World Heritage Sites in Iran - Behistun Inscription, Persepolis, Achaemenid Architecture, Band-E Kaisar, Naqsh-E Jahan Square, Pasargadae (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 35. Chapters: Behistun Inscription, Persepolis, Achaemenid architecture, Band-e Kaisar, Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Pasargadae, Shushtar, Bam, Iran, Arg-e Bam, Tangeh Bolaghi, Saint Thaddeus Monastery, Tabriz Bazaar, Chogha Zanbil, Takht-e Soleym n, Behistun Palace, Soltaniyeh, Sheikh Safi al-Din Kh neg h and Shrine Ensemble, Saint Stepanos Monastery, Zozan. Excerpt: Achaemenid Persian architecture refers to the architectural achievements of the Achaemenid Persians manifesting in construction of spectacular cities utilized for governance and inhabitation (Perspepolis, Susa, Ecbatana), temples made for worship and social gatherings (such as Zoroastrian temples), and mausoleums erected in honor of fallen kings (such as the burial tomb of Cyrus the Great). The quintessential feature of Persian architecture was its eclectic nature with elements of Median, Assyrian, and Asiatic Greek all incorporated. Achaemenid architecture is academically classified under Parsian Architecture in terms of its style and design. Achaemenid architectural heritage, beginning with the expansion of the empire around 550 B.C.E., was a period of artistic growth that left an extraordinary architectural legacy ranging from Cyrus the Great's solemn tomb in Pasargadae to the splendid structures of the opulent city of Persepolis. With the advent of the second Persian Empire, the Sassanid dynasty (224-624 C.E.), revived Achaemenid tradition by construction of temples dedicated to fire, and monumental palaces. Perhaps the most striking extant structures to date are the ruins of Persepolis, a once opulent city established by the Achaemenid king, Darius the Great for governmental and ceremonial functions, and also acting as one of the empire's four capitals. Persepolis, would take 100 years to complete and would finally be ransacked and burnt by the troops of Alexander the...