TEHRAN – Iranian restoration teams have launched a new conservation program at the UNESCO-designated Persepolis and the nearby Naqsh-e Rostam site using advanced imaging, special material, and stone-analysis technologies, officials said on Saturday.
The project is being carried out by Iranian researchers with scientific support from international institutions. According to authorities, the work involves laser scanning, 3D imaging, detailed structural analysis of stone surfaces and the use of environmentally friendly protective materials aimed at slowing erosion.
Persepolis, founded by Darius the Great around 518 BC, served as the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550 – 330 BC). The terrace complex, about 60 km northeast of Shiraz, was largely destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Its surviving palaces, stairways and cuneiform inscriptions are considered among the most significant archaeological remains of the ancient world.
The royal necropolis of Naqsh-e Rostam, located a short distance from Persepolis, contains royal Achaemenid tombs carved into the mountainside as well as rock reliefs from later periods.
Mohammad-Javad Jafari, head of the Persepolis World Heritage base, told Mehr News Agency that Naqsh-e Rostam “requires immediate attention for emergency protection.” He said most archaeological studies at the site were conducted in the 1950s and that subsequent work had focused on preservation.
Jafari said recent research by Shiraz University had identified land subsidence and ground fractures in the surrounding area. He said the studies showed the [soil] movement did not directly affect the main rock-cut structures but could threaten foundations of some built features.
Restoration experts have also begun a major conservation project on one of Persepolis’s largest inscriptions, said Shahram Rahbar, a senior heritage conservator. He told Mehr that the inscription had never been restored since its creation and had avoided intentional human damage.
Rahbar said the multi-year project includes stabilizing the rear of the inscription to prevent movement from earthquakes or other forces, constructing a protective canopy and treating the stone surface. He said fragments and cracks required highly precise work, including decisions on whether to reconstruct missing parts or stabilize them without reconstruction. Two specialists in ancient scripts are supervising the grouting process, he said.
Rahbar said the project uses lime-based conservation materials that match the physical properties of the original stone. The materials are designed to be reversible and have similar moisture absorption and thermal expansion characteristics, he said. According to Rahbar, the materials are costly and also they can only be applied during limited periods in spring and autumn because they must be used in temperatures between 5°C and 35°C.
Related officials repeated that the new conservation efforts aim to protect the sites from weathering caused by wind, humidity, temperature fluctuations and increasing tourist traffic.
Persepolis, whose monumental ruins lie at the foot of Kuh-e Rahmat (Mountain of Mercy) in southwestern Iran, is one of the world’s most significant archaeological sites. Renowned as the finest Achaemenid ensemble in architecture, urban planning, construction technology, and art, the royal city stands as a unique testimony to one of the ancient world’s great civilizations. Construction of its vast terrace began around 518 BCE under Darius the Great, king of the Achaemenid Empire. On this platform, successive rulers erected architecturally striking palatial structures, including the massive Apadana Palace and the Throne Hall (the “Hundred-Column Hall”).
Drawing on Mesopotamian models, Darius I (522–486 BCE), his son Xerxes I (486–465 BCE), and his grandson Artaxerxes I (465–424 BCE) built an imposing ceremonial complex on an immense terrace that is part natural and part artificial. This 13-hectare ensemble—comprising grand approaches, monumental stairways, throne rooms, reception halls, and auxiliary buildings—is recognized as one of the world’s foremost archaeological sites. The terrace itself is a monumental architectural achievement, with its double stairways, sculpted friezes, Assyrian-style propylaea (monumental gateways), gigantic winged bulls, and the remains of vast halls. Through innovative engineering, including the use of lighter roofing and wooden lintels, Achaemenid architects supported large open spaces with remarkably slender columns. These were crowned with elaborate capitals, most notably the double-bull capital in which the forequarters of two kneeling bulls—set back-to-back atop double volutes—extend their necks to brace the ceiling beams.
Although Persepolis served as a seat of government for the Achaemenid Empire, it was conceived primarily as a ceremonial center for royal receptions and imperial festivals. Its great terrace remains, as Darius intended, a symbol of Achaemenid kingship: a stage on which the king’s image appears repeatedly—depicted vanquishing a monster, enthroned above subdued enemies, or shown in endless sculpted processions of soldiers, dignitaries, and tribute bearers.
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