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| Takht-e
Jamshid or as the Greeks called it,
Persepolis, is a ruined capital of the
ancient Iran, about 60 Km north-east
of Shiraz. It is one of the greatest
artistic legacies of the ancient
world, founded by Darius I (550-486
B.C.), and Achaemenid king, in 518
B.C. He intended to build a capital in
his homeland unique throughout history
. He decided to found the capital on
the slope of a mountain now called
Rahmat, located in the Marvdasht
plain, reared as a holy place by him.
Takht-e Jamshid was completed by
Xerxes and Artaxerxes I who ruled Iran
from 486 to 465 B.C. and from 465 to
425 respectively. The palaces were
used by the Achaemenid kings up until
they were destroyed by Alexander in
330 B.C. The stones used for building
belong both to Mt. Rahmat and a mine
40 Kms from Takht-e Jamshid. No mortar
was used to hold stones together, but
iron braces were utilized in some
points. The Achaemenid Palaces are
built on a rock terrace leveled to
receive them. The terrace covers an
area of approximately 135000 square
meters (450 x 300 meters) and is
between 8 to 18 meters high. The
following are different components of
the complex. |
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| Stairways
In
the west of the terrace there are two
stairways by which the buildings are
approached. Each stairway consists of
110 steps, every four or five of which
are made of a single stone slab. Each
step is 690 cm long, 37 .5 cm wide and
10 cm high. The stairways, therefore,
have a slight slope and could be used
even by horsemen.
The
Gate of Xerxes
The
stairways lead to a hall covering an
area of 625 sq m. The hall includes
three doorways of 10 m high. On each
of the western and eastern doorways a
pair of winged bulls are cut.
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Apadana
Palace
The
Apadana Palace or the Palace
of Darius is one of the
largest and architecturally
the most impressive
component of Takht-e Jamshid.
Facing the vast Marvdasht
Plain, it is built on a rock
terrace leveled to receive
it. Its main hall includes
36 columns of about 20
m high. Apadana has
two stairways on the north
and east sides, being
architectural triumphs.
Fortunately, the eastern
stairway, buried for many
centuries, has survived
almost intact, but the
western one has been eroded
badly.
The rock relief
usually represent the king
sitting on the throne, while
23 groups of the governed
peoples are presenting gifts
to him. Each group is
separated from the others by
a tree, and behind the king
there are the courtiers,
guards, horses and chariots
in rows. The number of rock
relief cut on the eastern
side amounts to 800. The
interior of the central hall
had been covered with
colored tiles representing
animals such as bulls and
lions, and trees like
cypresses and palms. The
roofs of the hall and
porticoes are made of wood
plastered with clay and
straw.
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Hadish
Palace
Belonging
to Xerxes himself, it is
situated in the south of
Takht-e Jamshid,
on the highest rock
terrace. It contains a
central hall with 36
pillars, a portico on the
north with 16 pillars, a
portico on the south, and a
few chambers on the east and
west.
Tachar
Palace
Lying
to the south of the Apadana,
it is a palace the stones of
which have survived almost
intact. Named Tachar in an
inscription cut on the south
side, it is also called the
Mirror Hall, because of its
glossy stones. Tachar
includes a central hall with
12 stone pillars, and twelve
inscriptions in cuneiform
characters cut on the strips
above the niches and windows
describing the stonework.
The pillars are similar to
those of the Apadana Palace
in form, but their height is
one third of them. The
capitals have the form of
paired bulls.
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