The 7 Wonders of Iran

Cool Maps: 7 Wonders

Persepolis

"The site is not far from where the small river Pulwar flows into the Kur (Kyrus). The site is marked by a large 125,000 square meter terrace, partly artificial and partly cut out of a mountain, with its east side leaning on Kuh-e Rahmet ("the Mountain of Mercy")."

Naqsh-i Jahan Square

"Naghsh-i Jahan Square..situated at the center of Isfahan city, Iran, is the one of largest city squares in the world and the largest in Western Asia. It is an important historical site and one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The square is surrounded by buildings from the Safavid era."

Pasargadae

"Latest research on Pasargadaes structural engineering has shown the Achaemenid engineers constructed the city to withstand a seven richter scale earthquake. Achaemenid engineers had laid its foundations by using Base Isolation method in their design. The Base Isolation system is being used today by many countries for the construction of the nuclear facilities, and countries with numerous earthquakes such as Japan."

Behistun Inscription

"The inscription includes three versions of the same text, written in three different cuneiform script languages: Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian. A British army officer, Henry Rawlinson, had the inscription transcribed in two parts, in 1835 and 1843. Rawlinson was able to translate the Old Persian cuneiform text in 1838, and the Elamite and Babylonian texts were translated by Rawlinson and others after 1843. Babylonian was a later form of Akkadian: both are Semitic languages. In effect, then, the inscription is to cuneiform what the Rosetta Stone is to Egyptian hieroglyphs: the document most crucial in the decipherment of a previously lost script"

Chogha Zanbil

"The complex is protected by three concentric walls which define the main areas of the 'town'. The inner area is wholly taken up with a great ziggurat dedicated to the main god, which was built over an earlier square temple with storage rooms also built by Untash-Napirisha. The middle area holds eleven temples for lesser gods."

Soltaniyeh

"The central magnet of Soltaniyeh's several ruins is the Mausoleum of Il-khan Oljeitu.., traditionally known as the Dome of Soltaniyeh."

Bam

"The ancient citadel of Arg-e Bam probably has a history dating back around 2000 years ago, to the Parthian dynasty (248 BC-224 AD), but most buildings were built during the Safavid dynasty. The city was largely abandoned due to an Afghan invasion in 1722, which overcame a weak Iranian government and ended Safavid rule. Subsequently, after the city had gradually been re-settled, it was abandoned a second time due to an attack by invaders from Shiraz. It was also used for a time as an army barracks."