Cyrus Day
On this day (29th October) 539 BCE the Persian king Cyrus II walked triumphantly into Babylon, the ancient Mesopotamian capital and seat of a huge empire that straddled the middle east. Iranian communities around the world mark this day as “Cyrus the Great Day” or “Cyrus Day”, ??? ????? October 29 (7th of Aban ????)
After taking Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed himself "King of Babylon... king of the four corners of the world" in the famous Cyrus Cylinder. The text of the cylinder portrays the victorious Cyrus addressing the Babylonian god Marduk, and how Cyrus had improved the lives of Babylonians, repatriated displaced peoples, and restored cult sanctuaries and temples. Some assert that the cylinder represents a form of human rights charter, whilst other historians place it in the context of a long-standing Mesopotamian tradition of new rulers beginning their reigns with declarations of reforms. Cyrus the Great's dominions comprised the largest empire the world had ever seen.
These 2 images: a photograph of The tomb of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire, at Pasargadae; and detail of bas relief at the Archaemenid city of Persepolis. Both located in Fars Province, central Iran, and both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
#documentaryphotography #simonnorfolk #archaeology #iran #Persian #Persianempire #Persepolis #shah #Achaemenid #Achaemenidempire #history #heritage #worldheritage #worldheritagesite #shiraz #fars #simonnorfolkstudio #documentary #igtravel #visualarchitects #empire #cyruscylinder #babylon #pasargadae Cyrus Day