Mystery of winged-man relief in Pasargadae

One of the most famous ancient sites of Iran, also a UNESCO world heritage, is the city of Pasargadae.

The sketches of the city in the old travelogues attracted the attention of archeologists around a century ago and led them to an incredible discovery.

The city holds Mausoleum of Cyrus II; Tall-e Takht, a fortified terrace; and a royal ensemble of gatehouse, audience hall, residential palace and gardens.

There are also a number of reliefs in the city that are of great importance to historians and archeologists. A well-known relief of the site is a winged-man that was at first considered as an image of Cyrus the Great.

There are many assumptions about the real concept or personality behind the relief, but no one really knows which one is the most accurate.

Based on a previous inscription above the head of the winged-man written “I Cyrus the Achaemenid king”, researchers believed that it is a picture of Cyrus.

But after conducting further research, experts came to the conclusion that the statement is written on other walls of the Cyrus’ palaces too, so it’s not introducing the winged-man as Cyrus.

Moreover the relief with its Mesopotamian wings, Egyptian crown and Elamite clothing resembles other cultures’ gods and supernatural creatures.

Now many experts and researchers believe the winged-man relief, located on the main entrance of Pasargadae palace, acts as a supernatural creature protecting the palace.

To learn more about the city of Pasargadae visit the following links:

Exploring Iranian historical city of Pasargadae

Persian Garden, a centuries-old UNESCO heritage

PR/MG