Many countries have that one landmark which serves as the national symbol as well as its #1 tourist draw. As Angkor Wat is to Cambodia, Machu Picchu to Peru and Great Wall to China, in Iran that place is Persepolis. Over 2,500 years old, this former capital of the Persian Empire is emblematic of the strong Pre-Islamic heritage which this nation proudly carries. Way before associations with the “axis of evil” came about, it is Persepolis which people in the past two millennia have come to associate with Persia.
the gate of all nations
Some forty years ago when Iran was still under a secular government, a grand celebration with a lot of pomp and pageantry was held in Persepolis by the then Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to commemorate 2,500 years of Persian Civilization. The guest list included the who’s who in global politics at that time, and also comprised our then First Lady Imelda Marcos who represented the Philippines for the event.
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