done by others who said it was HS but I'd give it HVS 4c - there was a lot of it and sustained. A fine route (***), needing some power - long too - three abseils to get off it. It's hot here during the day - 
forty degrees in the shade - important to drink enough water (or Zam Zam). After the second route had a Spiderman Ice Lolly - an odd potato-like taste to this Iranian ice cream. Lots of Iranian women - brought by the coach load - wearing chador, watching us climb: an odd sight to my Western eyes. Seems okay for me to wear (beige) climbing pants and tee shirt. Baseball cap (sometimes helmet) is a must - also found a Buff soaked in water keeps my neck cooler in the heat.
Climbed up twenty feet (5a/b-ish) then had to try and reverse it back down. Scary stuff. Draped a (useless) sling around a thyme (?) bush growing out of the cliff, a few useless wires etc. Anyway, got back down, went left and climbed a wandering line. Simon led a third pitch. Nothing special - but nice to be climbing in Iran! (Yellow line). Abseiled off. 1.5 litres of Iranian Fanta (called Zam Zam) for lunch. Then tackled a three pitch crack climb (all trad) (right hand side of the cliff). Done by others who said it was HS but I'd give it HVS 4c - there was a lot of it and sustained. A fine route (***), needing some power - long too - three abseils to get off it. It's hot here during the day - 
forty degrees in the shade - important to drink enough water (or Zam Zam). After the second route had a Spiderman Ice Lolly - an odd potato-like taste to this Iranian ice cream. Lots of Iranian women - brought by the coach load - wearing chador, watching us climb: an odd sight to my Western eyes. Seems okay for me to wear (beige) climbing pants and tee shirt. Baseball cap (sometimes helmet) is a must - also found a Buff soaked in water keeps my neck cooler in the heat.
2 comments:
Wow, nice routes, esp. the middle one (?).
Quick question: why do the routes not end at the top? Is it harder to set up trad anchors there, I guess?
The climbing gets easier after three or so pitches; scrambling to the top is possible, followed by a bit of a trek down and around (but all in Iranian sun), abseiling is quicker - except when the ropes jam!
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