Before reaching the city of Yazd, where we will stay for the night, we have to visit a few very important historical sites. Our first stop is Persapolis… This historical city, located near Shiraz, was the capital of the Persian Empire, dating back to B.C. It was founded by the Persian king Darius in the 6th century. It is possible to understand from the reliefs on the walls that Persapolis was a ceremonial center used for the reception of foreign delegations living within the territory of the Achaemenid Dynasty and for Nevruz celebrations. It is also one of the best examples of art and architecture. The city, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is a magnificent group of structures surrounded by walls, consisting of royal buildings, ceremonial halls, treasury, warehouses and stables. Although they were built in various periods, the architectural plans of the buildings have integrity. City; It was built at the foothills of the Rahmet Mountains, at a very high place from the wide plateau. The platform is accessed by stairs made of solid stone with two sides, which are wide but have a low riser height. The low steps were built so that guests coming from the structure can also climb these stairs with horses. Even though the wooden roofs and brick walls have not survived to the present day, the stone pillars and columns and giant animal statues look so majestic when entering the city that it is not difficult to guess how impressed the guests who come here are. Gate of All Nations: The giant statues with human heads and bull bodies on both sides of this gate, designed to impress those who come with its majesty, are quite impressive. This section is connected to the hall with 100 columns through a narrow passage. Both the door and the hall behind it were built to impress the foreign guests who came here. Rumor has it that the guests were kept waiting for a while just for this reason. Apadana Palace: The section where visitors are received, fed by 36 columns and at a height of 20 meters. Only 13 columns remained standing. Apadana Stairs: The stairs leading to the palace and the reliefs on them are the most famous part of Persepolis. The gifts that the arriving delegations brought to the king, their queues to present these gifts, their conversations while waiting, Nevruz ceremonies and religious symbols are decorated with reliefs on the walls of this staircase. Other important buildings are the Treasury Department, Winter Palace, Hshayarsha Palace, Central Palace, and the 100 Column Palace, the largest structure in Persepolis. Persepolis, which the Iranians call Taht-ı Jamshid, dates back to B.C. It was plundered, destroyed and burned by Alexander the Great in 331 in order to destroy the power of the Persian Empire. If it had not been destroyed, this magnificent city would be in a much better condition today and would tell us more stories. When we ask about the giant iron skeletons we saw near the city on our way to Persepolis, we learn that these are the remains of the tents used in the legendary dinner party that Shah Reza Pahlavi gave to world leaders on the 2500th anniversary of the founding of Iran (1971). Air-conditioned tents are set up for their leaders, the catering business is tendered to a French company for 22 million dollars, and valuable rings are served on a tray. It’s scary to even think about the cost of the entire event! We leave this historical city impressed by the beauty, magnificence and size of the city we see… NAKŞ-I RÜSTEM (Picture of Rustem) Right near the city of Persepolis, we come to a sacred and archaeological site belonging to the Achaemenid period and before and the Sassanid Period. This place, carved into the rocks and dating back to the Sasanian Period, has beautiful reliefs but no paintings, and is named after the Persian Warrior Rustem. Achaemenid King Tombs consist of four tombs, two fire altars and a tower (Kaaba-i Zoroaster). Four relief columns were carved into the rocks, in the middle is the entrance door of the burial chamber, and at the top is a decorative band. At the bottom of the tombs and in the empty spaces between the tombs, there are reliefs from the Sasanian Period depicting subjects such as receiving power from God, the coronation ceremony, the king’s opponent’s head under the foot of his horse, war, and stabbing a spear into the enemy’s belly. After these two impressive ruins, while we were eating our lunch consisting of rice and meat dishes in the garden of a restaurant where there were many tourists, my eyes were on watermelon… Watermelons are no longer eaten in Turkey at the end of October, but we ate very nice watermelons in Tehran, and yes, the watermelons here are still very delicious even though we are at the end of October. PASARGAD Pasargad, the capital of the first Iranian dynasty, the Achaemenids, was discovered in 1900s. Although it is a capital city, it consists of very simple, modest and not very large buildings. The city was founded by Kurosh, who won the war against the Medes, but Darius I, who ascended the throne after his death, moved the capital from Pasargad to Persepolis. The only and most important structure that has survived in the city today is Kurosh’s tomb. When we get to the cemetery, I’m going to get off the bus, but I can’t find my camera. I dozed off a bit due to the combination of the food languor and the heat. I thought mischievous friends hid it, but I was wrong, this is serious! I probably left it on the counter while buying small souvenirs from the tiny shop at the exit after seeing the royal tombs. Will it come back? I don’t have much hope. I feel sorry for my photos more than the camera. Of course, I can take the photos taken by my friends, but the photos I take are important to me, even if they are the same frames. Our local guide leaves the ruins and calls the restaurant we went to somewhere nearby and asks them to send someone to ask. Soon the news comes, yes it has been found and hidden, I am very relieved, but it is not possible for us to go back, I will not be able to take photos for the rest of the trip. Shortly after, our guide gives the good news, a guide friend of his is at the king’s tombs at that moment and took my camera, they will come to Yazd tomorrow and I will get my camera. TOMB OF KUROSH The tomb, which is the only and most important structure to survive in the city, which was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List; It was built on a three-storey platform, 12 meters high, with a very simple architecture, even though it symbolizes the greatness of a world conqueror. If you ask who is Kurosh; The founder of the Achaemenid Empire and the first Zoroastrian king (who is Zoroaster, what are his beliefs, I will give detailed information in my next articles) conquered most of Southwest Asia and expanded his territory from Anatolia to Babylon and the Egyptian border. First he conquers Anatolia, then Egypt to secure himself… He is the creator of the Kurosh Cylinder, known as the First Declaration of Human Rights. Wherever he went and conquered, he abolished slavery, freed beliefs, did not interfere with the lives of the people, but made a constitution and had this constitution written on a large cylinder. As the saying goes: “A friend of a friend is my friend, and his enemy is my enemy.” Today, the Kurosh Cylinder has been translated and sent to every state, and hangs in the United Nations Building in New York. This empire, B.C. It lasted until 330 because the Greeks came and burned and destroyed the city. 1500 camels and 5000 mules were used to extract the treasure. The mosque built right next to the tomb, rising on Achaemenid style columns, has not survived to the present day. After the grave, we set out towards Yazd. Mavimore Turizm is a travel agency registered with TÜRSAB. Document number: A-8307