English: One of the majestic lamassus (androcephalic winged bulls), guardian of the east entry of the Gate of all nations at Persepolis. Those noble giants were inspired by the assyrian mythology (some can be seen at the Louvres museum at Paris, coming from Niniveh), and were protective figures.

The achaemenian art was a royal and official art, dedicated to the celebration of the majesty of the king, to the celebration of the persian empire, its beauty, and its diversity. This is the main reason for having so many different inspirations coming from every corners of the empire, not persian themselve: assyrian lamassus, aegyptian windows, ionian columns, greek hypostyles, mesopotamian formula associating 2 palaces (one for the audience and one for the private life)… Persepolis was a place were the best workers, artists, craftsmen were coming and performing their divine art for the celebration of the persian empire. What is persian, is exactly that combination: a glorious, original, unbelievable synthesis of the world’s beauty and diversity through the eye of Darius the Great and his successors.

A royal inscription stands above on the upper wall, written in Akkadian (Neo-Babylonian), Elamite, and Old-Persian by King Xerxes, known as XPa:

"A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this earth, who created heaven, who created man, who created happiness for man, who made Xerxes king, one king of many kings, commander of many commanders. I am Xerxes, the great king, the king of kings, the king of all countries and many men, the king in this great earth far and wide, the the son of Darius, an Achaemenid. King Xerxes says: by the favor of Ahuramazda this Gate of All Nations I built. Much else that is beautiful was built in this Persepolis (Pârsâ), which I built and my father built. Whatever has been built and seems beautiful - all that we built by the favor of Ahuramazda. King Xerxes says: may Ahuramazda preserve me, my kingdom, what has been built by me, and what has been built by my father. That, indeed, may Ahuramazda preserve."

Taken in Marvdasht, Province of Fars, Iran, April 2008