The city of Persepolis built by
Darius
the Great in 515 BCE as a palace complex for the celebration of Nowruz (Persian New Year) and the focus for imperial tribute. It was the ceremonial centre of the Persia’s Achaemenid Empire for 200 years. In 330BCE
Alexander
the Great burned it to the ground, possibly by accident, possibly as deliberate revenge for the Persian destruction of the Acropolis in 480 BCE.
On magnification, one can see lines of soldiers carrying tribute, carved into the staircase and walls. Behind is the Palace of Xerxes I.