File:The Tachara (4693598062).jpg

The plaque in the center foreground says the following about this structure, known as the Tachara:

"This charming structure built southwest of the Apadana and . . . three meters higher was the private residence of Darius, and is called the 'Tachara' in one of the inscriptions."

"The surface of its walls is so finely polished that at some places the stone reflects images, and for this reason people used to call it 'The Mirror Hall.' "

"It consisted of a square hall (originally with 12 wooden columns covered with varicolored gypsum plaster) surrounded by a portico with 8 columns on the south, two rooms each with 4 columns on the north, and guard-rooms on the other sides."

The palace was started by Darius but finished by Xerxes. These two and their accompanying attendants are represented on the jambs of the northern and southern doorways in the main hall in the act of entering and leaving."

"In each case, the ornaments (ear-rings, armbands, the false beard and the crown) had been made in precious metal and set into the stone, but they were looted by Alexander and his men in 330 B.C."

"A double-flight stairway ornamented with the figures carrying food and vessels and even live animals leads from the south court up to the southern portico. Later, Artaxerxes III (356 36 B.C.) constructed a small staircase on the western side of the palace and ornamented the facade with gift-bearing delegations."