If you ever pass by Shiraz, in Iran, make sure you don’t miss Persepolis. Persepolis is a palace for peace, a place where visitors from all walks of life, by looking at its splendid and glorious architecture, can imagine the world as it was long before Jesus Christ.  The area of Persepolis – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, comprehends one of the biggest and most important archeological site in the whole world. It is impressive how a civilization could design and realize a complex like Persepolis more than 2500 years ago. This ancient village was provided with an efficient system of drainage, piped waterways and flood outlets. Each structure had a function: audience halls, private residences, guards rooms, treasure houses, with a series of fortifications higher than ten meters protecting the area.  Concept and Location Persepolis is located near Marvdasht village, 50 km northeast of Shiraz. The palace, located on a promontory projecting into the plain from a rocky hill at the foot of the northwest corner of the Mountain of Mercy, a holy mountain at that time, presents what may be the most awesome ruins of the ancient world. According to the testimony of Achaemenid documents (the Achaemenid Empire, also called the First Persian Empire, was based in Western Asia and founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC), the original name of the then new Achaemenid capital was Parseh. This was also the name of the nearby settlement and of the people inhabiting it.  The name Persepolis is a Greek word meaning “City of the Persians”, and this is the appellation widely known and accepted in the West. However, in Iran the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid (the Throne of Jamshid), after king Jamshid, whose behests were carried out by demons. The name possibly derived from the popular belief in the supernatural origin of the structures. Construction and Functions By the time Darius the Great – the fourth king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire- undertook the construction of Persepolis in around 518 BC, the Persepolis palace was one of the Achaemenian buildings used for official ceremonies associated with the greatest national, royal, and religious Iranian festival of Nouruz, a symbol of the empire’s sovereignty over its far-flung dominions. Persepolis was conceived as a magnificent showcase of Achaemenid achievements, a fabulous repository of the most spectacular architectural and artistic achievements anywhere in the ancient world.  With the power and wealth which had been accumulated in the country by that time, it should not surprise us that these ambitious goals were fully achieved. Persepolis was a great center of terrestrial power, providing an effective setting for invocation and worship. The city glorified the divinely-sanctioned dynasty, and was pervaded with the peculiar virtue of royal authority believed to be conferred by the power of Ahura Mazda (the name for the God of Zoroastrianism, the old Iranian religion), located at the very birthplace of the empire. Persepolis was its holy center, as are Mecca, Jerusalem, and the Vatican of their respective religious system today.  Architecture and Art The architecture and art of Persepolis reveals an eclectic synthesis of forms gathered from all parts the Achamenid empire. However, it is astonishing that the resulting blend of so many styles and influences was original and coherent despite its eclecticism. From the intermingling of ideas and fashions, and under the supervision and planning of Persian masters, there emerged the so-called Achaemenid style, highly cosmopolitan and diverse on the one hand, and harmonious and concordant on the other. Mud-bricks supplied by Babylonians, cedar roof beams from Lebanon, precious materials from India and Egypt, gold from Sardis, and stone quarried nearby but carved by Lydians and Ionians, all united in a single passionate endeavor to create the magnificent complex of structures that was Persepolis. Conclusion Back in my school times I, like many, had the chance to study the origin of our cultures and the history of the Persian and Achaemenid empires. It has been my long-time dream to visit and see with my own eyes, at least once in my lifetime, the sculptures and buildings that nowadays can only be found in Persepolis. Being in person at a site that I had often seen in pictures has allowed me to better understand the heritage of a huge ancient civilization, and to feel the great vibrations behind it.  To see a video of persepolis click HERE  To read about my visit to the Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, click HERE. I hope this article of mine has drawn the readers’ interest, and that it will motivate people to plan a trip to Iran and a visit to such a gorgeous and unbelievable city of arts: Persepolis.  

