The ruins of Persepolis

At our luxury resort in Spain Asia Gardens Hotel Thai & Spa we keep travelling around Asia to discover the secrets of its culture. Today we are taking you to Iran to find out about one of its main tourist attractions: the ruins of Persepolis.

Persepolis, which means “city of Persians”, was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. Founded by Darius the Great in 518 BCE, it was one of the most prominent cities of the ancient world. The city was sacked and looted by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE.

According to historians, Alexander the Great destroyed Persepolis to take revenge for the looting of Athens and its Acropolis and to announce the end of the Persian control.

UNESCO declared the ruins of Persepolis as a World Heritage Site in 1979. Persepolis was the richest city of its period.

Persepolis was a city riddled with temples and political buildings. The famous winged bulls guarded most of them. The Persian Achaemenid architecture is marked by the Greek influence, on the arcades of its palaces, the Ionic style, on its columns, and Mesopotamian influence, on its winged bulls.

The most remarkable aspect of the architecture of the ruins of Persepolis are the low relief panels, which symbolize the imperial parades and the fights between the king and a fantastic animal with a bull body, horns, wings, raven neck, lion legs and scorpion tail.

The Gate of All Nations, at the entrance of Persepolis, is one of the most remarkable places of the country.

If you are an Asian culture lover, come see us at the 5 star hotels in Spain Asia Gardens Hotel Thai & Spa. Enjoy Asia without leaving Spain!