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{{Short description|Ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire}}{{About|the ancient city}}{{too many photos|date=January 2024}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

factoids

| native_name_lang = | alternate_name = | image =| image_size =300 | alt = | caption = frame=yeszoom=11frame-long=52.892id=Q129072 |title=City map interactiveid2=Q129072title2=zones|marker=city}}| map_type = Iran#West Asia| map_alt = | map_caption = | map_size = | altitude_m = | altitude_ref = | relief = yes29.93552.890display=inline,title}}| map_dot_label = Marvdasht, Fars Province, IranLOCATION OF PERSEPOLIS PUBLISHER=GOOGLE MAPS ARCHIVE-DATE=20 APRIL 2023 URL-STATUS=LIVE, | region = | type = Settlement| part_of = | length = | width = | area = | volume = | diameter = | circumference = | height = | builder = Darius I, Xerxes I and Artaxerxes I| material = Limestone, mud-brick, cedar wood| built = 6th century BC| abandoned =330 BC | epochs = Achaemenid EmpirePersian people>Persian| dependency_of = | occupants = | event =

• Battle of the Persian Gates
• Macedonian sack of Persepolis
• Nowruz
• The 2,500 Year Celebration of the Persian Empire| discovered = | excavations = | archaeologists = | condition = in ruins| ownership = | management = Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran| public_access = Open| other_designation =

persepolis.ir|persepolis.ir}}Achaemenid architecture>Achaemenid| architectural_details = | designation1 = WHS| designation1_offname = Persepolis(3rd session)}}| designation1_number = 114| designation1_criteria = i, iii, vi| designation1_type = Cultural| designation1_free1name = RegionList of World Heritage Sites in Asia and Australasia>Asia-Pacific}}Persepolis ({{IPAc-en||p|É™r|ˈ|s|É›|p|É™|l|ɪ|s}}; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire ({{c.|550–330 BC}}). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian Cultural heritages. The city of Shiraz is situated {{cvt|60|km}} southwest of Persepolis. UNESCO declared the ruins of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979.WEB, Pasargadae, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2006, 26 December 2010,whc.unesco.org/en/list/1106, 5 March 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200305132459/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1106, live, The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. The city, acting as a major center for the empire, housed a palace complex and citadel designed to serve as the focal point for governance and ceremonial activities.BOOK, Gates, Charles, Ancient cities: the archaeology of urban life in the ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome, 2011, Routledge, 978-0-203-83057-4, 2nd, London, 186–187, It exemplifies the Achaemenid style of architecture. The complex was taken by the army of Alexander the Great in 330 BC, and soon after, its wooden parts were completely destroyed by fire, likely deliberately.The function of Persepolis remains unclear. It was not one of the largest cities in Persia, let alone the rest of the empire, but appears to have been a grand ceremonial complex that was only occupied seasonally; the complex was raised high on a walled platform, with five “palaces” or halls of varying size, and grand entrances. It is still not entirely clear where the king’s private quarters actually were. Until recently, most archaeologists held that it was primarily used for celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, held at the spring equinox, which is still an important annual festivity in Iran. The Iranian nobility and the tributary parts of the empire came to present gifts to the king, as represented in the stairway reliefs. It is also unclear what permanent structures there were outside the palace complex; it may be better to think of Persepolis as only one complex rather than a “city” in the usual sense.Mousavi, Ali, Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder, p. 53, 2012, Walter de Gruyter, {{ISBN|978-1614510338}}, Google Books {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420100934books.google.com/books?id=KorZMqmTOJgC&pg=PA53 |date=20 April 2023 }}The exploration of Persepolis from the early 17th century led to the modern rediscovery of cuneiform writing and, from detailed studies of the trilingual Achaemenid royal inscriptions found on the ruins, the initial decipherment of cuneiform in the early 19th century.BOOK, Persepolis, VI. Persepolis and the Puzzle of Cuneiform Inscriptions, Ali, Mousavi, De Gruyter, 2012-03-14, 10.1515/9781614510338.113, 113–122, 978-1-61451-028-4, In this way, the exploration of the ancient ruins at Persepolis proved to be an important key to the development of historical and archaeological studies in the first half of the nineteenth century.,

Etymology

Persepolis is derived from the Greek , a compound of {{transliteration|grc|PérsÄ“s}} () and {{transliteration|grc|pólis}} (, together meaning “the Persian city” or “the city of the Persians“). To the ancient Persians, the city was known as {{transliteration|peo|Pārsa}} (), which is also the word for the region of Persia.Bailey, H.W. (1996) “Khotanese Saka Literature”, in Ehsan Yarshater (ed), The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol III: The Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian Periods, Part 2 (reprint edition), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 1230.BOOK, Seven Wonders of the Ancient Middle East, Michael Woods, Mary B. Woods, Twenty-First Century Books, 2008, 26–28,archive.org/details/sevenwondersofan0000wood_e8u9, registration, Persepolis means., 978-0822575733, (File:Persepolis east side at spring.jpg|thumb|left|As is typical of Achaemenid cities, Persepolis was built on a (partially) artificial platform.)An inscription left in 311 AD by Sasanian Prince Shapur Sakanshah, the son of Hormizd II, refers to the site as {{transliteration|pal|Sad-stÅ«n}}, meaning “Hundred Pillars”.ENCYCLOPEDIA,www.iranicaonline.org/articles/capital-cities, A. Shapur, Capital Cities– Encyclopaedia Iranica, Shahbazi, C. Edmund, Bosworth, 1990, IV, 768–774, Encyclopædia Iranica, 5 August 2018, 10 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210410060733/https://iranicaonline.org/articles/capital-cities, live, Because medieval Persians attributed the site to Jamshid,BOOK, Holland, Tom, In the Shadow of the Sword, 2012, Little, Brown, 978-1408700075, 118–122, a king from Iranian mythology, it has been referred to as {{transliteration|fa|Takht-e-Jamshid}} (, {{transliteration|fa|Taxt e JamÅ¡Ä«d}}; {{IPA-fa|ËŒtæxtedʒæmˈʃiːd|}}), literally meaning “Throne of Jamshid”. Another name given to the site in the medieval period was {{transliteration|fa|ÄŒehel Menâr}} (, “Forty Minarets“), transcribed as in De Silva Figueroa and as Chilminar in early English sources.{{citation |last= |first= |editor-last=Smellie |editor-first=William |editor-link=William Smellie (encyclopedist) |display-editors=0 |title=(:s:Encyclopædia Britannica, First Edition|Encyclopædia Britannica) |edition=1st |volume=II |contribution=(:s:Encyclopædia Britannica, First Edition/Chilminar|Chilminar) |date=1771 |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Colin Macfarquhar |pages=183–184}}.

Geography

Persepolis is near the small river Pulvar, which flows into the Kur River. The site includes a {{cvt|125,000|m2}} terrace, partly artificially constructed and partly cut out of a mountain, with its east side leaning on Rahmat Mountain.

