Thought I would do a self-portrait for a change. 🙂 The above picture, hence, is of me in Persepolis, Iran.

I love rambling through archaeological sites, running my fingers over millennia old ruins, walking down worn out paths where before me countless souls had also passed along. Where history was made and destinies defined. Sites like these are humbling, making us realize how small we are in the bigger picture. And yet such sites also fill us with a deep sense of pride in humanity’s political achievements and artistic endeavors which are a legacy belonging to all mankind.

The magnificent city of Persepolis (518-330 BC), looming high over the plain on a series of terraces, embodies the greatest triumphs of the ancient Achaemenid empire. The monumental staircases, exquisite reliefs, gigantic columns, and impressive gateways are a reflection of the vast body of knowledge and skill collected from the various nations the empire ruled. The city is Persian in design and ideology but literally global in its architecture and artistic execution. The original name of the city was Parsa. The Greeks named it Persepolis.