Iranian archaeologists have successfully unearthed the remnants of Khosrow Parviz's last palace beneath the remains of the Ilkhanid caravanserai in the Bisotun plain in Iran's Kermanshah province.

Previous archaeological excavations in Bisotun plain have resulted in the discovery of a number of chambers belonging to a caravanserai dating back to the Ilkhanid dynastic era (1256-1336 AD).

The Ilkhanid caravanserai were scraped as part of the construction of the last palace of Khosrow Parviz, the last emperor of Sassanian dynasty, which collapsed as a result of the Arab invasion of 651 AD.

"The construction of this Sassanid palace was left unfinished and later during Ilkhanid era it was changed into a caravanserai. The chambers of this caravanserai were erected around an 80x85 square meters area," said Mehdi Rahbar, head of Bisotun excavation team.

Rahbar said the name of the stonemason was also carved on the stones.

According to a Cultural Heritage News (CHN) Agency report, previous archaeological studies have also shown that an earthquake completely destroyed the caravanserai.

Afterwards during the Timurid era (1370-1506 AD) the caravanserai was used every now and then by some groups and then it was completely abandoned.

Later a village was erected on the ruins of this ancient caravanserai during Qajar dynastic era (1787-1921 AD).

Bisotun is located along the ancient trade route linking the Iranian high plateau with Mesopotamia and features remains from the prehistoric times to the Median, Achaemenid, Sassanian, and Ilkhanid periods.

The principal monument of this archaeological site is the bas-relief and cuneiform inscription ordered by Darius I, the Great, the Achaemenid King, when he rose to the throne of the Persian Empire in 521 BC.

Bisotun was inscribed in list of UNESCO's World Heritage Site in 2006.