History

(File:Persepolis.webm|thumb|Reconstruction of Persepolis (Latin with English subtitles))

Construction

Archaeological evidence shows that the earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. André Godard, the French archaeologist who excavated Persepolis in the early 1930s, believed that it was Cyrus the Great who chose the site of Persepolis, but that it was Darius I who built the terrace and the palaces. Inscriptions on these buildings support the belief that they were constructed by Darius.With Darius I, the sceptre passed to a new branch of the royal house. The country’s true capitals were Susa, Babylon and Ecbatana. This may be why the Greeks were not acquainted with the city until Alexander the Great took and plundered it.File:Darius.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|left|Darius the Great, by Eugène FlandinEugène FlandinFile:Harold f Weston - Iran13.jpg|thumb|upright|Persepolis in 1920s, photo by Harold WestonHarold WestonDarius I’s construction of Persepolis was carried out parallel to that of the Palace of Susa.BOOK, Perrot, Jean, The Palace of Darius at Susa: The Great Royal Residence of Achaemenid Persia, 2013, I.B.Tauris, 978-1848856219, 423,books.google.com/books?id=fDimj7F2VVgC&pg=PA423, en, 25 December 2021, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100929/https://books.google.com/books?id=fDimj7F2VVgC&pg=PA423, live, According to Gene R. Garthwaite, the Susa Palace served as Darius’ model for Persepolis.BOOK, Garthwaite, Gene R., The Persians, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, 978-1405144001, 50,books.google.com/books?id=unG8_JqzYQQC&pg=PA50, en, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100921/https://books.google.com/books?id=unG8_JqzYQQC&pg=PA50, live, Darius I ordered the construction of the Apadana and the Council Hall ({{transliteration|grc|Tripylon}} or the “Triple Gate“), as well as the main imperial Treasury and its surroundings. These were completed during the reign of his son, Xerxes I. Further construction of the buildings on the terrace continued until the downfall of the Achaemenid Empire.2002. Guaitoli. M.T., & Rambaldi, S. Lost Cities from the Ancient World. White Star, spa. (2006 version published by Barnes & Noble. Darius I founded Persepolis in 500 BC as the residence and ceremonial center of his dynasty. p. 164 According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, the Greek historian Ctesias mentioned that Darius I’s grave was in a cliff face that could be reached with an apparatus of ropes.WEB,www.britannica.com/place/Persepolis, Persepolis, Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 October 2017, 10 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210410060736/https://www.britannica.com/place/Persepolis, live, Around 519 BC, construction of a broad stairway was begun. Grey limestone was the main building material used at Persepolis. The uneven plan of the terrace, including the foundation, acted like a castle, whose angled walls enabled its defenders to target any section of the external front.File:General view of the ruins of Persepolis.jpg|General view of the PersepolisFile:Plan of Persepolis.png|Aerial architectural plan of Persepolis

Destruction

File:AlexanderTheGreat Bust.jpg|thumb|upright|Bust of Alexander the Great, British MuseumBritish MuseumAfter invading Achaemenid Persia in 330 BC, Alexander the Great sent the main force of his army to Persepolis by the Royal Road. Diodorus Siculus writes that on his way to the city, Alexander and his army were met by 800 Greek artisans who had been captured by the Persians. Most were elderly and suffered some form of mutilation, such as a missing hand or foot. They explained to Alexander the Persians wanted to take advantage of their skills in the city but handicapped them so they could not easily escape. Alexander and his staff were disturbed by the story and provided the artisans with clothing and provisions before continuing on to Persepolis. Diodorus does not cite this as a reason for the destruction of Persepolis, but it is possible Alexander started to see the city in a negative light after this encounter.WEB, Persepolis,www.worldhistory.org/persepolis/, 2021-02-16, World History Encyclopedia, 17 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210417123147/https://www.worldhistory.org/persepolis/, live, Upon reaching the city, Alexander stormed the Persian Gates, a pass through Zagros Mountains. There Ariobarzanes of Persis successfully ambushed Alexander the Great’s army, inflicting heavy casualties. After being held off for 30 days, Alexander the Great outflanked and destroyed the defenders. Ariobarzanes himself was killed either during the battle or during the retreat to Persepolis. Some sources indicate that the Persians were betrayed by a captured tribal chief who showed the Macedonians an alternate path that allowed them to outflank Ariobarzanes in a reversal of Thermopylae. After several months, Alexander allowed his troops to loot Persepolis.File:Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse Incendie de Persepolis 1890.jpg|thumb|left|“The Burning of Persepolis”, led by Thaïs, 1890, by Georges-Antoine RochegrosseGeorges-Antoine RochegrosseAround that time, a fire burned “the palaces” or “the palace”.It is believed that the fire which destroyed Persepolis started from Hadish Palace, which was the living quarters of Xerxes I, and spread to the rest of the city.NEWS,www.toiran.com/en/directory/shiraz-persepolis-339, toiran.com, Persepolis, 2015-01-02, dead,www.toiran.com/en/directory/shiraz-persepolis-339," title="web.archive.org/web/20150205211047www.toiran.com/en/directory/shiraz-persepolis-339,">web.archive.org/web/20150205211047www.toiran.com/en/directory/shiraz-persepolis-339, 5 February 2015, It is not clear if the fire was an accident or a deliberate act of revenge for the burning of the Acropolis of Athens during the second Persian invasion of Greece. Many historians argue that, while Alexander’s army celebrated with a symposium, they decided to take revenge against the Persians.BOOK, The Chronology of Ancient Nations, Kessinger Publishing, 2004, 978-0-7661-8908-9, 484, Sachau, C. Edward, p. 127 If that is so, then the destruction of Persepolis could be both an accident and a case of revenge. The fire may also have had the political purpose of destroying an iconic symbol of the Persian monarchy that might have become a focus for Persian resistance.Several much later Greek and Roman accounts (including Arrian, Diodorus Siculus and Quintus Curtius Rufus) describe that the burning was the idea of Thaïs, mistress of Alexander’s general Ptolemy I Soter, and possibly of Alexander himself. She is said to have suggested it during a very drunken celebration, according to some accounts to revenge the destruction of Greek sanctuaries (she was from Athens), and either she or Alexander himself set the fire going.Mark, Joshua J. “Alexander the Great & the Burning of Persepolis” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422095918www.worldhistory.org/article/214/alexander-the-great--the-burning-of-persepolis/ |date=22 April 2021 }}, 2018, World History EncyclopediaFile:Joshua Reynoldsre thais.jpg|thumb|upright|ThaïsThaïsThe Book of Arda Wiraz, a Zoroastrian work composed in the 3rd or 4th century, describes Persepolis’ archives as containing “all the Avesta and Zend, written upon prepared cow-skins, and with gold ink”, which were destroyed. Indeed, in his Chronology of the Ancient Nations, the native Iranian writer Biruni indicates unavailability of certain native Iranian historiographical sources in the post-Achaemenid era, especially during the Parthian Empire. He adds: “[Alexander] burned the whole of Persepolis as revenge to the Persians, because it seems the Persian King Xerxes had burnt the Greek City of Athens around 150 years ago. People say that, even at the present time, the traces of fire are visible in some places.“BOOK, Al-Beruni and Persepolis, Acta Iranica, 1, Leiden, 1974, 978-90-04-03900-1, 137–150, Anonimo, Peeters Publishers, Paradoxically, the event that caused the destruction of these texts may have helped in the preservation of the Persepolis Administrative Archives, which might otherwise have been lost over time to natural and man-made events.Wiesehöfer 10–11. According to archaeological evidence, the partial burning of Persepolis did not affect what are now referred to as the Persepolis Fortification Archive tablets, but rather may have caused the eventual collapse of the upper part of the northern fortification wall that preserved the tablets until their recovery by the Oriental Institute’s archaeologists.Henkelman 2008:Ch 2.

