Persepolis travel guide

This article is about the ancient city. For other uses, see Persepolis (disambiguation).
Persepolis (Old Persian: 'Parseh', New Persian: تخت جمشید/پارسه, 'Takht-e Jamshid') was an ancient ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire. It was built during the reign of Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) around 560 BC. The largest and most complex building in Persepolis was the audience hall, or Apadana with 72 columns. Persepolis is situated some 70 km northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars Province of Iran (Persia). In contemporary Persian language the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid (Throne of Jamshid) and Parseh. To the ancient Persians, the city was known as Parsa, meaning The City of Persians, Persepolis being the Greek interpretation of the name Περσες (meaning Persian)+ πόλις (meaning city). (...)