5/5 Pejman 1 year ago on Google • 79 reviews
Western
view
of
the
"All
Nations
Gate"
at
Persepolis,
located
in
present-day
Iran.
This
gate
was
not
on
Darius
the
Great's
initial
plan
for
Persepolis
but
was
added
by
his
son
and
successor,
Xerxes.
The
initial
main
entrance
of
the
palace
complex
was
located
on
the
south
wall
of
the
terrace
supporting
the
palaces.
Xerxes
changed
it,
adding
a
monumental
stairway
on
the
west
side
leading
to
that
gate
upstairs.
The
function
of
the
gate
was
not
only
to
allow
the
entry
of
the
visitors,
but
was
also
to
separate
the
people
according
to
their
social
importance.
The
gate
was
a
square
hypostyle
hall
with
three
doors.
The
few
nobles
and
princes
allowed
to
enter
the
royal
palace
were
directed
through
the
south
door
to
a
court
opening
on
the
Tachara
(Darius'
audience
hall)
or
to
the
Tripylon
palace,
while
the
others
were
directed
trough
the
east
door
on
an
alley
leading
to
another
gate
(unfinished),
and
then
the
east
barracks
or
to
the
100
column
palace.
The
4
columns
are
well
preserved
and
supported
a
18.5
meters
high
roof.
The
columns
are
ionian
stylized,
erected
on
inversed
bell
shapes,
their
top
consisted
in
stylized
palm
trees.
The
walls
were
decorated
with
2
giant
bulls
on
the
west,
and
2
giant
lamassus
(androcephalic
winged
bulls)
on
the
east
protecting
the
path.
The
gate
carries
also
a
royal
trilingual
Achaemenid
cuneiform
inscription
by
Xerxes.
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