After the fall of the Achaemenid Empire

File:Faravahar relief.jpg|thumb|FaravaharFaravaharIn 316 BC, Persepolis was still the capital of Persia as a province of the great Macedonian Empire (see Diodorus Siculus xix, 21 seq., 46; probably after Hieronymus of Cardia, who was living about 326). The city must have gradually declined in the course of time. The lower city at the foot of the imperial city might have survived for a longer time;WEB,www.wondermondo.com/Countries/As/Iran/Fars/Persepolis.htm, Persepolis, Wondermondo, 2012-02-13, 13 February 2012, 28 May 2018,www.wondermondo.com/Countries/As/Iran/Fars/Persepolis.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20180528064826www.wondermondo.com/Countries/As/Iran/Fars/Persepolis.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20180528064826www.wondermondo.com/Countries/As/Iran/Fars/Persepolis.htm, live, but the ruins of the Achaemenids remained as a witness to its ancient glory.The nearby Estakhr gained prominence as a separate city very shortly after the decline of Persepolis. It appears that much of Persepolis’ rubble was used for the building of Istakhr.ENCYCLOPEDIA, Iṣṭak̲h̲r, M., Streck, G.C., Miles, The Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition, P. Bearman, Peri Bearman, Th. Bianquis, Thierry Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, Clifford Edmund Bosworth, E. van Donzel, Emeri Johannes van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs, Wolfhart Heinrichs, Brill Online, 2012,referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/*-SIM_3672, At the time of the Muslim invasion of Persia, Estakhr offered a desperate resistance. It was still a place of considerable importance in the first century of Islam, although its greatness was speedily eclipsed by the new metropolis of Shiraz. In the 10th century, Estakhr dwindled to insignificance. During the following centuries, Estakhr gradually declined, until it ceased to exist as a city.

