Persepolis was, before its destruction, an outstanding example of Achaemenid architecture. It was built using materials and by craftsmen from all around the empire and was an impressive tribute to the wealth and power of the ancient Persians.

The city was built on a huge man-made stone platform measuring about 455 by 300 metres - about the same length as the Acropolis in Athens but four to five times as wide. A grand double staircase led up to the platform and as well as being crucial for access, it played an important role in ceremonial processions by dignitaries. At the top of the staircase was the Gate of All Nations, flanked by two gigantic bull statues.

After passing through the Gate, visitors entered the Welcoming Hall. The most important delegates would then move south to the Apadana, the greatest and most splendid palace at Persepolis. It took thirty years to build and access was provided by staircases, decorated with striking reliefs, to the north and the east. Traditionally, foundation deposits - including large inscribed slabs of stone or metal plaques - were buried under new buildings. The Apadana had four, one under each of its four corners.

The Apadana's main hall contained 36 columns, each 20 metres in height, and had three porticoes, each containing twelve further columns. Columned halls with porticoes were typical of Achaemenid architecture. The column bases throughout Persepolis were made of stone and some were bell-shaped while others were square (as at the Apadana). The shafts were most commonly stone but sometimes wooden with a painted plaster coating. The capitals were particularly distinctive and there were four different types at Persepolis: bulls, lions, griffins and human headed bulls.

To the east of the Apadana was the Hall of a Hundred Columns, where other dignitaries, particularly military officials, were received. It was large enough to accommodate thousands of people. Also at Persepolis were three palaces, each built by one of the three kings who oversaw construction of the site: Darius, Xerxes and Artaxerxes. There was also a Queen's Palace, where it is presumed that the royal ladies lived. The Treasury, at the south-east corner of the site, originally contained ornamented columns, although these did not survive Alexander's attack.