Persepolis stood on a limestone terrace overlooking the marvdasht plain, at the foot of the kuh-e-rahmat,the mountain of mercy. The sassanid capital of gur lies about two miles north-west of the present town of firuzabad in the province of fars. the gate of all nations, persepolis, fire altar, firuzabad at shiraz. here is seen a desire to associate ahura mazda,god of gods, masteer of heaven and earth, with the king. tomb of dariush & investiture of ardeshir byahuramazda, naqsh-e-rostam,near perse polis (fars).

The sassanid taste for triumphal relief work, often on the sites of achaemenian tombs, is in evidence from the dynasty's outset.

In his left hand, ahuramazda holds abaysom-a bundle of sacred twigs symbolising priesthood. The king is crowned with a korymbos, a spherical head-dress wrapped in silken gauze. Beneath the horses hooves lie, depicted in a style favoured throughout the dynasty, two enemies-one spiritual, ahriman, evil spirit and enemy to ahuramazda, and one temporal, artebanusv, last of the parthians.

Workon the complex was begun by darius I in about 520 B.C., and carried on by xerxes and artaxerxes until 460, at the head of a monumental, double-ramped staircase was the gate of all nations, built with human heads. delegations to the achaemenian court paused here before entering the apadana or hall of audience of darius the great.