Persepolis, 1st century capital of the world
Not far from Shiraz in southern Iran lie the ruins of Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC); the first great Persian empire that ruled over 44% of the ancient world.
The Ruins of Konye Urgench in Turkmenistan
In eastern Turkmenistan, not far from the Uzbekistan border, lies the ruins Konye-Urgench. The city dates all the way back to the 4/5th century but today only a few buildings constructed between the 11th and16th centuries remain.