The Apadana at Persepolis was the vast audience hall begun by Darius I and completed by Xerxes I.
Construction began during Darius’s reign, probably around 515 BCE, and continued under his son Xerxes. The building stood on the Persepolis terrace and featured a large hypostyle hall supported by monumental stone columns. Its eastern and northern stairways are famous for reliefs showing delegations from different parts of the empire bringing gifts.
The reliefs communicate imperial order rather than depicting a chaotic tribute scene. Delegates appear in carefully arranged groups, with distinctive clothing and objects that identify their regions. The king is shown in a formal ceremonial setting, emphasizing the relationship between the Great King and the peoples under his rule.
The Apadana is distinct from Persepolis’s Hall of 100 Columns, another major structure completed under Xerxes’s successor, Artaxerxes I. Confusing these buildings is common because both were monumental royal halls.