Archaeological research

{{See also|Nowruz#Achaemenid period}}Odoric of Pordenone may have passed through Persepolis on his way to China in 1320, although he mentioned only a great, ruined city called “Comerum”.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=KorZMqmTOJgC&q=persepolis%20afterlife&pg=PA95, Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder, Mousavi, Ali, 2012, Walter de Gruyter, 978-1614510338, en, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100925/https://books.google.com/books?id=KorZMqmTOJgC&q=persepolis%20afterlife&pg=PA95, live, In 1474, Giosafat Barbaro visited the ruins of Persepolis, which he incorrectly thought were of Jewish origin.BOOK, Historical account of discoveries and travels in Asia, Hugh, Murray, Hugh Murray (geographer), Edinburgh, A. Constable and Co, 1820, 15,archive.org/details/bub_gb_LP4vAAAAYAAJ, Hakluyt’s Voyages included a general account of the ruins of Persepolis attributed to an English merchant who visited Iran in 1568.WEB,ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/h/hakluyt/voyages/v04/chapter11.html, Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation, by Richard Hakluyt : chapter11, ebooks.adelaide.edu.au, 2019-07-03, 3 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190703223548/https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/h/hakluyt/voyages/v04/chapter11.html, dead, BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=cwFPDgAAQBAJ&q=persian+responses&pg=PR3, Persian Responses: Political and Cultural Interaction with(in) the Achaemenid Empire, Tuplin, Christopher, 2007, ISD LLC, 978-1910589465, en, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100925/https://books.google.com/books?id=cwFPDgAAQBAJ&q=persian+responses&pg=PR3, live, António de Gouveia from Portugal wrote about cuneiform inscriptions following his visit in 1602. His report on the ruins of Persepolis was published as part of his in 1611.BOOK, Relaçam em que se tratam as Guerras e Grandes Victorias que alcançou o grande Rei da Persia Xá Abbas do grão Turco Mahometto, e seu filho Amethe: as quais resultaram das Embaixadas, que por mando da Catholica e Real Magestade del Rei D. Felippe segundo de Portugal fizeram alguns Religiosos da ordem dos Ermitas de S. Augustinho à Persia., Gouveia, António de, Pedro Crasbeeck, 1611, Lisboa, 31–32, In 1618, García de Silva Figueroa, King Philip III of Spain’s ambassador to the court of Abbas I, the Safavid monarch, was the first Western traveler to link the site known in Iran as “Chehel Minar” as the site known from Classical authors as Persepolis.BOOK, Road to Babylon: Development of U.S. Assyriology, C. Wade Meade, Brill Archive, 1974, 5–7,books.google.com/books?id=iuAUAAAAIAAJ&q=Garc%C3%ADa+de+Silva+Figueroa+persepolis&pg=PA5, 978-9004038585, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100918/https://books.google.com/books?id=iuAUAAAAIAAJ&q=Garc%C3%ADa+de+Silva+Figueroa+persepolis&pg=PA5, live, {{citation |last=De Silva Figueroa |first=Garcia |authorlink=Garcia de Silva Figueroa |translator-last=De Wicquefort |translator-first=Abraham |translator-link=Abraham de Wicquefort |publisher=Louis Billaine |location=Paris |date=1667 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JY2ruU4atOQC&pg=PA144 |title=L’Ambassade de D. Garcias de Silva Figueroa en Perse... |access-date=29 November 2022 |archive-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129183316books.google.com/books?id=JY2ruU4atOQC&pg=PA144 |url-status=live }}.Pietro Della Valle visited Persepolis in 1621, and noticed that only 25 of the 72 original columns were still standing, due to either vandalism or natural processes.BOOK, تخت جمشيد (Persepolis), M. H. Aminisam, AuthorHouse, 2007, 79–81,books.google.com/books?id=LrS6d-vvCcUC&q=Pietro+della+Valle+persepolis&pg=PA80, 978-1463462529, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100920/https://books.google.com/books?id=LrS6d-vvCcUC&q=Pietro+della+Valle+persepolis&pg=PA80, live, The Dutch traveler Cornelis de Bruijn visited Persepolis in 1704.BOOK, Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder, Ali Mousavi, Walter de Gruyter, 2012, 104–107,books.google.com/books?id=p585AgAAQBAJ&q=Cornelis+de+Bruijn+persepolis&pg=PA106, 978-1614510284, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100926/https://books.google.com/books?id=p585AgAAQBAJ&q=Cornelis+de+Bruijn+persepolis&pg=PA106, live, File:Cornelis de bruijn persepolis.JPG|Sketch of Persepolis from 1704 by Cornelis de BruijnFile:Drawing of perspolis 1713 by Gérard Jean-Baptiste (1671-1716).JPG|Drawing of Persepolis in 1713 by Gérard Jean-BaptisteFile:Persepolis T Chipiez.jpg|Drawing of the Tachara by Charles ChipiezFile:Persepolis Reconstruction Apadana Chipiez.jpg|The Apadana by Charles ChipiezFile:Persepolis Reconstruction Apadana Toit Chipiez.JPEG|Apadana detail by Charles ChipiezFile:Persepolis by Chardin & al.jpg|Persepolis by Jean Chardin, 1711File:Prus dar persepolis.png|Prussia board at Persepolis, 1862–1863File:Ernst Herzfeld.jpg|The first scientific explorations in Persepolis were conducted by Ernst Herzfeld in 1931File:Persepolis Colonne flandin.jpg|The design and details of the columns of PersepolisFile:Persepolis Rec Iso Toit Tach Chipiez.jpg|Roof design of palaces at PersepolisFile:Chipiez 100 colonnes.jpg|The design of the Thorne Hall, Persepolis The fruitful region was covered with villages until its frightful devastation in the 18th century; and even now it is, comparatively speaking, well cultivated. The Castle of Estakhr played a conspicuous part as a strong fortress, several times, during the Muslim period. It was the middlemost and the highest of the three steep crags which rise from the valley of the Kur, at some distance to the west or northwest of the necropolis of Naqsh-e Rustam.The French voyagers Eugène Flandin and Pascal Coste are among the first to provide not only a literary review of the structure of Persepolis, but also to create some of the best and earliest visual depictions of its structure. In their publications in Paris, in 1881 and 1882, titled , the authors provided some 350 ground breaking illustrations of Persepolis. French influence and interest in Persia’s archaeological findings continued after the accession of Reza Shah, when André Godard became the first director of the archeological service of Iran.WEB,www.iranicaonline.org/articles/godard, Godard, André – Encyclopaedia Iranica, www.iranicaonline.org, 2019-07-03, 25 February 2013,www.iranicaonline.org/articles/godard," title="web.archive.org/web/20130225064721www.iranicaonline.org/articles/godard,">web.archive.org/web/20130225064721www.iranicaonline.org/articles/godard, live, In the 1800s, a variety of amateur digging occurred at the site, in some cases on a large scale.Ali Mousavi, Persepolis in Retrospect: Histories of Discovery and Archaeological Exploration at the ruins of ancient Passch, Ars Orientalis, vol. 32, pp. 209–251, 2002The first scientific excavations at Persepolis were carried out by Ernst Herzfeld and Erich Schmidt representing the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. They conducted excavations for eight seasons, beginning in 1930, and included other nearby sites.weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205012019oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/saoc5.pdf|date=5 February 2011}} Ernst E Herzfeld, A New Inscription of Xerxes from Persepolis, Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization, vol. 5, 1932weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205012055oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/oip68.pdf|date=5 February 2011}} Erich F Schmidt, Persepolis I: Structures, Reliefs, Inscriptions, Oriental Institute Publications, vol. 68, 1953weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205013808oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/oip69.pdf|date=5 February 2011}} Erich F Schmidt, Persepolis II: Contents of the Treasury and Other Discoveries, Oriental Institute Publications, vol. 69, 1957weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205014409oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/oip70.pdf|date=5 February 2011}} Erich F Schmidt, Persepolis III: The Royal Tombs and Other Monuments, Oriental Institute Publications, vol. 70, 1970weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205015523oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/oic21.pdf|date=5 February 2011}} Erich F Schmidt, The Treasury of Persepolis and Other Discoveries in the Homeland of the Achaemenians, Oriental Institute Communications, vol. 21, 1939File:Persian frieze designs at Persepolis.jpg|thumb|FriezeFriezeHerzfeld believed that the reasons behind the construction of Persepolis were the need for a majestic atmosphere, a symbol for the empire, and to celebrate special events, especially the Nowruz. For historical reasons, Persepolis was built where the Achaemenid dynasty was founded, although it was not the center of the empire at that time.Excavations of plaque fragments hint at a scene with a contest between Herakles and Apollo, dubbed A Greek painting at Persepolis.JOURNAL,www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-hellenic-studies/article/div-classtitlea-greek-painting-at-persepolisdiv/434BDDF27731A3F6A1DF0874C1CBAA41, 10.2307/630751, 1980, A Greek painting at Persepolis, The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 100, 204–206, 630751, Michael Roaf, Roaf, Michael, Boardman, John, 161864288, 16 October 2017, 16 October 2017,web.archive.org/web/20171016225947/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-hellenic-studies/article/div-classtitlea-greek-painting-at-persepolisdiv/434BDDF27731A3F6A1DF0874C1CBAA41, live,

Architecture

Persepolitan architecture is noted for its use of the Persian column, which was probably based on earlier wooden columns.The buildings at Persepolis include three general groupings: military quarters, the treasury, and the reception halls and occasional houses for the King. Noted structures include the Great Stairway, the Gate of All Nations, the Apadana, the Hall of a Hundred Columns, the Tripylon Hall and the Tachara, the Hadish Palace, the Palace of Artaxerxes III, the Imperial Treasury, the Royal Stables, and the Chariot House.BOOK, From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire, Pierre Briant, Eisenbrauns, 2002, 256–258,books.google.com/books?id=lxQ9W6F1oSYC&q=Persepolis+military+quarter&pg=PA257, 978-1575061207, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100932/https://books.google.com/books?id=lxQ9W6F1oSYC&q=Persepolis+military+quarter&pg=PA257, live,

Remains

{{Comprehensive map of Persepolis}}{{clear}}File:Lotus Achaemenid architecture.JPG|thumb|upright|Reliefs of lotus flowers are frequently used on the walls and monuments at Persepolis.]]Ruins of a number of colossal buildings exist on the terrace. All are constructed of dark-grey marble. Fifteen of their pillars stand intact. Three more pillars have been re-erected since 1970. Several of the buildings were never finished.Behind the compound at Persepolis, there are three sepulchers hewn out of the rock in the hillside. File:Persepolis stairs of the Apadana relief.jpg|A bas-relief from the Apadana Palace depicting Delegations including Lydians and ArmeniansR. W. Ferrier. The Arts of Persia. page 39, image 21 bringing their famous wine to the king.File:Achaemenid plaque from Persepolis.JPG|Achaemenid plaque from Persepolis, kept at the National Museum of Iran.File:Mad-5223.jpg|Relief of a Median man at Persepolis.File:National Meusem Darafsh 6 (54).JPG|Objects from Persepolis kept at the National Museum of IranFile:National Meusem Darafsh 20.JPG|The head of a Lamassu from Persepolis, kept at the National Museum of IranFile:Door-Post Socket (4690606141).jpg|Door-Post SocketFile:Part of the monumental double staircase leading up to the terrace, Persepolis, Iran (47779523221).jpg|The Great Double Staircase at PersepolisFile:PersepolisNegareh.jpg|A bas-relief at Persepolis, representing a symbol in Zoroastrianism for Nowruz.{{efn|Eternally fighting bull (personifying the moon), and a lion (personifying the sun) representing the spring.}}File:ردیف سربازان-پلکان کاخ آپادانا-تخت جمشید.jpg|The discipline of the reliefs.File:Tablette xerxes persepolis.jpg|Tablets of Xerxes, kept at the National Museum of IranFile:Persepolis Apadana Stairways in National Museum of Iran.jpg|One of the staircases of Persepolis, kept at the National Museum of IranFile:Achamanid-Woman-Statue-Persia-Persepolis.jpg|One of the four existing statues of Penelope was discovered at Persepolis, and is kept at the National Museum of Iran

