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)

We are all drawn to fire, entranced by its beauty and ferociousness. Its brilliance draws us in like moths to a candle flame. Thus, many of the celebrations that humans have involve lighting fires. They can be big or small; there could be many little lights or one giant inferno; they may float on water, burn on land, or rise high into the skies. Loi Krathong is a festival that is held each year in Thailand and a number of other places. During this festival thousands of little fires are lighted, presenting a marvelous sight for all the onlookers. It is believed that this tradition is an adaptation of Brahmanical festival, which was adopted by Thai Buddhists to honor Buddha.

A woman smokes a cigarette next to man wearing a mask during lunch hour at the central business district in Singapore September 29, 2015. The 3-hour haze Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reached a high of 173 at 8am on Tuesday, according to the National Environment Agency. Slash-and-burn agriculture in neighboring Indonesia has blanketed Singapore in a choking haze for weeks. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

Greek actress Katerina Lehou, playing the role of High Priestess, lights a torch during the dress rehearsal for the Olympic flame lighting ceremony for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the site of ancient Olympia in Greece, April 20, 2016. Fire spurted from the concave mirror as a priestess, kneeling in her long, pleated dress before a ruined Greek temple, focused the blazing sun's rays on her metal torch. Come rain or shine on Thursday's official lighting ceremony, Rio de Janeiro has now secured its Olympic flame, which will burn in the main Olympic stadium throughout the Aug. 5-21 games. (Photo by Yannis Behrakis/Reuters)

Activists and supporters of Ukrainian nationalist groups light flares during a rally to mark the third anniversary of the Euromaidan Revolution in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 21 November 2016. About one thousand activists took park in the rally during which they burned tires on the Independence Square, destroyed the Russian bank Sberbank and broke windows in the office of a Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, according to Ukrainian media. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/EPA)

Volunteers care for burned sheeps in a field hospital established by HAYTAP (The Federation of the Animals Rights in Turkey) for animals after a wildfire at the Manavgat district of Antalya, Turkey, 09 August 2021. It is not known how many wild animals living in the forest died in the fires, but about 33,000 farm animals perished. About 30 veterinarians and hundreds of volunteers work around the clock at the field hospital. Sheep, covered in mosquito nets to protect their wounds from flies, lay there in the shade trying to recover, and various animals such as cats, dogs, owls, and cows have been treated or are still being treated there. (Photo by Erdem Sahin/EPA/EFE)

Flames from a burning barricade lit by pro-democracy protesters is reflected in the windows of a passing bus as passengers watch on during a protest gathering in front of Mong Kok police station on September 22, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Pro-democracy protesters have continued demonstrations across Hong Kong, calling for the city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam to immediately meet the rest of their demands, including an independent inquiry into police brutality, the retraction of the word “riot” to describe the rallies, and genuine universal suffrage, as the territory faces a leadership crisis. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)