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My Journey to The Persian Empire

My next journey is to Persia during the heyday of the Persian Empire. The purpose of my visit would be so I could see Persepolis in all its magnificence.

During the rule of the great Persian King Darius' in what was formerly known as Persia (522 to 486 BCE), King Darius built an enormous palace complex known to the Greeks as Persepolis (city of the Persians). The complex served to emphasize Darius' majesty and the grandeur of his reign, as well as to establish the legitimacy of his rule; however, it also helped to create a legacy. Today, it is still unclear exactly what purpose the massive palace complex at Persepolis served but most pundits are of the belief that it was built as a palace to host celebrations and ceremonies for celebrating the spring equinox, the Persian new year (Nowruz). Notwithstanding this common belief, there is a stone relief in one of the palaces, known as the Apadana palace, depicting twenty-three subjects from different cultures and regions of the vast Persian Empire lining up bearing gifts in order to pay tribute to King Darius, perhaps indicating that the building was used as a venue where the representatives of each of these regions presented their annual displays of fealty, loyalty and homage (Axworthy 2008).

The complex was built in five phases. During the first phase of construction, Darius I ordered the construction of terraces and palaces. Apadana is known as one of the largest and most beautiful palaces at Persepolis. The hall could be occupied by hundreds or even thousands of people all at once. An important feature of the building is its eastern staircase, which depicts on its walls the vast and diverse people of the empire.

The second phase of construction comprises of buildings that were started by Darius and subsequently completed during the reign of his son, Xerxes following Xerxes succession after the death of his father in 486 BCE (Lendering: Persepolis). As a matter of fact, for the most part, Persepolis was constructed during Xerxes reign as exemplified by the following inscription:
“When my father Darius went away from the throne, I became king on his throne by the grace of Ahuramazda. After I became king, I finished what had been done by my father, and I added other." (Lendering:Persepolis)

During this phase, Apadana was completed. Apadana was expanded by adding another palace, the Darius palace to its south and a winter palace (Taçara) to its north. Furthermore, the Xerxes Gate (Gate of all Nations) was constructed, which was guarded by two Bulls and a Lamassus on each side.

The Queen's quarters and Xerxes' palace were constructed in the third phase. The Queen's quarters served as a female-exclusive residence. As a result, the women were able to live in their own bedrooms. Persepolis' second largest building, the Hall of Hundred Columns, as well as the Palace of Artaxerxes are the results of the fourth phase. This was the period during the reign of Artaxerxes 1, Xerxes's son who succeeded his father in 359 BCE. The last phase of construction took place during the reign of King Artaxerxes III, the last monarch of the Achaemenid Empire. This phase included the construction of the Hall of 32 Columns, the Tomb of Artaxerxes II, and his own tomb (Lendering: Persepolis). Apparently, there was still a large gate to be built, but it remained incomplete due to Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia. Alexander, in an act of revenge for the destruction of Athens by the Persians, set Persepolis on fire, an act that he would admit to regretting later (Plutarch:Alexander).

In light of this history, my journey would take me to the days when the construction of Persepolis had just started and end on the very last days before Alexander took his revenge, so that I could see this magnificent complex in all its magnificence and splendor.