Persepolis. Outstanding Universal Value

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1 Name: Per: Date: Persepolis The City Part 1: Directions: Read and annotate the brief excerpt regarding the important historical site, Persepolis, from the World Heritage Convention. Answer the questions that follow carefully and enjoy the pictures that follow. I highly suggest that you look up more pictures in your own time. Persepolis Founded by Darius I in 518 B.C., Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. It was built on an immense half artificial, half natural terrace, where the king of kings created an impressive palace complex inspired by Mesopotamian models. The importance and quality of the monumental ruins make it a unique archaeological site. Outstanding Universal Value Brief Synthesis Persepolis, whose magnificent ruins rest at the foot of Kuh e Rahmat (Mountain of Mercy) in south western Iran, is among the world s greatest archaeological sites. Renowned as the gem of Achaemenid (Persian) ensembles in the fields of architecture, urban planning, construction technology, and art, the royal city of Persepolis ranks among the archaeological sites which have no equivalent and which bear unique witness to a most ancient civilization. The city s immense terrace was begun about 518 BCE by Darius the Great, the Achaemenid Empire s king. On this terrace, successive kings erected a series of architecturally stunning palatial buildings, among them the massive Apadana palace and the Throne Hall ( Hundred Column Hall ).

2 Persepolis was the seat of government of the Achaemenid Empire, though it was designed primarily to be a showplace and spectacular centre for the receptions and festivals of the kings and their empire. The terrace of Persepolis continues to be, as its founder Darius would have wished, the image of the Achaemenid monarchy itself, the summit where likenesses of the king reappear unceasingly, here as the conqueror of a monster, there carried on his throne by the downtrodden enemy, and where lengthy cohorts of sculpted warriors and guards, dignitaries, and tribute bearers parade endlessly Approximately how old is the ancient city of Persepolis? 2. According to the excerpt above, how important is the archeological site of Persepolis? Use an exact quote from the excerpt to prove your point.

3 Part 2: Directions: Below is the transcript of radio based news article regarding the city of Persepolis today. Read AND ANNOTATE the transcript and then answer the questions that follow. If you would like to listen to the radio program itself, please follow the link below: persepolis irans grand past overshadows it s frustrating present At Persepolis, Iran's Grand Past Overshadows Its Frustrating Present By Steve Inskeep Why would Iranians visit their country's most spectacular ancient sites and come away disappointed? We talked with 10 Iranian visitors to Persepolis, the ruins of an ancient Persian capital, and found a collective sense of unease less with the ruins themselves than with what they imply about the world around them. Consider a young woman who took a selfie amid the stones. "This is so beautiful," she said as she stood near 2,500 year old limestone columns. She'd come with her husband on vacation and had dressed up for the occasion in a gold colored coat, designer scarf and sunglasses. She loved Persepolis. But then her tone shifted. "Everything we have belongs to a long time ago," she said. "We have nothing new that makes us special in the world." That was a common sentiment at this spectacular site, to which Iran wants to attract more foreign tourists now that a nuclear deal has created the possibility of greater openness. What attracted us was the chance to meet Iranian visitors, of whom there were many. On this sunny morning, a student group wandered past a sculpture of a two headed griffin, each head distinguished by its birdlike beak. Soldiers in uniform toured the ruins. It's commonly part of their training to be reminded of ancient times when Persia was the center of a powerful empire. Mohammad Reza Mahdian brought his family to the ruins. He wore the brown robes and white turban of a Shiite Muslim cleric. Holding his 1 year old daughter as he spoke, the cleric said the

4 ruins are a good reminder: "All kings and rulers will die someday," he said. "Nothing will remain of them but their good works." The ruins prompted other visitors to ponder the leaders of today. We repeatedly heard people express this sense that life must have been better 2,500 years ago. "I think that time was better than now," said one man as he studied the ruins. Surely he was wrong. Surely life was short and brutal back then, unless you were actually king. But what he saw was the residual grandeur of another age. He compared it with the country where he lives today, with its sagging economy and still limited freedom of dissent. In fact, we're not naming this man, or several other people we met, since they clearly became uneasy that they had said too much. The man was not actually inside the ruined city itself. One must pay to walk inside. Instead he had come with his wife and toddler to sit on a blanket near the entrance. They do this a lot, eating a snack and studying the ancient stone. "I think people had more freedom than now. This [is a] sort of dictatorship," he said. "We used to be more connected with the world." He said he was educated as an engineer but was stuck in a menial job in a food processing plant. His wife, wearing a bright green headscarf that billowed in the breeze, listened to all of this while tending to their toddler. She said she also had a college education. "My major is electrical [engineering]," she said. "But no jobs. I'm forced to be a housewife." The husband had a long term plan to get out. "If I work in that factory for 10 more years, I'll have the money to move my family to Canada," he said. "I like the cold," he added. "I want to become a Canadian citizen," he said, "not some refugee." He's giving himself 10 years to earn enough money. "Whatever the situation will be, when you spend money it will be solved," he said. "I'm going to take huge money with me to feel comfortable."

5 His wife, listening to him, said she'd rather stay in Iran with her family. But for now, the husband said, leaving is their plan. For him, the past is here in Iran. The future lies somewhere else. 1. According to this article, how do the people of Iran feel about Persepolis today? 2. How does the question that is the first line of this article set the tone of the passage? 3. What can you determine are some problems in Iranian society today based off of the information gathered in these interviews?