Travel Diary Iran 2013 - Day 4 (Persepolis - Naqsh-e Rostam)

Several trips during this day were made, all of them very interesting but the day became very long.
First we went to Persepolis, the most impressive and magnificent palace compound from Achaemenid's empire 500 BC. A vast Palace ruin plateau that takes several hours to visit. Unfortunately the compound museum was closed at the visit time.

Persepolis Bull Gate

Two colossal stone bulls flanked the northern portico of the Throne Hall in Persepolis. Here you can see one of them in its original place. The head of the other of the two bulls now resides in the Oriental Institute in Chicago.

All Nations Gate - Pesepolis

The Gate of All Nations, protected by bulls (front) and mythological creatures, called lamassu's, bulls with the head of a bearded man. 

Persepolis - 100 Columns Hall Gate (the Throne Hall)

This throne hall was Persepolis' second largest building, measuring 70 x 70 meters.

After Pesepolis we went to Naqsh-e Rostam, a site about five km northwest of Persepolis with several monumental royal tombs carved into the cliff from Achaemenid's empire (among others the tomb of King Darius I the Great (522-486 BC)) and several rock reliefs from the Sassanid empire 200-600 AC.

Naqsh-e Rostam

Then we also visited Nqshe Rajab, a small site with more rock reliefs from the Sassanid era.

At the end we decided to go a non-historical site, Behesht-e Gomshodeh, a green valley some 200 km to the north from our position. After a very hot day, which resulted that we burned all parts of the body that were not covered by cloths, this place was very pleasant indeed.

Behesht-e Gomshodeh

360 degrees VR panoramas from all these places at stockholm360.net.