Persepolis is the Greek name for the ancient city of Parsa, which meant "City of the Persians".
Though nobody exactly knows, it is assumed that the construction of the city began in 518 BCE under the rule of Darius the Great. The archaeologists found an inscription that reads:
"And Ahuramazda was of such a mind, together with all the other gods, that this fortress [should] be built. And [so] I built it. And I built it secure and beautiful and adequate, just as I was intending to."
The city was built in terraces up from the river Pulwar to rise on a larger terrace, that cut out of the Mountain Kuh -e Rahmet ("the Mountain of Mercy")
. The whole century passed before the construction was completed.
Even though, Darius thought Persepolis would be a safe place; after two centuries the city was destroyed by Alexander the Great.
Since then, the ruins of the great city were forgotten. Beginning from seventeenth century, people start to travel back to Persepolis, describe it and write some stories about the city. Only in 1931 the first expedition arrived to Persepolis to show to the people the beauty, that had been forgotten for centuries...
Here you can see the plan of the Terrace
The northern part of the Terrace - consisting mainly of the Audience Hall of the Apadana, the Throne Hall, and the Gate of Xerxes - was the official section of the Persepolis complex, accessible to a restricted public. The other part held the Palaces of Darius and Xerxes, the Harem and the Council Hall.
The Apadana - is the largest and the most magnificent building that was used for the great receptions by the kings.
The Throne Hall or the Hundred Column Hall is another famous building where we can find the reliefs of different themes, such as the throne scenes and the king, fighting against the monsters.
But, the most famous one, I think, is the
Gate of Xerxes or the
Gate of the Nations. It was built in such a way that it was the only entrance for the people on their way to the Throne Hall to pay homage to the king. In my opinion, this gate made a great impression to the people and showed the power of the nation, especially a pair of assyrianized man-bulls.
This majestic city was the symbol of power, strength and wealth. Even today it amazes people with its spirit. To my mind, this is what Marjane Satrapi tries to show in
Persepolis - the real power and strength of the nation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyHpoZXBqBc
- You know, I like to read historic literature and people, especially during medieval times, were very ingenious in discovering new tortures. But that was during medieval. When I hear about the torture today, I don't know what to think.
- It is peoples' nature to do everything if they want to know something. It is just the simplest way to find the truth as nobody can suffer pain for a very long time...