The Gate of All Nations

File:The stone columns of the Gate of All Nations, they were 16½ meters high and were topped with capitals in the form of a double bull, Persepolis, Iran (47779521811).jpg|thumb|upright|The stone columns of the Gate of All NationsGate of All NationsThe Gate of All Nations, referring to subjects of the empire, consisted of a grand hall that was a square of approximately {{cvt|25|m|ft}} in length, with four columns and its entrance on the Western Wall.File:Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg|The Gate of All Nations, PersepolisFile:Detail- The Gate of All Nations, Persepolis, Iran (4670203537).jpg|A Lamassu at the Gate of All NationsFile:Position of three languages inscriptions on Gate of all nations in persepolis.JPG|The position of three languages inscriptions on The Gate of All Nations, PersepolisFile:تخت جمشيد دروازه ملل Persepolice Fars Marvdasht Shiraz - panoramio.jpg|The two Lamassu at the Gate of All Nations.File:A history of all nations from the earliest times; being a universal historical library (1905) (14759223936).jpg|The Gate of All Nations in 1905.

The Apadana Palace

File:Persepolis - statue of a mastiff.jpg|thumb|Statue of a Persian Mastiff found at the Apadana, kept at the National Museum of IranNational Museum of IranDarius I built the greatest palace at Persepolis on the western side of platform. This palace was called the Apadana.BOOK, The Gardens of Persia, Penelope Hobhouse, Kales Press, 2004, 177–178,books.google.com/books?id=AMFRyiAxZ6YC&q=apadana+is+ayvan+in+achaemenid&pg=PA177, 978-0967007663, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100929/https://books.google.com/books?id=AMFRyiAxZ6YC&q=apadana+is+ayvan+in+achaemenid&pg=PA177, live, The King of Kings used it for official audiences.Foundation tablets of gold and silver were found in two deposition boxes in the foundations of the Palace.Wright, H. C. (1981). “Ancient Burials of Metal Documents in Stone Boxes: Their Implications for Library History.” The Journal of Library History (1974), 16(1), 48–70. They contained an inscription by Darius in Old Persian cuneiform, which describes the extent of his Empire in broad geographical terms, and is known as the DPh inscription:BOOK, Persepolis: discovery and afterlife of a world wonder, 2012, 171–181,archive.org/details/persepolis_discovery_and_afterlife_of_a_world_wonder, en, {{multiple image| align = right| total_width = 351| caption_align = center| image1 = Corner of the Apadana Darius the Great inscription.jpgApadana Palace, in their original stone box. The Apadana hoard>Apadana coin hoard had been deposited underneath. {{Circa|510 BC}}. Both are kept at the National Museum of Iran.| image2 = Deposition plate of Darius I in Persepolis.jpgLANGUAGE=EN ARCHIVE-DATE=11 APRIL 2021 URL-STATUS=LIVE, }}{{Blockquote|Darius the great king, king of kings, king of countries, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid. King Darius says: This is the kingdom which I hold, from the Sacae who are beyond Sogdia, to Kush, and from Sind (, locative of {{transliteration|peo|HiduÅ¡}}, i.e. “Indus valley“) to Lydia () – [this is] what Ahuramazda, the greatest of gods, bestowed upon me. May Ahuramazda protect me and my royal house!|DPh inscription of Darius I in the foundations of the Apadana PalaceDPh inscription {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411130103www.livius.org/sources/content/achaemenid-royal-inscriptions/dph/ |date=11 April 2021 }}, also Photographs of one of the gold plaques {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411130110ldsmag.com/the-gold-plates-of-king-darius/ |date=11 April 2021 }}}}The reliefs on the staircases allow one to observe the people from across the empire in their traditional dress, and even the king himself, “down to the smallest detail”.File:Apadana palace persepolis.JPG|alt=|Apadana palace, PersepolisFile:Medes and Persians at eastern stairs of the Apadana, Persepolis.JPG|Depiction of united Medes and Persians at the Apadana, PersepolisFile:Persépolis, Irán, 2016-09-24, DD 53.jpg|Immortals figures at Apadana, PersepolisFile:Cedar in Persepolis by Hamid Parsaei Rad.jpg|Depiction of trees and Lotus flowers at the Apadana, PersepolisFile:Columns, Persepolis, Iran (14471667541).jpg|Apadana’s columns, PersepolisFile:The Treasury Reliefs (Best Viewed in “Original” Size) (4734172156).jpg|The central wall of the northern stairs of Apadana palace, which shows Xerxes sitting on the throne and receiving an important official. Kept at the National Museum of Iran. Its counterpart remains at Persepolis.

Apadana Palace coin hoard

{{multiple image| title = Apadana hoard| align = right| caption_align = center| image1 = KINGS of LYDIA. Time of Cyrus to Darios I. Circa 545-520 BC.jpg| width1 = 164Croeseid minted in the time of Darius I>Darius, of the type of the eight Croeseids found in the Apadana hoard, {{c.8.07|g}}, Sardis mint.| image2 = Aegina Stater achaic.jpg| width2 = 128Aegina stater found in the Apadana hoard, 550–530{{nbsp}}BC. Obverse: Sea turtle with large pellets down centre. Reverse: incuse square punch with eight sections.ZOURNATZI TITLE=THE APADANA COIN HOARDS, DARIUS I, AND THE WEST VOLUME=15 PAGES=1–28, 43580364, | image3 = THRACE, Abdera. Circa 540-35-520-15 BC.jpg| width3 = 150Abdera, Thrace>Abdera coin found in the Apadana hoard, {{c.|540/35–520/15 BC}}. Obverse: Griffin seated left, raising paw. Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square.}}The Apadana hoard is a hoard of coins that were discovered under the stone boxes containing the foundation tablets of the Apadana Palace in Persepolis. The coins were discovered in excavations in 1933 by Erich Schmidt, in two deposits, each deposit under the two deposition boxes that were found. The deposition of this hoard is dated to {{c.|515 BC}}. The coins consisted in eight gold lightweight Croeseids, a tetradrachm of Abdera, a stater of Aegina and three double-sigloi from Cyprus. The Croeseids were found in very fresh condition, confirming that they had been recently minted under Achaemenid rule. The deposit did not have any Darics and Sigloi, which also suggests strongly that these coins typical of Achaemenid coinage only started to be minted later, after the foundation of the Apadana Palace.BOOK, Fisher, William Bayne, Gershevitch, I., Boyle, John Andrew, Yarshater, Ehsan, Frye, Richard Nelson, The Cambridge History of Iran, 1968, Cambridge University Press, 978-0521200912, 617,books.google.com/books?id=BBbyr932QdYC&pg=PA618, en, 20 November 2018, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100934/https://books.google.com/books?id=BBbyr932QdYC&pg=PA618, live,

