Exploring Iranian historical city of Pasargadae

Pasargadae, the city that its sketches in the old travelogues attracted the attention of the archeologists around a century ago and lead them to an unbelievable discovery, is one of the most important historical sites in Iran and in the world.

The city that is registered as a UNESCO heritage site is a compound, including Mausoleum of Cyrus II; Tall-e Takht, a fortified terrace; and a royal ensemble of gatehouse, audience hall, residential palace and gardens.

According to the official website of the UNESCO, “Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century BC. Pasargadae was the capital of the first great multicultural empire in Western Asia. Spanning the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt to the Hindus River, it is considered to be the first empire that respected the cultural diversity of its different peoples.”

Archeologists and historians believe that the city was built by the order of the Persian king Cyrus the Great and evidences show that the city was a prosperous area in its time.

There is no exact information to show why Cyrus chose the place as the capital but one reason can be the abundance of natural resources and an important river running in the area.

Cyrus the Great was extremely powerful and what we know is that his morality, martial skills and leadership were significant.

He conquered many regions and was determined to expand his kingdom with minimum bloodshed. And that’s what makes him different from other kings and victors.

One and only inscription by Cyrus that has been found to this day is a clay cylinder that tells the way Cyrus captured Babylon. The cylinder is of high importance because it gives us information about Cyrus his values, his manner toward enemies and something about his religious beliefs.

The Cylinder is recognized as the first declaration of human rights in the history.

One of Cyrus’ great victories was the conquest of Babylon in modern Iraq. The Cylinder is evidence that proves the takeover was not bloodshed.

There have been efforts to translate the inscriptions on the cylinder. And it is believed that Cyrus talks about freedom, friendship and peace in the inscription and also mentions the Babylon conquest and the name of Babylonian gods.

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PR/MG