PERSEPOLIS

Early in the day, we set forth for Persepolis, about 50km north-east of Shiraz, in the car of our guide. We drove over a pass in the hills, and found ourselves on an open plain, extensively irrigated, with fields of maize and rice. Another line of hills, and a broad river crossing; then a thriving village with ramshackle workshops along the road, but ambitious homes built on top of the workshops in a rather surreal way. Our driver dropped us at a barricade, agreeing to meet us in four hours time. Ahead was a high retaining wall built out of massive blocks, with a broad flight of steps. Up we went, and entered another world from another time. Massive and now headless beasts guarded the gate. Heroic figures stood guard, ready to pounce at the first threat.The carving on the stone was incredibly detailed and well preserved. We found the imagery striking - these creatures may have lost some of their parts, but they still gave a clear message:Tall pillars had magnificant capitals, clearly showing where the roof beams had been supported. The height of the spaces created must have been striking:Down at ground level, bas relief sculture was everywhere. What these fine figures were holding up, we never did discover:There was also a marvellous museum on the site, housed in a re-creation of some of the palace rooms. One of the joys was being able to photograph the objects. I talked to a curator, who said "They have lasted for 2 700 years. I think they are almost indestructible." This cat was showing some signs of wear and tear, but still magnificent:

I knew Red Bull was popular, but I had no idea it had been around for so long:While this bird could really show the way on a dark night:

Back on the site, we admired a wonderful staircase, with hundreds of foreign visitors bringing tribute from many lands. The staircase has comparatively recently been discovered, and an archeologist was making detailed drawings of each figure:

Then there was a large collection of halls, where one could imagine Alexander and his merry men laying waste - they evidently took camel loads of gold from the palace when it fell:All too soon, our time was up. Our curiosity might be insatiable, but our legs were tired. Darius' lion, minus ears, showed us off!A pleasant ride back to Shiraz, and a late afternoon bit of retail therapy in the souk, brought an end to the day.