A gallery assistant holds a rare 14th century time-telling device device in Bonhams auction house on December 9, 2011 in London, England. The instrument, which dates from 1396 and was discovered in a shed in Queensland, Australia, is due to be auctioned on December 13, 2011 and is expected to fetch 200,000 GBP. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

A general view of the Coe Collection of American Indian Art press view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 19, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Dario Cantatore/Getty Images)

A girl looks around displays at the world premiere of “Meet Vincent van Gogh” exhibition in Beijing, China, June 15, 2016. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Detainees look out from a prison cell at a compound of the Lukyanivska detention centre in Kiev, Ukraine, July 19, 2016. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

There are ten wonderful acres of gardens at Levens Hall waiting to be explored and enjoyed. They include the unique collection of ancient and extraordinary topiary characters sculpted from box and yew.

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.