Persepolis Constructed with Prefabricated Stones

25 January 2005

Based on recent studies at Persepolis, experts believe that the ancient capital of the Persian Empire was constructed with prefabricated stones.

Geologist Abdol-Azim Shah-Karami said on Friday that the recent studies show that the architects and stone masons also made use of a scale model in the construction of Persepolis.

"Expert stone masons would later assemble the stone pieces, which were marked by numbers, one after the other like a puzzle. The heavy massive stones were later fastened together with special clamps," he noted.

According to Shah-Karami, the expert stone masons of the Achaemenid era quarried the stones from mines using advanced tools and the stones were later carried to the site and placed in their designated places.

Persepolis was established by Darius I in the late 6th century B.C. Its ruins lie 56 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Shiraz in Fars Province.

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