Page "Persepolis" Paragraph 32

Darius the Great built the greatest palace at Persepolis in the western side.

This palace was called the Apadana ( the root name for modern ayvān ).

The King of Kings used it for official audiences.

The work began in 515 BC.

His son Xerxes I completed it 30 years later.

The palace had a grand hall in the shape of a square, each side 60 m long with seventy-two columns, thirteen of which still stand on the enormous platform.

Each column is 19 m high with a square Taurus and plinth.

The columns carried the weight of the vast and heavy ceiling.

The tops of the columns were made from animal sculptures such as two headed bulls, lions and eagles.

The columns were joined to each other with the help of oak and cedar beams, which were brought from Lebanon.

The walls were covered with a layer of mud and stucco to a depth of 5 cm, which was used for bonding, and then covered with the greenish stucco which is found throughout the palaces.