Persepolis
ancient city in Marvdasht County, Iranian national heritage site and World heritage site
Persepolis or Parseh (Persian: پارسه, romanized: Pārseh; Old Persian: 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿, romanized: Pārsa), also known in modern Persian as Takht-e Jamshid (تخت جمشید, "Throne of Jamshid"), was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550–330 BC). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros Mountains, in Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. The city, acting as a major centre of the empire, housed a palace complex and citadel designed to serve as the focal point for governance and ceremonial activities. It exemplifies the Achaemenid style of architecture. The complex was taken by the army of Alexander the Great in 330 BC, and soon after, its palaces were destroyed by fire. According to one account, Alexander deliberately set fire to Persepolis to avenge the destruction of Athens by the Persians; according to another, the fire was started at the urging of Thaïs, a courtesan, during a feast when Alexander was intoxicated.
The exact function of Persepolis remains unclear. It was not one of the largest cities in ancient Iran, let alone the rest of the empire, but appears to have been a grand ceremonial complex that was only occupied seasonally. The complex was raised high on a walled platform, with five "palaces" or halls of varying size, and grand entrances.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Persepolis” as ancient city in Marvdasht County, Iranian national heritage site and World heritage site. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as ancient city in Marvdasht County, Iranian national heritage site and World heritage site. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q129072. VIAF identifies the subject as 145742096. The Library of Congress control number is n80063345. Authority coordinates are 29.935, 52.890. 2 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1979.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Persepolis”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Persepolis primary sources, Persepolis archive and Persepolis research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Persepolis”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Persepolis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.