What it means / Where it is
تخت جمشید (takht-e jamshid), literally “the Throne of Jamshid,” is the Persian name for the ruined ceremonial capital that English speakers call Persepolis. The site sits on a stone terrace at the foot of Mount Rahmat in Fars province, about 60 km northeast of Shiraz. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage site in 1979.
The English name Persepolis comes from Greek and means roughly “the Persian city.” The Persian name links the site to جمشید (jamshid), the legendary king of the Shahnameh, even though the actual builders were the Achaemenids and not Jamshid. Local tradition simply attached the older mythical figure to the impressive stone ruins.
Cultural-historical context
Construction began under داریوش بزرگ (dâriush-e bozorg), Darius the Great, around 518 BCE and continued under his son Xerxes and later kings. The complex was used for ceremonies, especially the New Year reception of tribute from the empire’s satrapies. The famous Apadana stairway reliefs show delegations from across the Achaemenid world bringing gifts to the king of kings.
In 330 BCE, after defeating Darius III, اسکندر مقدونی (eskandar-e maqduni), Alexander of Macedon, captured Persepolis and burned the palace complex. The fire is described in Greek sources, and the burned cedar beams have been confirmed archaeologically. Whether it was a planned act of revenge for the Persian invasions of Greece or a drunken accident is still debated.
For modern Iranians, Takht-e Jamshid is one of the most charged national symbols. The 1971 celebrations of “2,500 years of monarchy” staged by Mohammad Reza Shah were held at the site, which gave it a strong association with the Pahlavi era. After the revolution there were brief discussions about whether to dismantle it, which were rejected. Today it is a major heritage site visited by Iranian school groups, foreign tourists, and a steady stream of pilgrims of national memory.
How to use it
- به تخت جمشید رفتیم (be takht-e jamshid raftim) “We went to Persepolis”
- تخت جمشید در فارسه (takht-e jamshid dar fârs-e) “Persepolis is in Fars province”
- تخت جمشید رو سوزاندند (takht-e jamshid ro suzândand) “They burned Persepolis”
If you travel from Shiraz, the standard day trip pairs Takht-e Jamshid with نقش رستم (naqsh-e rostam), the nearby cliff with the rock-cut tombs of Darius and other Achaemenid kings. Together they give a fuller picture of the empire than the palace ruins alone.
References
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