Gate of All Nations‌ — Attraction in Persepolis

Western view of the "All Nations Gate" at Persepolis, located in present-day Iran. This gate was not on Darius the Great's initial plan for Persepolis but was added by his son and successor, Xerxes.

The initial main entrance of the palace complex was located on the south wall of the terrace supporting the palaces. Xerxes changed it, adding a monumental stairway on the west side leading to that gate upstairs. The function of the gate was not only to allow the entry of the visitors, but was also to separate the people according to their social importance.

The gate was a square hypostyle hall with three doors. The few nobles and princes allowed to enter the royal palace were directed through the south door to a court opening on the Tachara (Darius' audience hall) or to the Tripylon palace, while the others were directed trough the east door on an alley leading to another gate (unfinished), and then the east barracks or to the 100 column palace.

The 4 columns are well preserved and supported a 18.5 meters high roof. The columns are ionian stylized, erected on inversed bell shapes, their top consisted in stylized palm trees. The walls were decorated with 2 giant bulls on the west, and 2 giant lamassus (androcephalic winged bulls) on the east protecting the path. The gate carries also a royal trilingual Achaemenid cuneiform...

The Gate of All Nations in Persepolis.

The Gate of All Nations is one of the most iconic and symbolically rich structures in Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran). It was constructed under the reign of Xerxes I (reigned 486–465 BCE), son of Darius the Great, and served as the formal entrance to the royal complex. The gate embodied the empire’s cosmopolitan nature, welcoming visitors from across its vast territories.

Architecturally, the gate consists of a large square hall with four stone columns and three monumental doorways. The eastern and western entrances were guarded by colossal lamassu—winged bulls with human heads—borrowed from Mesopotamian iconography, symbolizing divine protection and royal power. These impressive figures reinforced the strength and authority of the Achaemenid kings.

The name “Gate of All Nations” reflects the multicultural vision of the empire. Delegations from across the empire—Egyptians, Babylonians, Indians, Medes, and others—passed through this gate during formal processions, especially during the Nowruz (Persian New Year) celebrations. The gate thus served as a stage for imperial unity and diplomacy.

Though much of the gate has suffered from time and destruction, its ruins still convey the grandeur and ideological significance...

The structure consisted of one large room whose roof was supported by four stone columns with bell-shaped bases. Parallel to the inner walls of this room ran a stone bench, interrupted at the doorways. The outside walls, made of broad mud block, were bedecked with frequent niches. Each of the three walls, on the east, west, and south, had a very large stone doorway. A pair of massive bulls secured the western entrance; two Lamassu in the Assyrian style, albeit, of colossal proportions, stood at the eastern doorway. Engraved above each of the four colossi is a trilingual inscription attesting to Xerxes having built and fulfilled the gate. The doorway on the south, opening toward the Apadana, is the widest of the three. Pivoting devices found on the inner corners of all the doors indicate that they must have had two-leaved doors, which were possibly made of wood and covered with sheets of...