Shiraz · Marvdasht (60km north of Shiraz) · Iran

Persepolis

ruinsancient cityUNESCOgoogle verified

moderate

10/10

best: morning, early afternoon

epic, historic, contemplative

A local would say...

Alexander the Great burned this place down — and the carvings are still so sharp you can read the grief in the faces.

The ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire begun by Darius I in 518 BC, Persepolis is one of the great ancient sites of the world — a vast terrace of carved staircases, audience halls, royal palaces and treasury buildings whose stone reliefs depict processions of subject peoples from across the known world.