Persepolis (Iran): The Glory of the Ceremonial Capital of the Persian Empire
Located at the foot of Kuh-e Rahmat (Mountain of Mercy) in the plain of Marvdasht in Fars Province, Iran, are the spectacular remains of Persepolis. Meaning "City of Persians" in Greek, and known as "Parsa" to its creators, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was not merely a city in the conventional sense, but the magnificent ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Founded by Darius the Great in about 518 BCE, and developed by his successors Xerxes I and Artaxerxes I, Persepolis was a symbol of imperial power, religious tolerance, and artistic creativity. A Symbol of Imperial Power: The Achaemenid Empire, at its peak, was the greatest empire the world had ever known, extending from the Balkans and Egypt in the west to the Indus Valley in the east. Persepolis was intended to represent this unmatched supremacy. Built on a vast, partially artificial, partially natural platform, the complex was a marvel of engineering and architecture. The foun...