The Throne Hall

(File:Hall of Hundred Columns (Throne Hall) in Persepolis.jpg|left|thumb|The Throne Hall, Persepolis)Next to the Apadana, second largest building of the Terrace and the final edifices, is the Throne Hall or the Imperial Army’s Hall of Honor (also called the Hundred-Columns Palace). This {{cvt|70|x|70|m2}} hall was started by Xerxes I and completed by his son Artaxerxes I by the end of the fifth century BC. Its eight stone doorways are decorated on the south and north with reliefs of throne scenes and on the east and west with scenes depicting the king in combat with monsters. Two colossal stone bulls flank the northern portico. The head of one of the bulls now resides in the Oriental Institute in ChicagoWEB,oi.uchicago.edu/museum/highlights/animals.html, Oriental Institute Highlights, Oi.uchicago.edu, 2007-02-19, 2012-12-30, 14 June 2011,oi.uchicago.edu/museum/highlights/animals.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110614052155oi.uchicago.edu/museum/highlights/animals.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110614052155oi.uchicago.edu/museum/highlights/animals.html, dead, and a column base from one of the columns in the British Museum.WEB,www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1974-1210-1, British Museum collection, 3 November 2020, 18 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210418091750/https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1974-1210-1, live, At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes I, the Throne Hall was used mainly for receptions for military commanders and representatives of all the subject nations of the empire. Later, the Throne Hall served as an imperial museum.

The Tachara Palace

Tachara, was the exclusive palace of Darius the Great at Persepolis. Only a small portion of the palace was finished under his rule, it was completed after the death of Darius in 486 BC, by his son and successor, Xerxes,BOOK, Hobhouse, Penelope,books.google.com/books?id=AMFRyiAxZ6YC, The Gardens of Persia, 2004, Kales Press, 978-0-9670076-6-3, en, who called it a Taçara, which means “winter palace” in Old Persian. It was then used by Artaxerxes I. In the 4th century BC, following his invasion of Iran in 330 BC, Alexander the Great allowed his troops to loot Persepolis. This palace was one of the few structures that escaped destruction in the burning of the complex by Alexander’s army, and because of that, Tachara is the most intact building of Persepolis today. It is also the oldest structure at Persepolis. Tachara stands back to back to the Apadana, and is oriented southward.BOOK, Mousavi, Ali,books.google.com/books?id=KorZMqmTOJgC, Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder, 2012-04-19, Walter de Gruyter, 978-1-61451-033-8, en, File:کاخ تچرا.jpg|Tachara is the most intact building of Persepolis today.File:پلکانی در کاخ تچر.jpg|The staircase of Tachara palace at PersepolisFile:Tachara Persepolis.JPG|The trilingual inscription of Xerxes on the south porch of Tachara palace at PersepolisFile:Achaemenid King vs Lion.jpg|The relief of king’s battle with devil at Tachara palace, PersepolisFile:Persepolis relief guests.jpg|Part of the reliefs on the southern stairway of Tachara palace depicting a line of servants bearing animals, food and drinks.File:نمایی از تخت جمشید 2.jpg|Tachara Palace, PersepolisFile:Persepolis Iran-5.jpg|On the structure of Tachara palace

The Hadish Palace

The Hadish Palace of Xerxes is one of palaces at Persepolis. It’s located on the east of the Palace of H (Artaxerxes I). The palace occupies the highest level of terrace and stands on the living rock. The inscriptions of the palace attest that the building was built by order of Xerxes. It covers an area of 2550 square meters (40*55 meters). A double staircase on the west leads to courtyard of the Tachara chateau and another staircase on the northeast connects to courtyard of the Council Hall.File:History History Travel from Shiraz to Isfahan, Iran (40353041755).jpg|The Hadish palace, PersepolisFile:Lotus on the walls of Hadish palace,.png|Lotus on the walls of Hadish palace, PersepolisFile:Persepolis 24.11.2009 11-39-46.jpg|Hadish palace was built by the order of XerxesFile:Persepolis, Iran (2471048564).jpg|Xerxes at the Hadish palaceFile:Ruins of the Palace of Xerxes in Persepolis, Iran, historical illustration, circa 1886.png|Hadish Palace at Persepolis, 1886File:1911 Britannica-Architecture-Hall of Xerxes.png|The hall of Hadish palace.

Other palaces and structures

The Council Hall, the Tryplion Hall, the Palaces of D, G, H, storerooms, stables and quarters, the unfinished gateway and a few miscellaneous structures at Persepolis are located near the south-east corner of the terrace, at the foot of the mountain.File:Zoomorphic Capital (4679068036).jpg|Huma bird at PersepolisFile:Perspolis.jpg|A well-preserved column at PersepolisFile:SEHDAR PALACE IN PERSEPOLIS.tif|Reliefs from the Council Hall, PersepolisFile:خزانه.jpg|Part of the treasury, PersepolisFile:Persepolis, Iran 08.jpg|The unfinished gate of Persepolis, started by the order of Artaxerxes III, continued by his successors Arses and Darius III.File:تخت جمشید 7.JPG|A column head.

Tombs

File:Persepolis - Tomb of Artaxerxes III 01.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Artaxerxes IIIArtaxerxes IIIIt is commonly accepted that Cyrus the Great was buried in the Tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae, which is mentioned by Ctesias as his own city. If it is true that the body of Cambyses II was brought home “to the Persians,” his burying place must be somewhere beside that of his father. Ctesias assumes that it was the custom for a king to prepare his own tomb during his lifetime. Hence, the kings buried at Naghsh-e Rostam are probably Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I and Darius II. Xerxes II, who reigned for a very short time, could scarcely have obtained so splendid a monument, and still less could the usurper Sogdianus. The two completed graves behind the compound at Persepolis would then belong to Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III. The unfinished tomb, a kilometer away from the city, is debated to who it belongs.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=7lK6l7oF_ccC&pg=PA956, A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, 978-1405189880, Potts, Daniel T, 2012, John Wiley & Sons, 19 October 2020, 20 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230420100920/https://books.google.com/books?id=7lK6l7oF_ccC&pg=PA956, live,

