Persepolis
Iran ·
Description
Persepolis is the stone dream of Achaemenid kings. Darius and Xerxes built this ceremonial city to impress ambassadors from all the known world. Apadana columns still hold up skies, reliefs show 23 nations paying tribute, and the Gate of All Nations welcomes visitors with winged bulls. Alexander burned it, but its grandeur survives.
Why It's a World Heritage Site
Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of history's first universal empire. Reliefs represent empire diversity with unique ethnographic detail. Alexander's destruction paradoxically preserved it under the ashes.
UNESCO Criteria
Frequently Asked Questions
For being the ceremonial capital of history's first universal empire, with reliefs showing its cultural diversity.
It was inscribed in 1979 under criteria (i), (iii) and (vi).
60 km from Shiraz, in Fars province, Iran.
Alexander the Great in 330 BC, possibly as revenge for Athens' destruction.
3-4 hours; combine with nearby Naqsh-e Rostam (royal tombs).