The city of Marvdasht is located in the Fars Province, 40 km to Shiraz city. It has mountainous weather, and people who speak Luri, as well as Farsi with a dialect close to Shirazi. The city is known for housing some of the most important Achaemenid remains, valuable fruit gardens, and petrochemical plants.
The name of city probably comes from the green pastures of the region. Marv in Farsi means pasture and is used in form of Marq as well. The archeological excavations of the area prove that thousands of years ago this place was chosen by Achaemenid Kings for construction of series of palaces and a royal city. In addition to the ruins of palaces, many dishes, tablets, and objects were found here that gives invaluable information about the life, traditions, and architecture in Achaemenid time.
The history of dwelling in the area, however, dates back to the 5th millennium BC. With such ancient history, it is natural that it has changed numerous times. It was in 1930s that a Sugar Factory was made here, and the previously deserted area became popular. The excavations of the Achaemenid sites had started for a while, and that increased the importance of the city. The results of excavations were the unveiling of Persepolis, Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab. With the development of the city and the completion of excavation, perfect opportunity rose for the Pahlavi government to boast the ancient history of Iran, and the modern financial prosperity. Therefore, a festival was held in celebration of Iran’s 2500 years of monarchy. The best place for the celebration was the city of Marvdasht where Persepolis was located and had enough facilities to provide for the people and the officials of the foreign countries.
As it was mentioned, the city is rich in historic attractions. Next to the mentioned sites, there are other destinations including bas reliefs and inscriptions, the ancient city of Estakhr, Estakhr Castle, Zendan Soleyman (Solomon’s Prison) Tower, and Khan and Band Amir Bridges.
