Why did Darius build persepolis in the location he did?

Explanation:Darius commissioned Persepolis to be built far from the old capital of Pasargadae & equally remote from established administrative centers. The problem with the transition was that there was already a sitting king in place - Bardiya, brother of Cambyses II who took control while Cambyses II was campaigning in Egypt.

Another way to impress people was architecture. Darius built at least two large palace cities: Persepolis and Susa, which replaced Pasargadae as capital of the Persian empire ... It was to be the splendid seat of the government of the Achaemenid empire, where the king received guests at the New Year festival (Now Ruz)