A Persepolis frieze depicting the Persian Immortals. Located on the eastern stairs of the Apadana Palace, it depicts a row of Susian guards who made up the king's personal bodyguard. On their left is a cypress tree as a symbol of freedom and immortality. Persepolis is 2500-year old World Heritage Site of ancient Persian palaces and temples near Shiraz in southern Iran. It was the ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid dynasty. At the height of its power, the Achaemenid Empire encompassed about 7.7 million square kilometers and spanned three continents, as far west as Libya to nearly all Middle East, and to Central Asia.