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The Vakil Mosque is one of the most significant mosque in Shiraz, Iran. The 48 monolithic pillars join one another on top through vaulted brickworks, and the pillar shafts are carved in a spiral way and decorated in form of acanthus leaves at their capitals. The marble stone for these columns was brought from Azerbaijan and Yazd. The entire construction is made in a way that it achieves a linear acoustic that spreads all around the mosque surface. A master piece of sound technology, architectural beauty and stunning decoration. I started my visit at Vakil Mosque after I luckily met a local guide at the entrance of the compound. Shima is a professional, passionate and and certificated Iranian guide, and a Shiraz guide specialist: thanks to her deep insight, I could understand the magic history behind this great mosque. Should you need her services, you can contact Shima by email: tourist.city.shiraz@gmail.com Architecture and Art The Vakil Mosque occupies an area of 8,660 square meter, it is entered from the north through a recessed entrance, the upper vault of which is adorned with tiled moqarnas (a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture, the geometric subdivision of a cupola into a large number of miniature squinches, producing a sort of cellular structure, sometimes also called a honeycomb). The portal also features lavish tile-work, cable-shaped stone friezes, and fine calligraphy. Its 8 meter wings wooden gate is a copy of the original door from the Zand age broken by a cannon ball during the Qajar Dynasty (second part of 1700 ac). A vestibule behind the entrance has two passages which lead into the courtyard. The lower parts of the porches and arcades are faced with marble slabs, carved in relief, with splendid floral motifs. The mihrab (a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction that Muslims should face when praying) is flanked by deep, tiled niches, carved at various elevations on either side. What attracted my interest most was the minbar (a pulpit in a mosque where the imam – prayer leader – stands to deliver sermons) on the right side. It is climbed by way of fourteen steps cut out of a single great block of marble. History book state that Karim Khan Zand (the founder of the Zand Dynasty and the Shah of Iran, ruling from 1751 to 1779) is reported to have joked that this minbar cost him more than if it had been made of pure gold. The lavish use of stone is an atypical feature for the Iranian mosque prior to the Zand period. Stones were used sparingly, and mainly for decorative purposes. This mosque is an historical religious monument that is extremely special for the Iranian people. If you travel to Shiraz, don’t miss this beautiful mosque. It is not an exaggeration to state that when you enter the Vakil Mosque, its architecture and art push you to release yourself from the material world and to think about the greatness of your soul. History of Vakil Mosque Vakil Mosque in one of the most beautiful that Karim Khan Zand created in Shiraz. It is significant not only as a major religious building of the Zand period, but also as the only important building of its kind to be built in late 18th century. The mosque you can see today is the result of several stages of construction and restoration. It was  originally started late in Karim Khan’s reign during the high Victorian style developed under this monarch. The Vakil Mosque represents in plan and artistic style a perfect Zand edifice. All the  features distinguish the Mosque from the preceding and subsequent architectural styles. It is remarkable for its generous spatial area and for the elegant proportions of its architectural units. The decorative treatments of the Zand religious buildings are also less conventional and more secular in type than that of the earlier mosques, bunches of flowers and bright colors being largely employed in the pottery works. The mosque area The Vakil Mosque is, unsurprisingly, a popular tourist destination for foreign both and Iranian people. The area around offers much more for the visitors to enjoy. If you like visiting cathedrals and mosques for their wealth of history and unbelievable beauty that can await you at every turn, then the Vakil Mosque should be high on the list of things you intend to see. The area around this historic center have so much to discover. All around the mosque, an intricate group of small roads create one of the most original markets of Iran, the Vakil Bazar. The Vakil Bazar is a group of many small and traditional shop selling a huge collection of different crafts and hand made manufactures and excellent gastronomy. Shima my guide invited me to test a few of those speciality, including the typical Shirazy ice cream. Conclusion Overall, my visit to the Vakil Mosque was enriching at a cultural level, and enlightening at the same time. Vakil Mosque is a very popular destination in a very nice and famous area of Iran. Shiraz is a must-see also for the nearby archeological area of Persepoli  – CLICK HERE to know more about Persepoli. CLICK HERE To read about my trip to Iran. For a 360 degrees visit inside the Vakil Mosque, check https://www.360cities.net/image/iran-shiraz-vakil-mosque

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