2500 years of Persian history
Visiting the ancient capital of Persepolis was like travelling back in time. As I marvelled at the stone wall carvings and what’s left of ancient pillars of palaces that housed Persian kings and queens standing at the hilltop overlooking the archaeological site, I could visualize the grandeur of the great palaces and the procession of noblemen visiting the king and attending lavish banquets, bearing gifts like jewellery and vases in their arms while stately soldiers guarded entrances and stairways…
Situated 70km from modern day Shiraz in Iran, Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire from 550-330 B.C. during which Darius the Great constructed great palaces, reception halls and military quarters. Notable structures include the Gate of Nations, the Apadana Palace of Darius, and the Hall of a Hundred Columns. Alexander the Great destroyed the site in 330 B.C. when he invaded the Persian Empire.
Right at the entrance of the site is the Gate of All Nations, a square hall that had four columns. A pair of lamassus, a celestial being that protected kings in Persian culture that is human above the waist and a bull below the waist, stands at the entrance. Another pair with wings and a Persian head was carved to represent the empire’s power. It was amazing to see that the structures are still intact after thousands of years, but it was a bit unfortunate to see the amount of graffiti on the walls as past visitors made their marks.
On the west side of the site is the Apadana Palace-the grandest palace of them all. With a square grand hall and 72 columns, the structure needed the support on the bottom with its heavy ceiling. To protect the roof from erosion, there were even vertical drains built through the brick walls of the structure. There are two symmetrical grand stairways which extend from the foundations of the structure and on the staircase walls are amazing reliefs that show in great detail the traditional costumes of Persian noblemen. A repeated relief that was found throughout the site was a bull, representing the moon, fighting a lion, representing the sun. This is a symbol for the Nowruz which occurs at the spring equinox and is also the first day of the Iranian calendar.
It was amazing to learn about the Iranian and Persian culture from this archaeological site and although the site was destroyed over a thousand years old, the majority of it is still intact. Pretty cool feeling to stand at the top of the hill with a panoramic view of the entire site!
I’ll be sharing more about adventures from the desert city of Yazd next week!
Visiting the ancient capital of Persepolis was like travelling back in time. As I marvelled at the stone wall carvings and what’s left of ancient pillars of palaces that housed Persian kings and queens standing at the hilltop overlooking the archaeological site, I could visualize the grandeur of the great palaces and the procession of noblemen visiting the king and attending lavish banquets, bearing gifts like jewellery and vases in their arms while stately soldiers guarded entrances and stairways…
Situated 70km from modern day Shiraz in Iran, Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire from 550-330 B.C. during which Darius the Great constructed great palaces, reception halls and military quarters. Notable structures include the Gate of Nations, the Apadana Palace of Darius, and the Hall of a Hundred Columns. Alexander the Great destroyed the site in 330 B.C. when he invaded the Persian Empire.
Right at the entrance of the site is the Gate of All Nations, a square hall that had four columns. A pair of lamassus, a celestial being that protected kings in Persian culture that is human above the waist and a bull below the waist, stands at the entrance. Another pair with wings and a Persian head was carved to represent the empire’s power. It was amazing to see that the structures are still intact after thousands of years, but it was a bit unfortunate to see the amount of graffiti on the walls as past visitors made their marks.
On the west side of the site is the Apadana Palace-the grandest palace of them all. With a square grand hall and 72 columns, the structure needed the support on the bottom with its heavy ceiling. To protect the roof from erosion, there were even vertical drains built through the brick walls of the structure. There are two symmetrical grand stairways which extend from the foundations of the structure and on the staircase walls are amazing reliefs that show in great detail the traditional costumes of Persian noblemen. A repeated relief that was found throughout the site was a bull, representing the moon, fighting a lion, representing the sun. This is a symbol for the Nowruz which occurs at the spring equinox and is also the first day of the Iranian calendar.
It was amazing to learn about the Iranian and Persian culture from this archaeological site and although the site was destroyed over a thousand years old, the majority of it is still intact. Pretty cool feeling to stand at the top of the hill with a panoramic view of the entire site!
I’ll be sharing more about adventures from the desert city of Yazd next week!
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