Takht-e Jamshid (Persepolis) Things to Do

1 more image

The columns of the Apadana Palace form the image of Persepolis that people are most familiar with. Darius died in 486 BC before it was completed and the construction was continued by his son, Xerxes. There are thirteen columns still standing. Originally, the roof was supported by 72 of these giant columns, each 25 metres high. On top of the columns were capitals, consisting of two heads of animals, usually bulls or lions. The wooden roof beams were supported between the two heads. It must have been magnificent!

The palace was used as a reception hall for great feasts and the visits of foreign dignitaries. One of the reliefs depicts Lydians binging gifts of gold to the palace.

The king's bath is supplied with water by a channel running down from the mountainside. The door of thc royal bath shows the king coming out cleaned and dressed, followed by two servants, with an umbrella and a fly swat.

This domestic detail appealed to me.

At the base of the rock face, beneath the tombs, there are nine rock reliefs, depicting great episodes from the lives of the Sasanian kings. These include the investiture of Ardashir I, Bahram II in his royal court, two equestrian reliefs of Bahram II, the investiture of Nasreh, and an equestrian relief of Hormizd II. My photo shows the best preserved and most interesting one. It celebrates the victory of the Persian King Shapur I over the Roman Emperor Valerian, at Edessa, in 260 AD.

Emperor Valerian is shown kneeling down in front of the triumphant Persian king, who is mounted on a horse.

The royal necropolis of Naghsh-e Rostam is, if anything, even more impressive than the main site of Persepolis. It comprises four massive tombs hewn out of the rock face. The tombs are known locally as the 'Persian crosses', because of the shape of their facades. The entrance to each tomb is at the centre of the cross, which opens onto to a small chamber, where the king's sarcophagus lay.

The tombs are, from left too right, the tombs of Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC), Darius the Great (522-486 BC), Xerxes I (488- 465 BC) and Darius II (423-404 BC). A fifth unfinished tomb is thought to be that of Darius III (336-330 BC). The tombs were emptied of their contents by the army of Alexander the Great.

Two inscriptions have been found in the tomb of Darius the Great, outlining his life. One line, which indicates that he was a just king reads, "It is not my desire that a man should do harm, nor is it my desire that he goes unpunished when he does harm."

The oldest relief at Naqsh-e Rostam is severely damaged and dates to 1000 BC. It shows a man with unusual head-gear and is thought to be Elamite in origin. It is part of a larger mural, most of which was removed at the command of Bahram II. The man with the unusual cap gives the site its name, Naqsh-e Rostam, "Picture of Rostam", because the relief was locally believed to be a depiction of the mythical hero Rostam.

Look at the tiny people at the base of the Tomb of Darius II, to get an idea of the massive scale of Naghsh-e Rostam.

1 more image

I saw this at the British Museum after I visited Persepolis. It was originally part of the facade on Palace G, which was constructed by Artaxerxes III (358-338 BC), but it was later moved to form the new north facade of Palace H, which is now totally in ruins.

This sphinx was removed from Persepolis by Colonel John MacDonald Kinneir during excavations in 1826. It was originally one of a pair protecting the winged figure of Ahura-Mazda, a god adopted as the Persian royal deity by Darius I (522-486 BC). It was purchased for the British Museum by the Art Fund in 1938.

1 more image

The most complete structure still standing in Persepolis is the Palace of Darius, also known as the Tachara or Winter Palace. Twelve massive columns supported the roof of the central hall. King Artaxerxes III made later alterations to the palace including the addition of ornamented staircases.

The Palace of Xerxes is quite similar in architectural style to the Palace of Darius, although it was twice as big and is slightly less well preserved than its neighbour. The best preserved part is the staircase. The main palace hall originally had 36 columns and was surrounded by six smaller rooms.