Homers and Horses....The Fallen Sculptures

After entering the Gate of Nations, we find ourselves in a long pathway. Turns out this was the passageway/walkway leading to the inner rooms of the palace.

under the grace of homer



























While taking this picture, we were almost kick out of Persepolis coz Jasper was standing on an ancient stone on the side of the road.It was prohibited to do such thing coz we might break it.

According to my Iranian friend, the icon on the column (a bird like type) was called Homer and this is an ancient symbol of Iranian mythology. This icon is very well used in their country.

And according to the movie i've seen about Persepolis, there were almost a hundred types of this icon standing on a long column on the hallway. Sadly only a few item remained intact after it was destroyed during the occupation of Alexander the Great.

cowboys and their horse

Another scuplture that can be seen above the columns except the Homers are these two faced Horses. Yep, they are big and i wonder how a cloumn can support this massive piece of sculpture.

The statue of this horse shows how the kings loves their horses. Intricate design for a horse signifies that the kings highly regarded his horse as to a common man loves his dog. Archeologist re-constructed it to show how beautifully they made it.

This section shows the base of the columns where the iconic Homer and the two-faced horses once stood. Even the base are elaborately designed, same as the columns.

Massive boulder of rock was used maybe for the two-faced horse. Here's an example:

say cheese sir!

Larger base for larger columns.Me think this is for the horses again.

Further eastward, we can see the Treasury section of the palace.






















Till the next issue again =D. Will update the blog sooner since i'll be having a loonnggg vacation this Holy Week.

Peace out and Godbless!

Persepolis Entrance, Welcome to the Gate of Nation

After spending about an hour in Nash-I-Rustam we finally went to our main itinerary, that is PERSEPOLIS.



























From the main highway, we need to travel 1.5 (or more) just to reach Persepolis. It's ok coz there's no traffic going to Persepolis, nor there are annoying travel guide who keep on pestering you to take their service.

Along the highway, we noticed the long stretch of lined big trees along the road and little irrigation/streams that flows to a small garden. According to our iranian friend, gardening is an old tradition of their race. So that explains why the Babylonians (neighbors of Persians) built a Hanging garden of Babylon.They simply love gardening.

We've stopped before heading to Persepolis to check the schedule of the restaurant we're going to eat for lunch. While they we're checking it, we busy ourselves by taking pictures and posing on the road.

(me,jasper,allan and kim--the young batch of tourist)




















(officemate at jhpil, jasper and ka gil)





















Before entering the complex we need to pay entrance fee and log our name in the tourist log sheet. Entrance fee is around three tomans, roughly 150+ pesos. Very cheap compare to the discoveries and learning you've get once you're inside the complex.

(from expats to tourist)




















Major road works we're being done on the entrance of Persepolis, only donkeys are allowed to pass through the rough road.

(DPWH is dat chu??)






















At last, finally, we can see already the entrance of Persepolis. Me and Jasper we're so excited we were left behind coz we're taking photos on every angle of the complex. Mind you we're still in the entrance and we can only see is a wide wall palang =P.























This area is called the "The Army Street", everybody will have to pass this area upon entering the palace. IT's 92 (length)x10(wide) meters that can accomodate even big animals (re:donkeys and camels) that need to be presented to the king during procession of gifts.























By the way, a short background about Persepolis, based on what i've seen and read about it. This magnificent ruins of Persepolis lie at the foot of Kouh-e Rahmat, or "Mountain of Mercy," in the plain of Marv Dasht about 850 kilometers south of the present capital city of Tehran and about 50 kilometers north of Shiraz.





















It was the seat of the Achaemenian Empire by King Darius I and his successors Xerxes. It was the grandest palace during those times and last for almost two centuries until it was destroyed and looted by Alexander the Great.





















Its majestic audience halls and residential palaces perished in flames when Alexander the Great conquered and looted Persepolis in 330 B.C. and, according to Plutarch, carried away its treasures on 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels.






















(i see you!)























(officemate/friend/tourist guide arash)





















After the Army street, you have to walk the majestic stairway of the terrace, simply called "Terrace Stairway". It's a two flights 111 steps, 10cm. high and 7cm wide.
The reason for this weird size of stairs is to allow the guest, specially those who wear magnificent and elaborate attire to cllimb the stairs without hassle.

(paupo po!)




































The two flights were evidently used by different groups of royal guests, the gift bearing delegations from the subjected nations climb up from one flight (on the right side actually), and the nobles of the empire used another flight (i.e. left side). As for us, we took the left side stairs.We're just following the instructions by King Darius as a sign of respect.

(class pic sa hagdan)





















The first that will greet you upstairs is the majestic Gate of Xerxes, most popularly known as 'The Gate of Nation", which was actually an additional structure built by Xerxes and not included in the original plan of King Darius.




















































The gate has two assyrianized man-bulls statue, which is the Persians are known for. It was a raelly impressive art work coz even the beard of the statue is carved with precision and detailed.



























(faceless winged bull)

























(front view ni assyrian man)





















(back view naman)




















(sir gil and the passage marker)





















(hundred columns area, from the passage way viewpoint)





















(northeast section of the hundred columns area from the passageway viewpoint)






















(the treasury section of the palace,southern portion of the palace)





















Till next issue guys!