Kathy to Hilary, May 3, 1971, Persepolis Part III / School trip to Isfahan and Shiraz, April 1971
The next day was devoted to sightseeing. First stop: Persepolis, home of Darius I, II, III; Xerxes, and Artaxerxes I, II, and III.
Just behind the figure is winged Ahura Mazda, the Zoroastrian god of light. 
These were the first great Persian kings. Next year the Shah will be celebrating 2,500 years of continuous monarchy in Iran, even though not all the kings were Persian!
Conquered rulers traveled to pay tribute to Darius the Great. 
We stayed in a group for awhile, listening to the guide and blistering in the heat. It is amazing how well-preserved Persepolis is.
The guide explains about the Apadana, the famous staircase. 
Still:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
There were many things to entice the antiquarian’s eye--tall pillars, carved stairways, tombs, dead lizards--everything!
Dead lizard. 
Live goat. 
Stone camel. 
She left the group and climbed up some rocks on a hill to get a picture of the whole thing and nearly got left behind.
Darius's mighty palace razed by Alexander the Great. 
They left for Naqsh-e-Rustam.
The tombs at Naqsh-e-Rustam. 
Another conquered king pays tribute at Naqsh-e-Rustam. 
There the Traveller attempted to scale the rock up to the tombs. Not to be outdone by a girl, the boys followed.
Climbers. 
Now the adventure is over. She got sick with the trots and made the mistake of wearing her sailor pants with 7 buttons to undo between her and the can. She spent 2,900 rials and arrived home sunburnt and five pounds thinner.
Wish you could have come too.
Alan K. sits on a capital. This is the Homa, the symbol now for Iran Air. 
9:00:27 AM 
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