The Throne Hall,

also known as the Hall of One Hundred Columns , is the largest building of Persepolis . This name derives from the fact that the ceiling of this 4700 sq. meter (50600 sq. ft) hall is supported by one hundred columns .

The exact function of the Throne Hall is not clear. Perhaps it was "office space" for the minister of the court and his employees or "gallery space" housing all of the priceless objects that did not fit into the overflowing treasury. Friedrich Krefter saw it as a venue for the army. For official purposes it could have served as a reception hall where dignitaries would have had an audience with the king. Since it was built on ground level, the rows of soldiers forming an honour guard could easily have marched in and out of the building.

On the four main entrance doorways scenes of the throne are represented - of which on the northern entrance doorways scenes of Persian and Median guards can be observed. In contrast to the Apadana, which represented a pillar of strength or (mainly) the strength of the empire's people, the Throne Hall represented the others - its army.

The Gate of Army

Commenced in the late Achaemenid Rule and never fully completed, the Army Gatehouse corresponded in relationship to architecture, urban development and function, closely with the Throne Hall and the Gate of all Nations .

When Persepolis was burned by Alexander of Macedonia in 331 B.C., the Army Gate was still under construction. The five meter (16,5 ft) thick walls constructed of air dried mud-brick were already built. Enormous stone blocks that formed the portal were stacked on top of each other forming the colossal bull sculptures . The massive quantity of wood required for the scaffolding, however, provided Alexander's soldiers with the necessary kindling and was transported for days on end from the construction site of the Gatehouse to the Apadana and was stacked under the 20 meter (65,5 ft) high ceiling. It was only by doing this that the massive ceiling beams would be within reach of the blaze and ignite.

In spite of the lapse of time between the construction of the Gatehouse and its neighboring structures , there appears to have been a cohesive plan. The Gatehouse closed the Plaza of the Army from the north and corresponded with the Throne Hall positioned on the southern edge of the Plaza - with both their monumental bulls facing one another. The Gatehouse served as a connecting link between the Throne Hall and the Gate of All Nations .