Persepolis, Iran
Founded by King Darius, Persepolis was one of the four capitals of the Persian Empire. Building began around 518 B.C. and the city reflected the wealth and grandeur of the Achaemenid Dynasty. The impressive quality of Persepolis’s monumental ruins makes it a unique archaeological site.
On a half-natural, half man-made terrace, successive kings erected architecturally stunning buildings featuring sculpted friezes and gigantic winged bulls. Kings designed Persepolis because the city needed a spectacular reception hall for their empires.
Masoudkhalife/Wikimedia CommonsRuins of the Western side of the compound at Persepolis.
Unfortunately, Alexander the Great conquered Persepolis, looted it, and finally burned it to the ground in 330 B.C. — reducing it to ruins. The historian Arrian of Nicomedia wrote that “Alexander burnt up the palace at Persepolis to avenge the Greeks because the Persians had destroyed both temples and cities of the Greeks by fire and sword.”
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