Financial Tribune- Some untold secrets of Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BC), will be revealed in a documentary, says its maker Pejman Mazaheripour.

The documentary is titled �Takht-e-Jamshid� (Persian name widely used for Persepolis).

Mazaheripour, 44, who has directed archaeological documentaries in the past, has interviewed renowned Iranian historian and archaeologist Shahrokh Razmjou, an assistant professor at the Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, for his work.

�Unlike the prevailing assumption that Persepolis served as a venue for Norouz New Year festivals, Razmjou, whose specialty is in Achaemenid archaeology and history, believes otherwise,� Mehr News Agency quoted Mazaheripour as saying.

Persepolis used to be the royal court for huge receptions, according to Razmjou, who established the Inscriptions Hall and the Center for Achaemenid Studies at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran.

Razmjou was also the curator of Ancient Iran in the Department of Middle East, British Museum from 2009-2012. During this time, he produced a new updated translation of the text on the Cyrus Cylinder (the first charter on human rights declared by the Achaemenid king, Cyrus the Great) from Babylonian to Persian.

�According to Razmjou, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that the ancient complex was used for the Norouz ceremonies,� Mazaheripour said.

Razmjou himself does not appear in the film. �We had a series of talk with him that steered our research and later the script. The film is powered by archaeological artifacts, documents and images.�

The 28-minute documentary reviews the excavations conducted at Persepolis. It explains the functions of the various edifices at the complex and elaborates on the scientific reasons behind the assumption of each function.

The shooting sessions were recently completed. �The footages are now being edited,� Mazaheripour added.