Introducing Persepolis

Magnificent Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid; admission IR5000; 7.30am-5pm Nov-Mar, 8am-6pm summer) embodies the greatest successes of the ancient Achaemenid Empire… And its final demise. The monumental staircases, exquisite reliefs and imposing gateways leave you in no doubt how grand this city was and how totally dominant the empire that built it. Equally, the broken and fallen columns attest that the end of empire was emphatic. Persepolis is a result of the vast body of skill and knowledge gathered from throughout the Achaemenids’ empire. It is Persian in ideology and design, but truly international in its superb architecture and artistic execution.

This multicultural concoction is alone in the ancient world, and while largely ruined it remains the greatest surviving masterpiece of the ancient Near Eastern civilisations. Respected scholar Arthur Upham Pope ably summed up the philosophy behind Persepolis in Introducing Persian Architecture (published by Tuttle in 1982).

Humane sentiments found expression in the nobility and sheer beauty of the building: more rational and gracious than the work of the Assyrians or Hittites, more lucid and humane than that of the Egyptians. The beauty of Persepolis is not the accidental counterpart of mere size and costly display; it is the result of beauty being specifically recognised as sovereign value.

Some historians believe the site of Persepolis was chosen by Cambyses II, son of Cyrus the Great, but work did not begin until after Darius I (the Great) took the throne in 518 BC. It was added to by a host of subsequent kings, including Xerxes I and II, and Artaxerxes I, II and III, over a period of more than 150 years.

The ruins you see today are a mere shadow of Persepolis’ former glory. But their very existence is due in part to the fact the ancient city was lost for centuries, totally covered by dust and sand. It wasn’t until the 1930s that extensive excavations revealed its glories once again.

Note that there is little shade at Persepolis and from May until early October it can be sweltering, so bring a hat and water. For computer illustrations of Persepolis in all its glory, see www.persepolis3D.com.