Mehr Azar Soheil is a conservation architect who graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tehran University. She has earned her PhD in conservation from the Sapienza University in Rome, where she lives.
"""A complete guide to the most extraordinary architectural achievement of the Achaemenid Dynasty: Persepolis, a monument to the glory of the Persian Empire. The book explores the history of the site, its role in the political life of the Empire, its fate through the centuries. An essential reading."" Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO Advisor ""The Achaemenid concept of 'monument' is studied by Soheil in its rich political, symbolic and religious meanings and in concrete cases, where it is revealed to be closer to 'admonition' than 'memory'. The main surviving architectures and inscriptions reveal a picture of great interest helping to better understand a great civilization often presented negatively by ancient Greek authors."" Giovanni Carbonara, Professor Emeritus in Architectural Conservation, The Sapienza University of Rome ""A valuable analysis of Achaemenid building projects, this book is innovative in using detailed architectural and epigraphic analysis to argue that certain buildings, at Persepolis in particular, were deliberately created as ‘monuments’ for transmitting values throughout the Achaemenid Empire. It is a fascinating study of the application of the Western concept of ‘monument’ to a non-Western imperial tradition."" Nicholas Stanley Price ""The reader will enjoy a very innovative presentation of the site of Persepolis and find in the volume an informed discussion on the main items for a functional understanding of this masterpiece of the Achaemenid architecture. An extremely useful support for those interested in the culture of Persia during the Achaemenid period as well as for those intending to visit and understand the marvelous country of Iran."" Pierfrancesco Callieri, Professor in Archaeology of Ancient Iran, University of Bologna"