Persepolis

The Fars Province is a province in Iran that boasts the country’s history in its heart as the city of Parseh is located at its center and Persepolis has been built approximately 10 kilometers north of the Marvdasht County, and 57 kilometers of the city of Shiraz (the central city of Fars Province).

Although it has been a couple of thousand years from the construction of Persepolis (aka Hazar Sotun, Sad Sotun, Chehel Menar, etc.) it still has reserved its unique glory and magnificence. The construction of Persepolis began in 518 B.C as the new capital of the Achaemenid Empire in the city of Parseh. Achaemenid was the ancient kingdom (330-550 B.C – 220 years) which was established by Cyrus the Great.

 

To appreciate the grandeur of this construct it only suffices to enter the main gate and by seeing the huge stairway in the front, you will realize how competent and powerful the Achaemenid architects were in designing and building such structures.

 

This stairway which is decorated with beautiful inscriptions each recounting a part of Persepolis’ tale, indicates that Persepolis was utilized as the place to hold Nowruz (the Persian New Year Festivities) and host the special ceremony during which Satraps and Governor Generals presented the kings (Darius, Xerxes, etc.) with gifts. This stone stairway which has 110 narrow and wide steps from each side (each step is 10 cm high) is only a small part of a vast and beautiful city; further along the way you would face the Nations Gateway which is protected by monstrous mythological creatures that are half human, half bull and have eagle wings. To fully see these 10-meter-high creatures you would need to look towards the sky and be careful not to drop your hat as you stare at that them. At the upper side of these gateways, there are inscriptions which in short say: “whatever is beautiful to watch, is made possible by the Ahura Mazda.”

 

Persepolis is located on the western side of the Rahmat, Mitra or Mehr Mount, and based on an old story it has taken 120 years for this structure to be built, even though it can be argued from the unfinished palaces seen within the area, the construction of the site was never fully completed. To better appreciate the glory of Persepolis you should know that the length of Persepolis is the same as Acropolis but its width is 4 or 5 times the width of Acropolis. The full spread of Persepolis’ Palaces is 125000 m2.

 

Certainly one of the most dazzling attractions of Persepolis is its relief inscriptions. Indented walls, designs of lotus, cedars, mythological creatures which are a combination of bulls, lions, eagles etc. each having a story to tell and bewitch the visitors. There are signs from 23 nations in Persepolis such as the Medes, the Indians, the Phoenicians, the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Assyrians etc. and they all have been represented as a separate and independent character.

Even though the Persepolis Site includes important parts such as the Formal and Ceremonial Palaces (The Nations Palace), the Seating House and small exclusive palaces (The Tachara Palace, the Hadish Palace, the Queen Palace, the Sad Sotun Palace, the Council Palace) The King’s Treasury, The Security Castle and the Battlement, the Entrance Stairways and the King Xerxes Gateway etc., the most significant of all in this great city would be the Apadana Palace.

 

The Apadana Palace is one of the oldest palaces in the Persepolis area. This Palace was built by King Darrius’ order (one of the Achaemenid Kings) and was used for the New Year Ceremonies (Nowruz) and also the reception of the delegates from the affiliate countries in the King’s presence.

At the moment, only 14 pillars out of the 72 composing pillars of the Apadana Palace are still intact (each pillar weighs about 90 tons). Still, the glory and the beauty of these remaining pillars is enough to realize and appreciate the magnificence of the Ancient Persian buildings. The bottom part of the pillars in the Palace’s Patio are round while the pillars inside the Palace have a square stub on top of which there sit two headed bulls or two headed lions each weighing about 1.5 tons.

 

The Apadana Palace could also signify the Ancient Persia’s glorious ideologies since the King Darius ordered 4 golden tablets, 4 silver tablets along with some coins to be buried in the four corners of the this Palace under its foundation for us and the people of the future times to receive his message after nearly 2500 years. He stated the following in a section of the 4 inscriptions which have also been carved into Persepolis’ southern walls: “May Ahura Mazda save this land from enemies, bad years, and lies. May this land be free of enemies, bad years and lies. This is the request I say prayers for to Ahura Mazda, the God of the Royal Family.”

9/6/2023 1:38:25 AM