Persepolis is located 61 km north east of Shiraz. It is one of the four capitals of Achaemenid empire & is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Iran. It was founded by Darius the Great in 518 B.C and constructions were being carried out until 330 B.C. Besides here, they had three more capitals. Ekbatana as the summer capital, Babylon as the winter capital and the main capital was Susa.
Persepolis was a capital where special ceremonies and official audiences were happening. At its peak, it was considered the greatest city of the world. To carry out the construction, the best artists and artisans from different corners of empire gathered around. Each adding their own style and knowledge to it. Besides the help from these artisans, Persians used their own touch as well. The result was a unique complex which included elements from different cultures.
Anyone who was working to built the greatest city of the world was being paid and no slave was used in the construction. Even some women were working as heads of the workshops where even hundreds of men were working under her. These feats were extraordinary and very progressive at 2500 years ago.
One of the most important parts of Persepolis is Apadana eastern staircase. Here, all the nations that formed the empire are depicted in their own traditional outfits. Some of the most notable nations were Medians, Greeks, Egyptians, Elamites, Armenians, Babylonians, Lydians, Assyrians, Scythians, Parthians, Indians, Arabs, Lybians and Ethiopians.
After the Achaemenids were defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C, the Persepolis was burned down and all its treasures were taken as well. Alexander had to bring thousands of camels & mules to carry the treasury of Persepolis. According to historians, only the silver objects were 2400 kilos.
Although the fire destroyed most of the things but it managed to preserve the most important thing too. The clay tablets were baked and preserved thanks to the fire Alexander started. Thousands these tablets were translated in the university of Chicago and so many new information came to light.
