"Persepolis" Takht-e Jamshid (Persepolis) by Sambawalk

Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid dynasty. Persepolis is situated some 70 km northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars Province of modern Iran. In contemporary Persian, the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid (Throne of Jamshid) and Parseh. To the ancient Persians, the city was known as Pârsa, meaning "The City of Persians".

The buildings at Persepolis include three general groupings: military quarters, the treasury, and the reception halls and occasional houses for the King. Noted structures include the Great Stairway, the Gate of Nations (Xerxes), the Apadana Palace of Darius, the Hall of a Hundred Columns, the Tripylon Hall and Tachara Palace of Darius, the Hadish Palace of Xerxes, the palace of Artaxerxes III, the Imperial Treasury, the Royal Stables and the Chariot House.

Admission IR4,000 (May 2008)

Ruins of a number of colossal buildings

Ruins of a number of colossal buildings, all constructed of dark-grey marble from the adjacent mountain, exist on the terrace. Fifteen of the pillars remain intact and standing. Three more pillars have been re-erected since 1970. Several of the buildings were never finished.