Around 550BC Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire. He first defeated the Medes and from there the empire grew conquest by conquest. It became larger than any empire had been before. Cyrus himself built a palace at Pasargadae. His successors preferred other locations. Darius I founded a new capital in Persepolis and an equally large city in Susa. Persepolis was great in summer and mostly a ceremonial place. When the snow came, the administration moved to Susa.
The best preserved of the ancient cities in Iran is Persepolis. It’s a super interesting place to visit. I’d read a small book about it and when our guide took us around, I remembered many of the passages. There is so much history behind these pillars and walls. We entered and climbed up the big staircase. This whole city is build on a plateau. It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like, but we slowly tried to form a picture as we walked through the site. It was impressive in ruins, so I can only imagine what the common people would have experienced all those years ago.
For years Persepolis was hidden under dust and dirt. Much of what was sticking out above it was destroyed by people over the years. When archaeologists started digging, they found very well preserved sculptures and reliefs. They are still dusty now, the dust being a natural layer of protection, but in ancient times it was all polished up and all the walls were a shiny black. Some small areas were a bit polished now to give an idea of what it must have looked like.
Everything was grand. There were huge gates and big pillars with capitals of bulls. Some of them still intact! The most impressive part were the ruins of the Apadana. This is where people from all over the empire came to pay tribute to the kings. On the walls is a big relief showing a procession of dignitaries coming with gifts for the king. Every region is portrayed with such skill. You can see exactly where the people come from by their clothing, the animals and the gifts they bring.
Our guide talked about all the people and how he recognised them. There are 23 in total. Each group of people is led by a local usher. The details are stunning. Whether it’s shoelaces or jewellery, every detail was thought of. We even saw how they’d reconstructed a broken part of the relief. All these people were united in one empire in what, at the time, was a very unique way. Every part of land that was conquered, was allowed to keep their own language, culture and customs, as long as they paid their taxes. For official gatherings people would speak Old Persian, to avoid any confusion.
Some of the palaces build by the kings could only be admired from the outside. Inside, teams of archaeologists were at work. There is still a lot to learn from this place. Some bases of pillars still stood in a big space where the hall of 100 columns used to be. Behind the plateau were some massive tombs that were carved in the side of the mount of Mercy. You can walk up to them to admire the carved reliefs at the front, but you cannot enter. However, when you turn around you are rewarded with a bird’s eye view of the entire Persepolis complex.
Just outside of the ancient site are the frames of dozens of tents. In the 70s the Shaw had a massive party here to celebrate 2500 years of Persian empire. It was a lavish party, but all that remains are these tent frames now. They’re just there, waiting for someone to remove them. A little further from Persepolis is another significant site: the tombs of several kings who built Persepolis. These show that everything was built to leave an impression. Over 2500 years ago the buildings impressed the dignitaries coming to the city, later they’ve impressed Alexander the Great, who destroyed the empire. Over the years they’ve impressed many adventurers and archaeologists. And now they still leave an impression on tourist from all over the world, even after all these years!
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