Ancient texts

{{over-quotation|section|date=February 2024}}File:Cuneiform inscriptions from Persepolis by Nickmard Khoey.jpg|thumb|Babylonian version of an inscription of Xerxes I, the “XPc inscription“WEB,www.livius.org/sources/content/achaemenid-royal-inscriptions/xpc/, XPc – Livius, www.livius.org, 26 March 2020, 18 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210418091752/https://www.livius.org/sources/content/achaemenid-royal-inscriptions/xpc/, live, {{efn|Known as XPc (Xerxes Persepolis c), from the portico of the TacharaTacharaFile:Tachar-writing.png|thumb|The inscription of Artaxerxes IIIArtaxerxes IIIThere are a total of 11 existing inscriptions at Persepolis, related to Darius the Great, Xerxes, Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III. The relevant passages from ancient scholars on the subject are set out below:{{blockquote|Persepolis was the capital of the Persian kingdom. Alexander described it to the Macedonians as the most hateful of the cities of Asia, and gave it over to his soldiers to plunder, all but the palaces. (2) It was the richest city under the sun, and the private houses had been furnished with every sort of wealth over the years. The Macedonians raced into it, slaughtering all the men whom they met and plundering the residences; many of the houses belonged to the common people and were abundantly supplied with furniture and wearing apparel of every kind...72 (1) Alexander held games in honor of his victories. He performed costly sacrifices to the gods and entertained his friends bountifully. While they were feasting and the drinking was far advanced, as they began to be drunken, a madness took possession of the minds of the intoxicated guests. (2) At this point, one of the women present, Thais by name and Attic by origin, said that for Alexander it would be the finest of all his feats in Asia if he joined them in a triumphal procession, set fire to the palaces, and permitted women’s hands in a minute to extinguish the famed accomplishments of the Persians. (3) This was said to men who were still young and giddy with wine, and so, as would be expected, someone shouted out to form up and to light torches, and urged all to take vengeance for the destruction of the Greek temples. (4) Others took up the cry and said that this was a deed worthy of Alexander alone. When the king had caught fire at their words, all leaped up from their couches and passed the word along to form a victory procession [epinikion komon] in honor of Dionysius.(5) Promptly, many torches were gathered. Female musicians were present at the banquet, so the king led them all out for the komos to the sound of voices and flutes and pipes, Thais the courtesan leading the whole performance. (6) She was the first, after the king, to hurl her blazing torch into the palace. As the others all did the same, immediately the entire palace area was consumed, so great was the conflagration. It was most remarkable that the impious act of Xerxes, king of the Persians, against the acropolis at Athens should have been repaid in kind after many years by one woman, a citizen of the land which had suffered it, and in sport.|Diodorus Siculus, 17.70.1–73.2, 17.70 (1)}}{{blockquote|On the following day, the king called together the leaders of his forces and informed them that “no city was more mischievous to the Greeks than the seat of the ancient kings of Persia [...] by its destruction they ought to offer sacrifice to the spirits of their forefathers.“7 (1) But Alexander’s great mental endowments, that noble disposition, in which he surpassed all kings, that intrepidity in encountering dangers, his promptness in forming and carrying out plans, his good faith towards those who submitted to him, merciful treatment of his prisoners, temperance even in lawful and usual pleasures, were sullied by an excessive love of wine. (2) At the very time when his enemy and his rival for a throne was preparing to renew the war, when those whom he had conquered were but lately subdued and were hostile to the new rule, he took part in prolonged banquets at which women were present, not indeed those whom it would be a crime to violate, but, to be sure, harlots who were accustomed to live with armed men with more licence than was fitting.(3) One of these, Thais by name, herself also drunken, declared that the king would win most favor among all the Greeks, if he should order the palace of the Persians to be set on fire; that this was expected by those whose cities the barbarians had destroyed. (4) When a drunken strumpet had given her opinion on a matter of such moment, one or two, themselves also loaded with wine, agreed. The king, too, more greedy for wine than able to carry it, cried: “Why do we not, then, avenge Greece and apply torches to the city?” (5) All had become heated with wine, and so they arose when drunk to fire the city which they had spared when armed. The king was the first to throw a firebrand upon the palace, then the guests and the servants and courtesans. The palace had been built largely of cedar, which quickly took fire and spread the conflagration widely. (6) When the army, which was encamped not far from the city, saw the fire, thinking it accidental, they rushed to bear aid. (7) But when they came to the vestibule of the palace, they saw the king himself piling on firebrands. Therefore, they left the water which they had brought, and they too began to throw dry wood upon the burning building.(8) Such was the end of the capital of the entire Orient... .(10) The Macedonians were ashamed that so renowned a city had been destroyed by their king in a drunken revel; therefore the act was taken as earnest, and they forced themselves to believe that it was right that it should be wiped out in exactly that manner. |author=Quintus Curtius Rufus 5.6.1–7.12 5.6 (1)}}{{blockquote|And did not Alexander the Great have with him Thais, the Athenian hetaira? Cleitarchus speaks of her as having been the cause for the burning of the palace at Persepolis. After Alexander’s death, this same Thais was married to Ptolemy, the first king of Egypt. |author=Cleitarchus, FGrHist. 137, F. 11 (= Athenaeus 13. 576d-e)}}

Modern events

2,500-year celebration

In 1971, Persepolis was the main staging ground for the 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire under the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the second and last Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty. It included delegations from foreign nations in an attempt to advance the Iranian culture and history.WEB, Amini, Hassan, Decadence and Downfall: The World’s Most Expensive Party,www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymq6BAd3amg, BBC, 12 December 2023,

The controversy of the Sivand Dam

Construction of the Sivand Dam, named after the nearby town of Sivand, began on 19 September 2006. Despite 10 years of planning, Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization was not aware of the broad areas of flooding during much of this time,WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2004/dec/23/iran.artsnews, Dam is threat to Iran’s heritage, Vidal, John, 2004-12-23, The Guardian, en, 2018-06-10, 10 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210410061014/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/dec/23/iran.artsnews, live, and there is growing concern about the effects the dam will have on the surrounding areas of Persepolis. Activists expressed concern that the dam’s placement between the ruins of Pasargadae and Persepolis will flood both. Engineers involved with the construction deny this claim, stating that it is impossible, because both sites sit well above the planned waterline. Of the two sites, Pasargadae is considered the more threatened.NEWS, Esfandiari, Golnaz, Iran: Activists Say New Dam Threatens Ancient Historical Sites,www.rferl.org/a/1072690.html, Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty, 12 December 2023,

Nowruz Celebrations

Every year during Nowruz, a large number of people come to Persepolis to celebrate the new year. In 2024, 10,000 people were at Persepolis when Nowruz started.WEB, 2024-03-20, Û±Û° هزار مسافر نوروزی لحظه تحویل سال را در تخت جمشید جشن گرفتند,www.mehrnews.com/news/6059441/%DB%B1%DB%B0-%D9%87%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B1-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B8%D9%87-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%84-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%AC%D8%B4%D9%86-%DA%AF%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%AF, 2024-04-30, خبرگزاری مهر {{!, اخبار ایران Ùˆ جهان {{!}} Mehr News Agency |language=fa}}WEB, 2024-05-30, Hafez, Sa’di mausoleums, Persepolis among most visited in Nowruz,en.irna.ir/news/85066736/Hafez-Sa-di-mausoleums-Persepolis-among-most-visited-in-Nowruz, IRNA,

