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

Flanking the gates were colossal winged bulls with human faces—hybrid guardians rooted in Mesopotamian tradition but adapted into a uniquely Persian aesthetic. Unlike their Assyrian predecessors, these figures had four legs in motion, capturing vitality rather than rigidity. Above, inscriptions in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian proclaimed the divine sanction of Xerxes: “By the will of Ahura Mazda, I built this Gate of All Nations.” Language itself became an architectural element of unity.