The Persepolis complex was constructed at the foot of Rahmat Mountain, a site marked by a 125,000 m2 terrace which is partly artificial and partly hewn from the mountain (Fig. 5.8). As the Persepolis complex was the religious capital of the Achaemenid dynasty, most ceremonies were held during winter’s end and early spring when the region enjoyed greater precipitation. It was at this time that the complex’s runoff network assumed importance.
In order to prevent flooding, runoff from Rahmat Mountain over the site area was controlled according to two major approaches: (1) Mountain runoff was conveyed toward a 60 m deep reservoir (a square-section well 4.2 m on each edge) located south of the site (Fig. 5.9a) with the runoff conveyed along masonry gutters to the reservoir (Fig. 5.9b) and (2) A 180 m long conduit, with 7 m width and 2.6 m depth, located just west of the site, also directed excess water away from complex buildings. If the runoff exceeded the reservoir’s capacity, it was spilled downstream to the western plains (TCE, 2003).
Because it had to protect the royal buildings, the sewer system within the complex was more intricate than the excess runoff diversion scheme just described. The
Fig. 5.7 Schematic of the Persepolis water supply system
Entire complex, which was served by closed section conduits and gutters, is divided into northern and southern sides, comprising five zones in total (two for the northern side and three for the south). The zones were based on the actual locations of particular palaces and buildings (Fig. 5.10).
World History