Cultural events

Various events are held in Persepolis every year, including the Shahnameh reading festival and other cultural events.WEB, 2024-03-12, جشنواره شاهنامه‌خوانی در تخت جمشید برگزار می‌شود,www.mehrnews.com/news/6053407/%D8%AC%D8%B4%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%87-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%AF, 2024-04-30, خبرگزاری مهر {{!, اخبار ایران و جهان {{!}} Mehr News Agency |language=fa}}WEB, 2025-05-30, (تصاویر) بازدید هیئت فرهنگی چین از تخت جمشید,fararu.com/fa/news/387167/%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%A6%D8%AA-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%87%D9%86%DA%AF%DB%8C-%DA%86%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%AF, Fararu,

Museums (outside Iran) that display objects from Persepolis

One bas-relief from Persepolis is in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England.A Persepolis Relief in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Richard Nicholls and Michael Roaf. Iran, Vol. 15, (1977), pp. 146–152. Published by: British Institute of Persian Studies. The largest collection of reliefs is at the British Museum, sourced from multiple British travellers who worked in Iran in the 19th century.JOURNAL, Allen, Lindsay, 2013-01-01, “Come Then Ye Classic Thieves of Each Degree”: The Social Context of the Persepolis Diaspora in the Early Nineteenth Century, Iran, 51, 1, 207–234, 10.1080/05786967.2013.11834730, 193984848, 0578-6967, The Persepolis bull at the Oriental Institute in Chicago is one of the university’s most prized treasures, part of the division of finds from the excavations of the 1930s. New York City’s Metropolitan Museum and Detroit Institute of Art houses objects from Persepolis,Harper, Prudence O., Barbara A. Porter, Oscar White Muscarella, Holly Pittman, and Ira Spar. “Ancient Near Eastern Art.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 41, no. 4 (Spring, 1984). as does the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology of the University of Pennsylvania.WEB,www.penn.museum/collections/object/258882, Relief – B10301 | Collections – Penn Museum, www.penn.museum, 8 September 2020, 15 February 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200215230221/https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/258882, live, The Museum of Fine Arts of LyonWEB,www.mba-lyon.fr/fr/collection-home/decouvrir-les-collections, Découvrir les collections | Musée des Beaux Arts, www.mba-lyon.fr, 8 September 2020, 24 September 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200924040940/https://www.mba-lyon.fr/fr/collection-home/decouvrir-les-collections, live, and the Louvre of Paris hold objects from Persepolis as well. A bas-relief of a soldier that had been looted from the excavations in 1935–36 and later purchased by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was repatriated to Iran in 2018, after being offered for sale in London and New York.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2018/07/23/arts/design/judge-orders-return-of-ancient-limestone-relief-to-iran.html, Judge Orders Return of Ancient Limestone Relief to Iran, Mashberg, Tom, 2018-07-23, The New York Times, 2019-07-03, en-US, 0362-4331, 10 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210410061057/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/23/arts/design/judge-orders-return-of-ancient-limestone-relief-to-iran.html, live, File:Forgotten Empire Exhibition, (Room 5).1.JPG|Forgotten Empire Exhibition, the British MuseumFile:The British Museum, Room 5-Persepolis Bas-relief.jpg|Forgotten Empire Exhibition, the British MuseumFile:UC Oriental Institute Iranian artifacts ancient 10.JPG|Persepolitan rosette rock relief, kept at the Oriental InstituteFile:Persian Objects at Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York - 2015.jpg|alt=Museum display case showing Achaemenid objects.|Achaemenid objects at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including a bas relief from PersepolisFile:Head of an archer of the royal guard, 2 of 2, from the Palace of Xerxes, Achaemenid Persia, 486-465 BC, limestone - Sackler Museum - Harvard University - DSC01732.jpg|Head of an archer of the royal guard from Hadish palace, Sackler Museum - Harvard UniversityFile:Fragment of wall decoration from the Palace of Xerxes, guardsman in procession, 486-465 BC, Achaemenid, Iran, Persepolis, gray limestone - Cleveland Museum of Art - DSC08093.JPG|Fragment of wall decoration from Hadish palace, Cleveland Museum of Art

Gallery

File:Persepolis 2012.jpg|A general view of the Persepolis.File:آرامگاه اردشیر سوم در نمای Ú©Ù„ÛŒ.jpg|The tomb of Artaxerxes II at PersepolisFile:Persepolis-horn shaped stones.jpg|Horn-shaped stones at Persepolis.File:Entrance Museum of Persepolis.jpg|The Queen’s Quarters, built by the order of Xerxes. The palace was excavated and rebuilt by Ernst Herzfeld in 1931, and today it is used as a museum and the central office of Persepolis.File:Pasargadae Swallow-Tail Staples.jpg|The use of dovetail joint instead of mortar in gluing stones together.File:Persépolis, Irán, 2016-09-24, DD 01.jpg|The entrance of Persepolis.

See also

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• Achaemenid architecture
• Behistun Inscription
• Cities of the Ancient Near East
• Istakhr
• List of World Heritage Sites in Iran
• Naqsh-e Rustam
• Palace of Darius in Susa, similar structure built at the same time
• Pasargadae
• Persepolis (comics)
• Persepolis F.C.
• Qadamgah (ancient site)
• Tachara

{{div col end}}

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{EB1911|wstitle=Persepolis}}{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

• Curtis, J. and Tallis, N. (eds). (2005). Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia. University of California Press. {{ISBN|0-520-24731-0}}.
• JOURNAL, Devos, Bianca, “History is repeated”: The representation of Persepolis in the Iranian press of the 1930s, Die Welt des Islams, 2018, 58, 3, 326–356, 10.1163/15700607-00583P03, 166200185,
• JOURNAL, Frye, Richard N., Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Persepolis Again, 33, 4, 1974, 383–386, 10.1086/372376, 222453940, none,
• Wilber, Donald Newton. (1989). Persepolis: The Archaeology of Parsa, Seat of the Persian Kings. Darwin Press. Revised edition {{ISBN|0-87850-062-6}}.

External links

{{Sister project links |author=no|v=no|n=no}}

• parse-pasargad.ir/en" title="web.archive.org/web/20151019103119parse-pasargad.ir/en">Persepolis – official website {{in lang|en|fa}}
• www.ancientopedia.com/persepolis/" title="web.archive.org/web/20101213022334www.ancientopedia.com/persepolis/">Persepolis at the Ancient History Encyclopedia with timeline, illustrations, and books
• Arthur John Booth. The Discovery and Decipherment of the Trilingual Cuneiform Inscriptions (1902)
• Persepolis Photographs and Introduction to the Persian Expedition,
• 360 degrees panorama gallery of Persepolis
• Google Maps
• www.ichto.ir/Default.aspx?tabid=1218" title="web.archive.org/web/20120107014341www.ichto.ir/Default.aspx?tabid=1218">“Persepolis” at Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran
• Greek Art And Arch itecture In Iran (Mentions Ionian work in Persepolis)

{{Achaemenid Empire}}{{Persepolis}}{{World Heritage Sites in Iran}}{{Iranian Architecture}}{{Fars Province}}{{Authority control}}