Iran - Andrew Burke [229]
More certain is that Persepolis was built on the slopes of Mt Rahmat (the Mount of Mercy) as a showcase for the empire, designed to awe visitors with its scale and beauty. It served this purpose during the annual No Ruz (New Year) celebration, when subjects came from across the empire to climb up from the level of the surrounding plain and pay homage – and tribute – to their kings. It’s quite possible that at other times the business of the empire returned to Shush.
Persepolis was burned to the ground during Alexander’s visit in 330 BC. If you’re wondering how a palace built almost entirely of stone could be burned to the ground, the explanation lies in the roof. The ceilings of most buildings are believed to have been made from huge timber beams, and as these burned they heated, then melted, the iron and lead clamps that held it all together.
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The gateway was built during the time of Xerxes I and is guarded by bull-like figures that have a strong Assyrian character. Above these, look for a cuneiform inscription in Old Persian, Neo-Babylonian and Elamite languages. It declares, among other things, that ‘King Xerxes says: by the favour of Ahuramazda this Gate of All Nations I built. Much else that is beautiful was built in this Parsa, which I built and my father built.’ Centuries of graffitists have also left their mark; look for explorer Henry Morton Stanley.
APADANA PALACE & STAIRCASE
Important Persian and Median notables were probably ushered to the Apadana Palace (5) to the south. Constructed on a terrace of stone by Xerxes I, the palace was reached via another staircase. Although it can be difficult to picture the grandeur of the palace from what remains, the bas-reliefs along the northern wall evocatively depict the scenes of splendour that must have accompanied the arrival of delegations to meet with the king.
Most impressive of all, however, and among the most impressive historical sights in all of Iran, are the bas-reliefs of the Apadana Staircase (6) on the eastern wall, which can also be reached from the Palace of 100 Columns. The northern panels recount the reception of the Persians in long robes and the Medes in shorter dress. The three tiers of figures are amazingly well preserved. Each tier contains representations of the most elite of the Achaemenid soldiers, the Imperial Guard and the Immortals. On the upper tier, they are followed by the royal procession, the royal valets and the horses of the Elamite king of chariots, while on the lower two tiers they precede the Persians with their feather headdresses and the Medes in their round caps. The stairs themselves are guarded by Persian soldiers. The central panel of the staircase is dedicated to symbols of the Zoroastrian deity Ahura Mazda, symbolised by a ring with wings, flanked by two winged lions with human heads and guarded by four Persian and Median soldiers; the Persians are the ones carrying the indented shields. An inscription announces that the palace was started by Darius and completed by Xerxes and implores God to protect it from ‘famine, lies and earthquakes’. The panels at the southern end are the most interesting, showing 23 delegations bringing their tributes to the Achaemenid king. This rich record of the nations of the time ranges from the Ethiopians in the bottom left corner, through a climbing pantheon of, among various other peoples, Arabs, Thracians, Indians, Parthians and Cappadocians, up to the Elamites and Medians at the top right.
Today, the staircase is covered by a permanent shelter and the only direct sunlight is early in the morning; it’s worth heading straight here when the site opens.
TRIPYLON (XERXES’ HALL OF AUDIENCE)
This small but handsomely decorated palace is known as both the Tripylon (7) and Xerxes’ Hall of Audience. It stands at the heart of the city but what its exact function was remains unknown. One of the more widely accepted theories is that