PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE 538 331BC

Persia was the mountainous plateau to the east of the lower Tigris-Euphrates Valley. The Persian empire was larger than the Babylonian and Assyrian empires, extending eastward to India and reaching westward to Greece. Its capitals were Persepolis and Susa. As a world empire it lasted 200 years

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE 538 331BC Chronological order of Rulers

The Persian Kings were: Cyrus (538-529 B.C.) Cambyses (529-522 B.C.) Darius I (521-485 B.C.) Conquered Babylon and allowed Jews to return. Stopped work on the Temple. Authorized completion of the Temple.

Xerxes (Ahasuerus) (485-465 B.C.) Esther was his Queen. Artaxerxes I (465-425 B.C.) Xerxes II (424 B.C.) Darius II (423-405 B.C.) Artaxerxes II (405-358 B.C.) Artaxerxes III (358-338 B.C.) Arses (338-335) Darius III (335-331 B.C.) He was defeated by Alexander the Great (331 B.C.) at the famous battle of Arbela, near Nineveh. This was the fall of Persia and the rise of Greece. Authorized Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem.

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE 538 331BC PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

The initial works were started in 518 BC. Cyrus the Great chose the site of Persepolis Darius the Great built the terrace and the great palaces at Persepolis and the construction of the buildings at the terrace was continued until downfall of the Achaemenid dynasty. Darius ordered the construction of Apadana Palace and the Debating hall (Tripylon or the three-gated hall), the main imperial treasury and its surroundings, which were completed at the time of the reign of his son King Xerxes The palace was completed by ArtaXerxes I The main characteristic of Persepolitan architecture is its columns. They were of wood; only when even the largest cedars of the Lebanon or the teak trees of India did not fulfill the required sizes did the architects resort to stone. The bases and the capitals were always of stones, even on wooden shafts, but the existence of wooden capitals is probable.

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE 538 331BC PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

Details: 460 x 275m extent
The buildings at Persepolis are divided into 3 areas, Military quarters Treasury Reception and occasional houses for King of Kings. These include the Great Stairway Gate of Nations (Xerxes) Apadana Palace of Darius Hall of a Hundred Columns Tripylon Hall Tachara palace of Darius Hadish palace of Xerxes Palace of Artaxerxes III Imperial Treasury, the Royal Stables and the Chariot house.

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE 538 331BC PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

SITE DETAILS:
The main entrance to the site is on the NW The various buildings stand on a platform partly built and partly excavated from the hill Gray limestone is mainly used for the building The terrace is about 20m from the ground level APPROACH: The only entrance is on the NW This dual stairway known as Persepolitan stairway, was built in a symmetrical manner on the W side of the Great Wall. The 111 steps were 6.9m wide with treads of 31cm and rises 10 cm, so a horseman could ride up them without difficulty. The top of the stairways led to a small yard in the northeastern side of the terrace, opposite the Gate of Nations. After the natural rock had been leveled and the depressions filled in, the terrace was prepared, then they dug major tunnels for sewage, underground in the rock. A large water storage tank was built inside the rock, at the eastern foot of the mountain.

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE 538 331BC PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

GATE OF NATIONS: Grand hall that was 24.74 square metre 4 columns and its entrance on the Western Wall. There were two more doors, one to the south which opened to the Apadana yard and the other one opened onto a long road to the east. Doors were probably made of wood and covered with sheets of, ornamented metal. A pair of Persianized Assyrian man-bulls on the western threshold and another pair with wings and a Persian head on the eastern entrance to reflect the Empires power was built.

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

APADANA:
Led by a doorway on the south Grand official audience hall 76.2m square Had 36 columns inside (total of 72) Walls 200 thick Stood on its own terrace 100 high Began by Darius Completed by 2 of his successors Had 3 porticoes Double colonnades Stairways on N & NE At the south of the grand hall a series of rooms were built for storage To avoid the roof being affected by rain they provided vertical drains through the brick walls. In the Four Corners of Apadana, facing outwards, four towers were built. RELIEF WORK Arranged in 3 tiers of relief separate by a band of Rosettes, Nobles, courtiers, guardsmen in a procession Deep jambs The Walls were tiled, decorated with pictures of lions, bulls and flowers

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

TACHARA PALACE OF DARIUS:

The original main entrance, with a large double staircase leading to the terrace, seen from the south. 12 columns supported the roof of the central hall from which three small stairways descend Small in comparison to other structures and well preserved

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

TRIPYLON:
The triple gate is found between the Apadana and the Hall of hundred columns It consists of a central room It is also termed as the Council Hall The 3 gates are decorated The northern part of the eastern gate, leads to the Hall of hundred columns. On top, we see Ahuramazda, the most important god in the Iranian pantheon Lay centrally among buildings Acted as a reception chamber and a guard room for the more private quarters of the Palace grounds

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

TREASURY:
The oldest building of the complex Built by Darius SE angle of site Double walled Administrative and store house building Had columned halls of different sizes Only a single doorway part of which served as an armory and especially as a royal storehouse of the Achaemenian kings. Before the Throne Hall was finished, the most spacious room of the Treasury was used as a Court of Reception. Two large stone relieves were discovered here that attested to its function. These depict Darius I, seated on his throne, being approached by a high dignitary whose hand is raised to his mouth in a gesture of respectful greeting. Behind the king stands Crown Prince Xerxes, followed by court officials.

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

THRONE HALL / HALL OF 100 COLUMNS:
Commenced by Xerxes Finished by Artaxerxes 68.6m square(2250) Columns 11.3m high supporting a flat cedar roof Walls were double except on the N N- portico flanked by 2 bulls faced a forecourt had its own gatehouse separated from the Apadana by a wall Had 2 doorways 7 windows on the entrance wall Matched on the other 3 sides except that niches replaced windows All framed in stone surrounds in 3.4m thick brick wall In the beginning of Xerxes' reign the Throne Hall was used mainly for receptions for representatives of all the subject nations of the empire. Later, when the Treasury proved to be too small, the Throne Hall also served as a storehouse and, above all, as a place to display more adequately objects, both tribute and booty, from the royal treasury.

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

PALACE OF XERXES:
Built near SW corner Connected with the Harem An L shaped womens quarter Court formed by L shaped harem & Tripylon Court enclosed south of Tripylon Xerxes' Palace, almost twice as large as that of Darius, shows very similar decorative features on its stone doorframes and windows, except for two large Xerxes inscriptions on the eastern and western doorways. Instead of showing the king's combat with monsters, these doorways depict servants with ibexes. Unfortunately, all the reliefs in this palace are far less well preserved than those of the Palace of Darius.

TOMB OF ARTA XERXES

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS

Stepped battlements crowned the parapet walls Sculptures in brilliant colours Columns of the apartments had Wooden shafts Thickly plastered Decoratively painted Columns of the hall was of stone Bases were moulded Shafts were fluted Capitals vertical ionic like volutes Twin bulls or dragons supporting the roof beams