Iran, Persepolis. The Hundred Column Palace, this relief illustrating the Monarch enthroned in New Years Day ceremonies, Persepolis, near Shiraz.In about 512BC, Darius I started constructing this massive and magnificent palace complex to serve as a summer capital for the observance of Nou Ruz, and the rebirth of nature, when the desert springs into bloom, a spectacle which has inspired Persian art and poetry over the centuries.