The Secrets of Engineering and the Splendor of the Achaemenid Empire | How Persepolis Survived 2,500 Years

High on the windswept plain of Marvdasht in southern Iran stands one of humanity’s greatest architectural achievements: Persepolis. Known to the Persians as Parsa—the “city of the Persians”—this ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire remains a symbol of engineering mastery and imperial ambition. Though fire, conquest, and time have wounded its stones, the ruins still radiate a grandeur that demands explanation: how has this site, constructed more than 2,500 years ago, continued to endure?