Naqshe Rostam at night. Stars over a bas-relief and royal tombs of ancient Persian kings in Naqshe Rostam, near Persepolis, southern Iran. The city of

---

Naqshe Rostam at night. Stars over a bas-relief and royal tombs of ancient Persian kings in Naqshe Rostam, near Persepolis, southern Iran. The city of Persepolis was once the capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, and dates from about 500 BC. It was founded by Darius the Great around 518 BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great. The ruins lie about 500 miles south of Tehran.

---

Size: 3463px × 5106px
Photo credit: © BABAK TAFRESHI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: achamenid, ancient, anthropological, anthropology, archaeological, archaeology, archeological, archeology, art, artwork, astronomical, astronomy, attraction, bas, burial, carved, carving, carvings, civilisation, civilization, dark, east, eastern, empire, ground, grounds, historical, history, iran, iranian, middle, middle-east, middle-eastern, naqshe, necropolis, night, persepolis, persia, persian, relief, rostam, royal, ruin, ruins, site, sites, star, starry, stars, tomb, tombs, tourist