PERSEPOLIS of the Greeks, Elymais of the Hebrews, and Istakhr of the Persians, in the province of Fars, is now a series of ruined remains, known to the people of the country as the Chahl Minar (forty pillars) and Takht-i-Jamshid (Throne of Jamshid). They are supposed to comprise the palaces of Darius, Xerxes, and Artaxerxes, each on a separate terrace. The area of the Chahl Minar is 50,000 square feet. In the vicinity are the sculp tures known as the Naksh-i-Rustum, and about 30 miles distant are ruins called Madar-i-Suliman.
Persepolis is about 12 miles from the river Bendamir, at the foot of the rocky spur which confines the northern end of the Marvdasht plain on its eastern side. From the foot of the slope, a platform 500 yards long and 312 broad has been built out into the plain. Of the portal two marble columns and four bulls are standing ; other two columns have fallen. Of 72 pillars in the great hall, at the top of the steps, only 12 are now standing. The breadth of the great hall is 127 yards. The hall of Darius is 60 yards, and that of Xerxes 33 yards. An inner hall had 100 columns. The columns stood on inverted lotus flowers, beautifully carved. The reputed tomb of Darius is higher up.
The tombs of Persepolis are on opposite sides of the Marvdasht plain, which here begins to narrow between spurs of the mountains which bound it on the north. Persepolis stands at the foot of the eastern spur. The tombs are carved in the face of the western spur, the cliffs of which rise from 90 to 500 feet, the tombs, five in number, being excavated at heights from 90 to 200 feet. The bodies of the kings have long been taken away, and the broken slabs that covered them lie on or in each empty sarcophagus. In prepar ing their sepulchres, the first thing that the old Persian monarchs did was to carve a huge cross on the face of the cliff. At the only accessible
tomb, near the top of the cross, is a graven effigy of a king, bow in hand, worshipping fire burning on an altar. Along the foot of the rocks arc sculptured tablets, spiritedly executed, represent ing equestrian combats on a gigantic scale ; and one huge carving portrays the submission of Valerian kneeling to Shahpur, explained in an inscription in Pehlavi, with an illegible Greek inscription. A marble fire-temple in high pre servation is a few yards from the foot of the cliff.
It is not known whether it was originally called Elamais, Istakhr, or Takht - i - Jamshid. After the establishment of the empire by Cyrus, he and his immediate descendants divided their residence chiefly between Babylon, Susa, and batana. lie was a conquerer long before he s a king ; and while Crunhyses, his father, 'geed in Persia, and occupied his own capital, d Cyaxares, his uncle, yet lived, and maintained us state in Ecbatana, the principal city of the Medes, the present Hamadan, Cyrus resided at times in Babylon, which he had subdued, and then afterwards at Susa, when the death of Abradates gave the whole province to his gener ous prince and friend. Cyrus (lid not live more than eight years after he became master of the empire, and therefore could not have had much time to distinguish Persepolis by any long resid ence there, though he often went thither. We learn from several writers that at different periods both Cyrus and his successors had added to the splendours of the city which the Greeks called Persepolis. Xenophon clearly points out its situation (Strabo, Diod. Siculus). — Porter's Travels, i. pp. 576, 577.