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Persepolis, Iran
Was Persepolis the capital of an ancient empire? A summer residence? A ceremonial complex? Whatever it was, there’s no denying the uniqueness of its ruins.
Located in southwest Iran, it was built by Persian king Darius I, ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, in the 6th century BC and expanded by his successors to encompass palaces, sculpted friezes and statues of winged bulls and other creatures.
Captured by Alexander the Great and burned in 330 BC, the city remained neglected until the 17th century, with excavation work only getting underway in 1.
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