Cyrus II who is known as the Great Cyrus or Cyrus the Great was the founder and the first Achamenian king who ruled over vast areas of Asia in 529-559 BC. Declaration of Cyrus the Great is one of the most important historical monuments remaining from this Persian king that is world famous. The tomb of this Persian king is in Pasargadae, Saadat Shahr in Fars Province.
Apart from the tomb of Cyrus the Great, there are also other historical monuments. They include buildings such as the tomb of Cyrus the Great, Pasargad Mosque, Pasargad Kingly Garden, Gate of All Nations, Bridge, Bare Am Palace, the pivate palace, two summerhouses, kingly garden waterfronts, Cambyses tomb, the bed defense structures, Mozaffari Inn, the holy area and Bolaghi Gorge.
This is the fifth collection registered in the list of world heritage in Iran for having many features. It was registered in UNESCO Conference held in Tir 1383 in China.
Biography:
Achaemenid is the name of a royal dynasty that ruled in pre-Islamic Iran. The kings of this dynasty were Persian and originated from "Achaemenes" who was the commander of Pasargadae, one of the Persian clans.
Achamaenids were first the native kings of Persia and then Anshan, but after Cyrus the Great defeated Astyages, the last king of the Median Empire, and conquered Lydia and Babylonia, Achaemenid kingdom became a great empire. Hence, Cyrus the Great is considered as the founder of Achaemenid Empire.
Persians and Achaemenid dynasty's gaining power (550-330 BC) is one of the major events in history. They founded a dynasty that dominated the old world except two third of Greece. Achaemenid Empire is considered as the first empire in the history of the world. Historically, the most important and the tallest Acahaemenis inscription is Behistun Inscription on a cliff at Mount Behistun.
Cyrus II, known as Cyrus the Great and Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of Achaemenid dynasty and the first Achaemenid king who ruled the vast territories of Asia between 559 and 529 BC. On his Cylinder (Chart) discovered in Babylonia, Cyrus the Great introduces himself as "Cambyses'- the great king of Anshan- son, Cyrus'- the great king of Anshan- descendant, and Teispes'- the great king of Anshan- descendant; a family that has always been a king."
There are several stories about Cyrus' childhood and youth. First, he rebelled against the Median king, and then attacked Ecbatana, the capital of Media, and conquered it with the help from inside the Median army. He, then, defeated Croesus, the king of Lydia, and deployed his army against Sardis. After two weeks, Sardis was occupied by Iranian soldiers. In the spring of 539 BC, Cyrus entered the war against Babylonia. According to the researchers and historical documents, Babylonia was conquered without war and was made in New Year's Eve by one of the Cyrus' commanders called Gobryas (Gubaru). Seventeen days after Babylonia collapsed, Cyrus the Great, himself, entered the capital on October 29, 539 BC.
Herodotus reports that Cyrus was killed in war against Massagetae, but most of the new historians reject it and believe that Herodotus' story is fabricated. The only reliable sources that imply the Cyrus' death are two clay tablets in Babylonia. The first tablet goes back to August 12, 530 BC whose date shows "the ninth year of Cyrus, the king of countries", and the second one to August, 31, 530 BC, "the beginning year of Cambyses' empire, the king of countries". These two documents that appear to be unimportant, actually indicate that Cyrus has died between August 12 and 31, 530 BC, or at least, the news of his death and Cambyses' enthronement has arrived Babylonia at that time.
The Tomb:
The Tomb of Cyrus the Great is an unadorned monument with unique architecture approximately one kilometer southwest of the palaces of Pasargadae. This monument is visible from all parts of Marghab plain. If we pass the ancient path from the southwest and enter the plain from Tangeh Bolaghi (Bolaghi valley), the first thing that attracts attention is the Tomb of Cyrus the Great. This monument was recorded in UNESCO World Heritage under the number of 1106 as a part of Pasargadae in 2004.