Pasargadae, the capital city and the tomb of Cyrus the Great

Pasargadae was the capital city of the Achaemenid Empire under the governance of Cyrus the Great which is also his tomb. 

The main monument and all the other ones are listed as the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO in 2004.

Pasargadae is located in the northern part of Fars province in Dasht-e Murghab, about 120 Km to Shiraz, and 1,900 meters above sea level. So, when traveling to Shiraz, don’t forget to include it in your plans and have a visit to the monument.

Construction of the capital began in 546 by the order of Cyrus the Great; however, it was not finished by the time he died in a battle in 530 or 529 BC.

It is believed that Pasargadae has been cited as an early example of the Chahar Bagh (Chahar stands for four, and bagh for the garden) which is known as Persian Gardens currently.

The tomb of Cyrus the Great is the most important monument in Pasargadae area. It has six broad steps and a chamber on top. The chamber measures 3.17 meters long, 2.11 meters wide and 2.11 meters high. It has a narrow entrance.

There is an inscription on the monuments from Cyrus the Great which says:

I am Cyrus, king of the universe, the great king, the powerful king, king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters of the world.

The oldest building in the complex is the citadel, known also as Tall-e Takht or “throne hill”, which is located on a hill with a view to the complex.

The Palace of Cyrus with two units is located at the southwest of Tall-e Takht. The first unit is the residential one known as Palace P. This Palace was built from white natural stone. Another unit is a columned audience hall, named as Palace S. To reach the audience hall, visitors had to pass a gate and cross a bridge over the river Pulvar. In addition to these places, there are also the gardens known as pavilions A and B.

The architecture of the complex is the traditional Iranian architecture with elements from different cultures. As an example sculptures from the Assyrian palaces were used as models.