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Persepolis is an emblem of the mighty power of the Persian Empire. The ruins of the Empire’s capital lie in the Province of Fars in southern Iran.

 The Achaemenid dynasty was established in 550 BC and became a vast empire stretching throughout the orient. Persepolis took 60 years to build during the reign of 3 Kings. It was named "The Gate of All Countries" because the subject nations of the empire would pass through it when visiting the King. The structure here is 21 metres high. Colossal bulls, the symbol of God, support the beams.

 The hall for audiences and the Treasury were built using materials collected from distant places within the Empire.

 Persepolis was living proof of the culmination of the cultures of the Orient and represented its glory. The irrigation system was called the qanat. An underground water network was extended as wells were dug, and water distributed to villages and farms. The qanat distributed water to arid land without drying up. It is still in use today.

 The Persian Empire eventually clashed with Greece. King Alexander closed in on Persepolis in 330 BC. Alexander the Great entered the fortress of Persepolis and headed for the throne. He ordered the palace to be burnt down.

 The relief in the Throne Hall records the height of Empire. The equestrian people of the Scythia contributed to its military power.

 A Phoenician carries a jug. Ethiopians from Africa presented ivories. Gold from India in the east went into the Empire’s coffers. The camels are a token of loyalty from Arachosia, roughly the area of present day Afghanistan.

 The Achamenid dynasty rose to become a mighty and powerful empire that lasted over two centuries. The ruins of its columns are a reminder of a dramatic history …

Pasargadae

 Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century BC. Its palaces, gardens and the mausoleum of Cyrus are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization. Particularly noteworthy vestiges in the 160-ha site include: the Mausoleum of Cyrus II; Tall-e Takht, a fortified terrace; and a royal ensemble of gatehouse, audience hall, residential palace and gardens. Pasargadae was the capital of the first great multicultural empire in Western Asia. Spanning the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt to the Hindus River, it is considered to be the first empire that respected the cultural diversity of its different peoples. This was reflected in Achaemenid architecture, a synthetic representation of different cultures.

NAGHSH-E ROSTAM:You will see 4 tombs in the mountain of Darius I, Artaxerxes I, Xerxes I, and Darius II although historians debate about it.

Each cross shaped above is over 75 feet high and 60 feet wide.

Eight stone carvings from Sassanian dynasty below the achaemenian tombs showing conquests of kings; believed was created to celebrate the victory of Sassanian king, over the Romanian invader, Valerian.

A 25 ft high victory carving shows Roman leaders Valerian and
Philip the Arab abase themselves before their conquerer Shapur I in 260 A.D.

Used to be a ladder which visitors could climb up to the tombs but is no longer available. The size of these are incredible!
Here you can see someone standing in front of the Shapur victory carving.

The building below, the Ka' be Zardusht (Kabba of Zoroaster), assumed to be a zoroastrian fire temple from Achaemenian Period exists but scholars are uncertain about it's use.

Afif Abad Garden is one of the oldest gardens in shiraz.

During the safavid period it was used as a palace by the Safavid Shahs.

The current main building was constructed by Mirza Ali MohammadKhan Ghavvam II  in 1863. He bought a nearby ghanat  to water his garden. After his death the garden was eventually inheritted by Afife, thus being called Afif Abad (Prosperasized by Afif).

In 1962 it was restored by the army. It is now functioning as a weapons museum.

The Tomb of Hafez

Hafez' tomb is the closest to the town centre. Built in 1953 in a garden, the mausoleum is a small open pavilion; inside which is a marble tombstone with several of the poets' verses. One of the nicest tea-houses (chaikhaneh) in Shiraz can be found in the grounds, set around a rectangular pool. You can sit around on cushions sip a cup of tea, or rose water while reflecting on his poetry. Hafez spent most of his life in his native town and died there in 1389. He is considered the undisputed master of the ghazal1, and his poems reflect a richness and a subtlety unequalled even by the other great talent, Saadi.

The Tomb of Saadi

Saadi's tomb is in the north-east of Shiraz. Set in a pleasant garden, the present tomb was built in 1952 and replaces an earlier much simpler construction. Unlike Hafez, Saadi travelled extensively in Iraq and Syeria, where he was even taken prisoner by the Crusaders. Upon His return to Shiraz, Saadi wrote his most famous works, the Bustan (The Orchard) and the Golestan (The Rose Garden), which are moral tales written either in verse or in a mixture of prose and verse. Saadi is said to have died in 1290 at the grand old age of 101.

Vakil bazar : is the main Market of Shiraz and is located in the center of the city. It is thought that is origionaly established by the Buwayhids, it was completed mainly by the Atabaks and was renamed after Karim Khan Zand in the 18th century. The Bazar has many beautiful courts, caravansarays and old shops and is the best place in shiraz to buy all kinds of Persian rugs, spices, copper and Antiques .