Tall-e Takht, Pasargadae

🕰️When was it built?

The first phase of building began under Cyrus the Great and stopped after his death. Under Darius, mud-brick buildings and fortifications were added, and the ceremonial plan turned into a fortress. Later, in the Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian periods, the site changed again.

🏛️What was it built for?

The platform was first meant to carry a ceremonial building, but it later became a defensive complex with towers and walls. A columned hall, storerooms, rooms and platforms are among the parts found in excavations, and they show how differently the site was used.

👀What you will see

• The stone face of the platform is built of large blocks, and some stones are joined with dovetail clamps.
• On the west side of the courtyard, a hall with eight cylindrical column bases has been found; it once had wooden columns.
• Two plain stairways on the north side led to the top of the platform; little of them survives today.
• Remains of mud-brick structures sit next to the stone parts and belong to later phases of building and use.

💡Something interesting

Much of what is known about the buildings of Tall-e Takht came from David Stronach's excavations. The empty sockets of some metal clamps are where people pried the iron out of the stones, which led to some facing stones being moved and broken.

🎒Good to know before you go