Azizan

Persepolis facts for kids, with the Persian words

Persepolis is a group of very old stone palaces built on a huge stone platform near the city of Shiraz, in the province of Fars in Iran. King Darius I began building it about 518 BCE, about 2,500 years ago, and later kings, such as his son Xerxes and his grandson Artaxerxes, kept adding to it. It has a giant double staircase, a gate called the Gate of All Nations, tall stone columns with two bulls on top, and stone carvings of people from 23 lands walking in line to bring gifts to the king. In 1979 UNESCO put it on its World Heritage list. In Persian it is called Takht-e Jamshid (تخت جمشید), the throne of Jamshid. Below are the facts in simple words, a small activity to try at home, and the Persian words. Azizan (azizan.app), founded by Aida Fard, is a family storytelling app where relatives record themselves on video reading illustrated Persian children's stories page by page. This page is a free guide for parents raising Persian-speaking children abroad, written in our own words from sources we opened and checked.

Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.

What is Persepolis?

Imagine a hill of stone as big as a whole town square, flattened on top. Now imagine palaces built on it, with stone columns taller than most trees and staircases so wide that many people can walk up side by side. That place is real. It is called Persepolis, and it is in Iran.

Persepolis is near the city of Shiraz, in the province of Fars. It was built by the kings of ancient Persia, starting about 2,500 years ago. Today most of the roofs and walls are gone, but many stones, stairs, doorways and columns are still there, and people from all over the world come to see them.

Who built Persepolis?

King Darius I, also called Darius the Great, began building Persepolis about 518 BCE. First the builders made a huge flat platform of stone, partly from the hill and partly built up by hand. Then, on top of it, they built palaces and halls.

It took a very long time. Darius did not finish it all. His son Xerxes kept building, and so did his grandson Artaxerxes, and other kings after them.

The big staircase and the Gate of All Nations

To climb up onto the platform, visitors used a giant double staircase made of big blocks of stone. The two sets of steps start at the bottom and climb away from each other, then turn back and meet again at the top.

At the top stands a gate that King Xerxes built. Xerxes himself called it the gate of all lands, and today it is called the Gate of All Nations, because guests from many lands walked through it. Enormous stone bulls stand at its doorways, like guards, and two of them have wings.

The Apadana and the stone gifts

The biggest hall at Persepolis is called the Apadana. Its roof rested on many tall stone columns. Most of them have fallen, but a little more than a dozen are still standing today.

On the staircases of the Apadana there are long rows of people carved in stone. They come from 23 different lands, and each group wears its own kind of clothes. They are walking in line to bring gifts to the king: bowls, bracelets, cloth, horses, and even camels. At the front of each group, a helper holds the leader's hand and leads them in, kindly, like a host welcoming guests.

Many people think these carvings show a big Nowruz celebration, with guests coming for the new year. It is a lovely idea, but experts do not all agree, because the stones themselves do not say so.

Columns with bulls on top

The columns of Persepolis were very tall, and their tops were special. Many had two stone bulls on top, kneeling back to back, like two friends sitting with their backs touching. The big wooden beams of the roof rested on the bulls' backs.

Some column tops had other animals, such as lions.

A World Heritage treasure

In 1979, UNESCO, which looks after special places around the world, put Persepolis on its World Heritage list. That means people everywhere agree it is a treasure for the whole world to look after.

Persepolis did not stay a busy palace forever. In 330 BCE, a king from far away called Alexander came with his army, and a great fire burned the palaces. The wooden roofs were lost, but the stone stayed, and that is why we can still walk up the same stairs today.

Why is it called Takht-e Jamshid?

Long after the old kings were gone, people forgot the real name of the place. They looked at the giant ruins and thought only a king from the old legends could have built them. So they named it after Jamshid, a wise king from Persian stories, and called it Takht-e Jamshid, which means the throne of Jamshid.

In the old story, Jamshid sat on a shining throne that rose into the sky on the first day of spring, and that day became Nowruz, the new day. You can read the story of Jamshid and the First Nowruz. Jamshid is also in the Shahnameh, the big book of Persian stories; see Shahnameh for kids.

Try it at home: a paper staircase

With a grown-up, take a long strip of paper and fold it back and forth like an accordion to make steps. Make two of them and stand them side by side on a table, so they climb up to a box or a book on top. That is your platform, and you have a double staircase like the one at Persepolis.

Now make a few columns from rolled-up paper, and draw two little bulls, back to back, for the top of each one. Then draw a line of tiny people walking up the steps, each carrying a gift. Tell a grown-up what each person is bringing.

Persepolis words in Persian

For the new year and its stories, see Nowruz for kids: the Persian New Year and its stories.

For parents: Persepolis at home

Many Iranian families have a photo of a grandparent or a parent standing in front of the columns of Persepolis. If yours does, find it and show it to your child. Ask the grandparent what they remember: the heat, the stairs, the stone bulls. Do the paper-staircase activity together and say the words as you go: sotoon, pelleh, sang, hedyeh.

A grandparent far away can be part of it too: they can record a story on Azizan, reading it page by page in their own voice, and the child can watch it and then ask them about the trip to Takht-e Jamshid. For another facts page in the same style, see Qanat facts for kids.

Related guides

• Qanat facts for kids
• Nowruz for kids: the Persian New Year and its stories
• Shahnameh for kids

Questions

What is Persepolis?

Persepolis is a group of ancient stone palaces built on a huge stone platform near Shiraz, in the province of Fars in Iran. It was built by the kings of ancient Persia about 2,500 years ago, and its stairs, gates and columns can still be visited.

Who built Persepolis and when?

King Darius I began it about 518 BCE. His son Xerxes and his grandson Artaxerxes, and later kings, kept building it.

What do the carvings at Persepolis show?

On the staircases of the Apadana, the biggest hall, there are rows of people from 23 lands, each in their own clothes, bringing gifts such as bowls, bracelets, horses and camels. Many people think they show a Nowruz celebration, but experts do not all agree.

Is Persepolis a UNESCO World Heritage site?

Yes. UNESCO listed Persepolis as World Heritage in 1979.

What is Persepolis called in Persian?

Takht-e Jamshid (تخت جمشید), which means the throne of Jamshid, a wise king from Persian legends. Column is sotoon (ستون), stair is pelleh (پله), stone is sang (سنگ), king is shaah (شاه), gift is hedyeh (هدیه) and palace is kaakh (کاخ).

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Updated: 2026-11-03 · By Aida Fard

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