Xerxes I ordered the construction of the Gate of All Nations at Persepolis.
The monumental gateway stood near the entrance to the ceremonial complex and welcomed visitors approaching the palace areas. An inscription in the gate records Xerxes’s command to build it and invokes Ahura Mazda, the deity frequently named in Achaemenid royal texts.
The structure’s name reflects the empire’s multinational character. Delegations from many subject peoples came to Persepolis for royal ceremonies, tribute presentations, or administrative business. The gateway’s imposing scale communicated imperial authority before visitors reached the central halls.
The gate was part of a larger building program begun under Darius I and continued by Xerxes. This is why Darius and Xerxes are both strongly associated with Persepolis, although the Gate of All Nations specifically belongs to Xerxes’s construction work.