The exhibition Fascination with Persepolis is about European travellers, photographers, and archaeologists who visited the ruins of Persepolis in centuries past. The desire to know more about these ancient monuments was kindled in the fourteenth century, when merchants and diplomats started making the long journey to the south of present-day Iran.
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| Fascination with Persepolis [Credit: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden] |
Drawings, engravings, writings, photographs, and objects
In this exhibition you will see drawings, engravings, books, writings, and photographs that have been produced over the centuries by travellers, photographers, and archaeologists. This documentation continues to provide a fascinating insight into the magnetic attraction of Persepolis.
A few objects are displayed by way of illustration: they include a unique camera with travelling equipment dating from 1858 and a number of original little bags containing finds from the first excavations in 1931.
The exhibition is not confined to the period before the first archaeological excavations, but also looks at the work of the earliest researchers and the archaeologists of today, as well as the stories of an Iranian family that has lived in the vicinity of the ancient city for generations.
City of the Persians
It was the ancient Greeks, in the reign of the Persian king Darius I (522-486 BC) who called the city Persepolis – 'city of the Persians'. The city was built on a large terrace that was partly carved out of the rocks and has three levels.
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| Fascination with Persepolis [Credit: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden] |
The exhibition runs until 25 March 2018.
Source: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden [October 26, 2017]