PERSEPOLIS

The remains of the palace of Darius at Persepolis. Much of the palace was destroyed by fire on the orders of Alexander the Great.

Work on the great city of Persepolis was started by Darius I and completed by his son Xerxes. Darius intended the city to be the capital of the Persian Empire, reflecting both its might and wealth. He also wanted a luxurious royal residence fit for an all-powerful king. Darius chose a site a few miles southwest of Pasargadae, the old capital of Cyrus the Great. Work started on the fortifications sometime around 500 BCE. A great perimeter wall was constructed on a natural platform at the base of the Mount of Mercy. The wall consisted of huge limestone blocks topped by mud bricks, bringing the total height in places to 60 feet (18.2 m).

The royal palace was situated on the west side of the citadel. The palace included a large reception hall, called the Apadana, which featured imposing columns of stone up to 65 feet (20 m) high. The columns were topped with ornate capitals supporting the timber beams that held up the roof. South of the Apadana were the many private royal apartments, including a harem.

The palace housed many ceremonial gates and stairways, all decorated with elaborate stone carvings, which were carried out by an army of stone carvers, wood carvers, goldsmiths, silversmiths, and other artists. Almost every stone surface carried a carved relief. These magnificent examples of Persian art are nowhere seen to better effect than in the Apadana, where there were scenes of palms and cypresses, lions and bulls, culminating in the depiction of a great procession of nobles, courtiers, soldiers, and representatives of the subject peoples advancing to greet their king.

On the east side of the citadel, Xerxes built a vast throne room that had 10 rows of columns with 10 columns in each row, giving rise to its modern name, the Hall of a Hundred Columns. The hall was entered through a porch on the north side. The porch was held up by 16 columns, each decorated at the top by a bull with a human head. The eight doorways into the hall were all decorated with reliefs.

This palace complex was sacked by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE, and the buildings were put to the torch. According to some sources, Alexander's order to burn the palace was given while he was drunk at a feast and being urged on by his fellow revelers.

The remains of the city of Persepolis, which was the capital of the Persian Empire. The city was famous throughout the ancient world for its riches.

A great feast in the palace at Persepolis— and the next morning burned it to the ground. Persepolis itself—reputedly the richest city under the sun—was looted of its treasures, all the men were put to the sword, and the women were enslaved. In the same year that Persepolis was taken, Darius was murdered, probably by his own followers, and the history of the Persian Empire was at an end.