The World

Today’s Geo Quiz takes us to a city at the heart of ancient Persia.

The Persian Empire reached its peak 2,500 years ago.

It occupied what is modern day Iran and stretched way beyond into Western Asia and as far as the Caucasus.

So dig out your ancient history text books …

’cause we’re searching for the ceremonial capital of this once great empire.

The ancient city’s ruins are impressive.

They’ve been designated a World Heritage site.

But the name of this Persian capital turns up in some modern places….

One Iranian soccer team is named after the city.

The name is also the title of a recent animated movie – about a girl growing up in Iran.

So give us the name of this Persian city if you can.

In our Geo Quiz today we were looking for an ancient city in present-day Iran.

The answer is Persepolis.

Travel show host Rick Steves recently visited the ruins of the city.

The site for Persepolis was selected by Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire.

Its buildings were constructed by a successor, Darius the Great.

But in 2008, Persepolis is a city of ruins.

And a traveller like Rick Steves knows visiting famous ruins can sometimes be a letdown.

Hear the interview with Rick Steves talking more about his trip to Iran.

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