For years in the course of the Achaemenid Period, Persepolis used to function as the administrative capital of Iranian Empire. By 330 BC, Alexander, the Macedonian, the Greek commander, attacked Iran and set Persepolis on fire. A major portion of the Achaemenid cultural and artistic heritage, including books, was destroyed.

The remains of the site were, nevertheless, preserved to the present time, and are observed in the neighborhood of Shiraz, the Central City of Fars Province (south-west of Iran), in Marvdasht. Inscribed in 1979, the site constitutes one of the Iranian World Heritage properties.