Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder

Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder by Iranian archaeologist Ali Mousavi, published by De Gruyter in 2012, tells the full history of the Achaemenid ceremonial capital — from its construction to its rediscovery and its place in the world today.

Ali Mousavi holds a PhD in Near Eastern archaeology from UC Berkeley and is a scholar of Iranian archaeology at UCLA; he served for years as curator of Ancient Near Eastern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His field experience gives the book solid scholarly grounding.

Mousavi follows the building of Persepolis under Darius the Great, its destruction by Alexander, and its gradual rediscovery by European travelers and archaeologists, through to the scientific excavations of the twentieth century. A substantial part of the book is devoted to the monument’s "afterlife" — how Persepolis became a symbol of Iranian national identity.

For diaspora Iranians, Persepolis is more than an ancient ruin; it is a sign of the continuity of Iranian civilization. In scholarly yet readable prose, Mousavi shows why this site holds a unique place in the collective memory of Iranians.