A cleric and a woman pray behind a closed door of Masoume shrine in the city of Qom, some 80 miles (125 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 16, 2020. On Monday, Iran closed the Masoume shrine, a major pilgrimage site in the city of Qom, the epicenter of the country's new coronavirus outbreak. Authorities were already restricting access and barring pilgrims from kissing or touching the shrine, but it had remained open. (Photo by AP Photo)

A man wears jacket in the colors of Iranian flag as he attends the annual rally commemorating Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, February 11, 2023. (Photo by Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

A woman reads a newspaper with a front-page report on the crash of the Iranian president's helicopter outside a kiosk in Tehran on May 20, 2024. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was declared dead on May 20 after rescue teams found his crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded western mountain region, sparking mourning in the Islamic republic. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP Photo)

A view of the world's highest 280-meter bungee jumping platform opened at the Milad Tower, a landmark in the Iranian capital Tehran, on September 11, 2024. The world's highest bungee jumping platform attracts great interest among the younger generation in Iran, especially women. Those who jump from the platform experience an unforgettable adventure with the thrill of soaring down from a height of 280 meters while watching the view of Tehran from above. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Vintage Newton, a pop-up exhibition of Helmut Newton prints from 1974-1984, opens in west London at the ONGallery. These prints, which feature Charlotte Rampling and Elsa Peretti, were produced from a series of transparencies that he considered his most provocative and important. Here: Saddle II. (Photo by Helmut Newton)

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.

Actress Athene Seyler attempts to contort her body, in a scene from the show, “Skin Deep”. (Photo by Sasha/Getty Images). Circa 1928

Old Heidelberg, Dog with Pipe, 1905. (Photo by Detroit Publishing Company)