Persepolis / تخت جمشید / Περσέπολη — Achaemenid Persian Site by Albert Videt Jensen

Capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire
Persepolis, from the Greek for “city of the Persians”, known as Parsa in Old Persian or Takht-e Jamshid (“Throne of Jamshid”) in Persian, is located on the Marvdasht plain, at the foot of Kuh-e Rahmat, approximately 70 km northeast of Shiraz, in Fars Province. The site has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Construction
After continuing the work of Cyrus II at Pasargadae, and alongside the major building projects undertaken at Susa, Darius I decided to establish a new capital at the foot of Kuh-e Rahmat, which became a symbol of the Achaemenid dynasty. Tablets discovered at the site attest to activity as early as 509 BC, particularly the construction of the fortifications. His successors continued the work: Xerxes I added the Gate of All Nations, the Hadish and the Tripylon. Under Artaxerxes I, in 460 BC, 1,149 craftsmen were working on the construction sites. The building work involved workers from different regions of the Empire, including Babylonia, Caria, Ionia and Egypt.
Destruction
Accounts of Alexander the Great’s capture of Persepolis in 331 BC and the city’s burning in May 330 BC come mainly from ancient historians, including Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus and Quintus Curtius. Some archaeological evidence corroborates their accounts, but their interpretation remains disputed. The accounts mention the massacre of inhabitants, the looting of wealth and the encounter with mutilated Greek prisoners. The reasons for the destruction remain controversial. The fall of Persepolis symbolises the end of Achaemenid power. With the death of Darius III, the dynasty’s last ruler, the first Persian Empire disappeared and Hellenisation began under the Seleucids.