According to Joseph Futtner, the city’s construction began during the reign of Darius I in 515 BC. The best builders of the vast Persian empire were involved here, which made the new city amazingly beautiful and luxurious. Persepolis was located on a substantial human-made terrace, which housed a treasury, a palace complex of several buildings, outbuildings, a harem, and ceremonial halls. The largest of the three palaces, Apadana, is richly decorated with various relief designs.
In addition to architecture, its inhabitants were proud of the plumbing and well-thought-out drainage system. They were crucial since Persia’s capital was located at the foot of the mountain, and there was a risk of flooding the city with meltwater and snow from Mount Rahmat. Persepolis was the center of the entire Middle Eastern world, a gathering place for all the people who lived there. It was not a trading city, like most of the largest settlements of that time, but the administrative and, most importantly, the sacred center of a vast empire, a symbol of its greatness and power. It was for this purpose that it was built.