Persepolis

The center of the great Persian Empire, ceremonial capital of the Achaemenians and the showpiece of Achaemenian art, Persepolis (Capital of Persia, in Greek) is a historic site in Fars Province, 60 km to the northeast of Shiraz by road, for which the Iranians have got their own name: Takht-e Jamshid (The Throne of Jamshid), Jamshid being the first, probably mythical, ruler of Iran. It is 420 km south of Esfahan and 835 km south of Tehran on a first-class asphalt road. It can be reached by air through Shiraz international airport.

The most important source of our knowledge on ancient Iran, its various royal buildings, - palaces, audience halls, treasury, store rooms, stables, etc. were built, as indicated in an inscription carved on stone, during the reign of Darius the Great (521-486 BC) and by his command, and further developments made under Xerxes I, Artaxerxes, Xerxes II, Darius II, Cyrus II, Artaxerxes II and III, and Darius III (336-331 BC), the whole process taking about one hundred and fifty years. This magnificent court was the summer residence of Achaemenian emperors and their official reception quarters.

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