Visits to Persepolis are nearly always combined with a detour to this extraordinary necropolis, where a collection of colossal reliefs dating from the Achaemenid, Sassanid and Elamite periods are carved into a cliff face – one of the most awe-inspiring sights of ancient Asia. Burial site of the Persian kings, including Xerxes and Darius II, the tombs were spared destruction by Alexander and have survived the corrosive effects of two-millennia of weather to a remarkable extent. A low hill opposite them provides a marvellous bird's eye view of the site.