The Majesty and Awe that was Persepolis

The Persians from the very beginning had intended the city of Persepolis to be something that was unique, extraordinary and full of shock and awe. Indeed, it would come as something of a shock filled with awesome disappointment to the ancients who built it to think that Persepolis hadn't survived as one the most fundamentally amazing survival stories in archaeological history. The Persian expansion of empire had been initiated under the reign of Cyrus around 560 B.C. and the successors of Cyrus were just as committed to broadening the span of influence. In 522 B.C. Darius set to work constructing a new imperial city designed specifically to impress all visitors.

In its original state, Persepolis had been enclosed by walls constructed of brick made from mud, but today none of that is still in existence. Many other ancient sections have been preserved, while still others have been meticulously restored. When it was originally constructed, there can be little doubt that Persepolis was truly as awe-inspiring sight as existed, but however it looked after completion was the majesty of Persepolis was to be short-lived. Persepolis was occupied by the legendary Alexander the Great in 330 B.C. and it was not long after then that the city joined Rome and London as yet another masterpiece of architectural ingenuity destroyed by fire. It is theorized that this fire may have been an act of retribution. The vengeance wrought upon Persepolis may have been attributed to a lust for revenge against the burning of Athens by Xerxes 150 years previous. Persepolis rose from the ashes of this ancient fire like a phoenix when it was exploited by the Shah of Iran in the mid-20^th century as a symbol designed to legitimize his distinctly illegitimate claim to power in modern day Persia.