Guide to visit Pasargadae
The Pasargadae the capital of Cyrus the Great (559–530 BC) and where Cyrus was entombed, Pasargadae was a city in ancient Persia, located in Morghab Plain near the city of Shiraz and is today an archaeological site that is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Cyrus the Great began building his capital in 546 BCE or later; it was unfinished when he died in battle, in 530 or 529 BCE.
Tomb of Cyrus the great
The most important structure in Pasargadae is the tomb of Cyrus the Great. It consist of six stone tiers with a modest rectangular burial chamber above, and it’s unique architechture elements of all the major civilisations Cyrus the Great had conquered.
The design of Cyrus’s tomb is credited to Mesopotamian or Elamite ziggurats, but the cella is usually attributed to Urartu tombs of an earlier period. In particular, the tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae has almost exactly the same dimensions as the tomb of Alyattes II, father of the Lydian King Croesus; however, some have refused the claim and according to Herodotus, Croesus was spared by Cyrus during the conquest of Lydia, and became a member of Cyrus’ court.
The main decoration on the tomb is a rosette design over the door within the gable. In general, the art and architecture found at Pasargadae exemplified the Persian synthesis of various traditions, drawing on precedents from Elam, Babylon, Assyria, and ancient Egypt, with the addition of some Anatolian influences.
Cyrus private palace
In the same complex and about 1 K.M north of the Cyrus Tomb begin the insubstantial remains of the aerly Achaemenid empire. Cyrusy Private Palace is first, notable for it’s unusual H shaped plan, central hall of 30 columns and wide verandas front and back. further 250 meter is the rectangular Audience Palace, which once had an 18 meter high hypostyle hall surrounded by smaller balconies, incredibly, one of the eight white limestone plinth. In both the audience Palace and in Cyrus Private Palace there is an cuneiform inscription that reads: ” I am Cyrus, the Achaemenid King”
Throne of the mother of Solomon
Another 500 meters from Cyrus Private Palace are the remains of the Prison of Solomon variously thought to be a fire temple, tomb, sun diall or store. On the hill beyond is the throne of the Mother of Solomn, which was actually a monumental 6000 sq metere citadel used from Cyrus’s time until the late Sassanian period.