Iran to launch museum in ancient Persepolis site

A museum will be built at the newly discovered gateway to the ancient Iranian city of Parse in Persepolis, an expert says.

The site in Iran's Fars Province near the city of south-central Shiraz will soon be turned into a museum, the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT) said.

The high number of tourists who already visit the ancient region of Persepolis are invited to come and visit the museum, the RICHT Public Relations Office quoted head of the archeological exploration team, Alireza Askari, as saying.

Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization intends to further promote tourism in the area by launching such a museum at the site, according to the archaeologist.

“The city of Parse in Persepolis is an expanded area of the debris of the ancient monuments around the Persepolis which was a city in the Achaemenid era,” Askari added.

According to the archeologist, Parse’s main gateway is a unique venue with the same size as the gateway of Babylon during Cyrus’ reign (c. 600 – 530 BC).

Parse is composed of several sections, the main part of which was the Imperial Citadel with the same modern royal seat of Persepolis, Askari noted.

The ruin of Persepolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ancient city was used as a royal court for huge receptions during its heyday.

AI/MMF