What If You Had To Travel Here? - The Royal Road
The Royal Road, also known as the King's Road, was an ancient highway reorganized and rebuilt by the Persian king Darius I in the 5th century BCE to facilitate rapid communication and efficient administration across his vast empire. This facilitated administrative control, trade, and military movements. The road began in Susa (near present-day Shush, Iran) and passed through various key locations, including Sardis (near modern-day Sart, Turkey), and ultimately reached the Aegean Sea. It traversed diverse terrains including mountains, deserts, and plains, making its construction and maintenance a significant engineering feat and covers approximately 2700 kilometres.
Photo source: Royal Road - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia
The road featured an efficient postal system with mounted couriers. According to Herodotus, these couriers could cover the entire distance in about nine days, whereas normal travellers took about three months. The road was built with a durable surface suitable for horse-drawn vehicles and foot traffic. Bridges, ferries, and other crossings were constructed to navigate rivers and difficult terrain. The Persian Empire maintained the road meticulously and set up security to protect travellers and goods, ensuring it remained passable throughout the year and provided Relay Stations where travellers could rest and change horses.
While you can visit parts of the Royal Road, do note that much of the original road has not survived in a recognizable form. However, various segments and related historical sites are accessible to tourists, particularly in Iran and Turkey. Susa, Iran, was one of the main starting points of the Royal Road and a significant city in the Achaemenid Empire where you can see the Palace of Darius, and the Tomb of Daniel. Another major city in Iran is Ecbatana (Hamadan) where you can visit the the ancient ruins, the Tomb of Esther and Mordechai, and the Alavian Dome. In Turkey, the Sardis was an important terminus of the Royal Road in the west where you can spot The Temple of Artemis, the ancient synagogue, and the gymnasium. Alternatively, Gordion was a significant city along the route where you can visit the Midas Mound (tumulus), and the Gordion Museum.
Visiting the Royal Road offers a unique opportunity to delve into ancient history and explore the remnants of the Persian Empire's vast and sophisticated infrastructure. While the original road may not be fully intact, the journey through these historically rich sites provides a profound connection to the past and an understanding of the ancient world's ingenuity. The Royal Road remains a symbol of the Persian Empire's sophistication and its ability to manage one of the largest empires in ancient history.
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