Gate of All Nations

The Gate of All Nations is an ancient monumental gateway at Persepolis in Fars province, Iran, built during the Achaemenid Empire in the 5th century BCE. It served as a formal entrance to the royal terrace and audience areas of Persepolis.

The structure features a large hall flanked by colossal stone guardian figures and inscribed stone slabs in multiple languages, and it was intended to present the empire’s power to visitors and delegations. The gate is notable for its scale and the carved guardian figures that once stood at the corners of the hall.

Construction of the gate is attributed to the Achaemenid rulers of the 5th century BCE, with decoration and inscriptions emphasizing imperial authority and the multiethnic composition of the empire. Persepolis and its main buildings were used for ceremonial functions until the site’s destruction in the late 4th century BCE.

The Gate of All Nations sits on the Persepolis terrace near the modern access route to the ruins, approximately 60 kilometers northeast of Shiraz in Fars province. The site occupies a rocky terrace overlooking a plain and is approached via the main archaeological park road.

• Location within Persepolis: The Gate stands on the eastern access axis of the Persepolis terrace and is part of the larger Persepolis archaeological complex, which is accessible from the modern site museum and visitor route.