The Gate of All Nations
Huge stone bulls.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Masoumeh Alsadat Malakouti — CC BY-SA 4.0
Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, on the plain of Marvdasht in Fars Province, ringed by the southern Zagros Mountains. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1979, and it is among the most important cultural sites in Iran. The sheer size of its stone terrace gives a direct sense of the grandeur of that ancient empire. Its earliest remains date to 515 BC, and it held a complex of palaces and a citadel designed for government and ceremony. The army of Alexander the Great took it in 330 BC, and soon after fire consumed its wooden parts. One account says Alexander set the fire deliberately to avenge the destruction of Athens. You climb a broad stone stairway to the terrace, pass the Gate of All Nations with its huge stone bulls, and reach the remains of the Apadana hall and its tall columns. The stairway walls carry reliefs of delegations bearing gifts from across the empire. From the royal tombs cut into the mountain behind the site you see the whole scene from above. It is about 47 km in a straight line from the Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz and about 6 km from Naqsh-e Rostam, so combine them in one day. Shade is scarce, so start in the morning with a hat and water. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Iran and warns that British nationals risk detention, so check official guidance before making any plans. We could not confirm the current state of this site.
Huge stone bulls.
Delegations bearing gifts.
Tall surviving columns.
Marvdasht plain, Fars Province, Iran
Alexander's army took it in 330 BC, and fire then consumed its wooden parts.
Check official guidance first, as the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran.