Persepolis
The ceremonial capital of the Achaemenids, begun by Darius the Great; a symbol of ancient Iranian grandeur, later burned by Alexander.
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- Founder
- Darius the Great, c. 518 BCE
- Destruction
- By Alexander, 330 BCE
- UNESCO inscription
- 1979
- Persian name
- Takht-e Jamshid
Detail
Persepolis (Old Persian Parsa; Greek 'city of the Persians') was the magnificent ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Darius the Great around 518 BCE and expanded by his successors, especially Xerxes. The palace complex was built on a vast half-natural, half-artificial terrace in the province of Fars and includes the Apadana palace, the Gate of All Nations, the Hall of a Hundred Columns, and the splendid reliefs of subject nations bringing tribute in a Nowruz-like ceremony. Persepolis was captured and burned by the army of Alexander of Macedon in 330 BCE. Its ruins are today a symbol of Iranian national pride and were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
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Also appears in
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — 'Persepolis' (ref. 114)
- Encyclopaedia Iranica — 'Persepolis'
- Britannica — 'Persepolis'