Few people haven’t heard about the ancient city of Persepolis, which lies at the foot of the Mountain of Mercy (Kuh-I-Rahmat). In ancient times, Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. Regretfully, it was burned by the Greeks in 330 BC after they looted the immense treasure of this city. It is said that Greeks needed 5,000 camels and 20,000 mules to carry all the treasures from Persepolis. The only thing of Persepolis that has survived the wear of time is the ginormous stone terrace 530 by 330 meters adorned by elaborate stone sculptures. It is amazing how intricately detailed some of the sculptures are, despite the fact that they were created many centuries ago.

A guy is paraded through the streets of Lewes in East Sussex, southern England, on November 5, 2018, during the traditional Bonfire Night celebrations. Thousands of people attend the annual parade through the narrow streets until the evening comes to an end with the burning of an effigy or “guy”, usually representing Guy Fawkes, who died in 1605 after an unsuccessful attempt to blow up The Houses of Parliament. (Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP Photo)

A man rides a motorcycle along a street in the snow in Altay, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous region, February 9, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A man prepares tea at a roadside shop on a flooded street in Kolkata, India, August 11, 2016. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)

A man poses as his acquaintance takes pictures on a street in the town of Vyborg, Russia on January 28, 2024. (Photo by Anton Vaganov/Reuters)

A man wearing a headgear walks along with his child on a street in Banda Aceh on July 25, 2023. (Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP Photo)

A man pours water on his camel on a hot summer day in Ahmedabad, India, May 18, 2017. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)