(Re-)Awakening the Power of Persepolis

Van de Ven, Annelies [UCL]

Founded by Cyrus the Great and first built upon under Darius I, Persepolis or Taqs-e Jamshid was one of the Persian royal capitals until it was burned to the ground by Alexander in 330 BC. Both internationally renowned and locally celebrated, Persepolis is a site that functions as far more than a mere tourist attraction. Throughout its history, the site was an active player in the construction of Iranian identity, more recently through its centrality to the national myth of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and his celebration of 2500 years of Persian Empire.