I suppose the Ayatollah will speak of keeping people on the right path, but it sure smells of jealousy of power. Saeid Jafari reports in AL Monitor concerning how the giants of Persian history have their fans – and their detractors:
Iranians have long been proud of their ancient history and culture, and they always speak of the Achaemenid Empire (circa 550-330 B.C.) with pride. Since the kings of this empire, and particularly Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great, ruled with benevolence and tolerance, they enjoy a particular affection among Iranians. Darius, in his famous prayer, wished for the empire to be protected from enemy armies, drought and lies. Though some historians doubt the authenticity of the prayer, its narrative has nonetheless been accepted by most Iranians. …
… in a new development, ordinary Iranians have in recent years flocked in an unprecedented manner to the Tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae on Oct. 29, which has become known as the International Day of Cyrus the Great. Based on some historical records, it is the date when the Achaemenid king entered Babylon. Pasargadae is located to the north of Persepolis in the southern province of Fars. Apart from the Tomb of Cyrus, its main attractions include the Audience Hall, the Gate Palace and the Toll-i Takht fortification.
Sounds like a great party, celebrating the past, maybe learning some lessons.
Maybe not.
However, after the circulation of the videos and pictures of the gathering, criticism also followed. Ayatollah Hossein Nouri-Hamedani, one of the most senior clerics in the holy city of Qom, harshly criticized the gathering. Arguing that Iran had long been oppressed by kings and their imperial administrations, he said Oct. 30, “People rose and brought about the revolution and allowed the emergence of a true Islamic system. The shah used to say, ‘O Cyrus, sleep in peace as we are awake.’ Now, a group of people have gathered around the Tomb of Cyrus and they are circumambulating it and have taken their handkerchiefs out and cry [as they do for Shiite Imam Hussein]. In the time of Imam [Ruhollah] Khomeini, too, a group of people started commemorating Cyrus. The imam [Khomeini] said that these people have gathered and are crying because we have brought Islam to this country.” He added, “These are the same [people]; they are counter-revolutionaries. I am amazed that these people get together around the Tomb of Cyrus, shouting the same slogans for him that we shout in support of the supreme leader, and yet we are sitting here, alive and well, and just watching this.”
Cyrus appears to have been an interesting guy. FarsiNet has an article on a cuneiform cylinder, supposedly authored by him.
The charter of Cyrus the Great, a baked-clay Aryan language (Old Persian) cuneiform cylinder, was discovered in 1878 in excavation of the site of Babylon. In it, Cyrus the Great described his human treatment of the inhabitants of Babylonia after its conquest by the Iranians.The document has been hailed as the first charter of human rights, and in 1971 the United Nations was published translation of it in all the official U.N. languages. “May Ahura Mazda protect this land, this nation, from rancor, from foes, from falsehood, and from drought”. Selected from the book “The Eternal Land”.
I am Cyrus. From The First Charter of the Rights of Nations
King of the world. When I entered Babylon… I did not allow anyone to terrorise the land… I kept in view the needs of Babylon and all its sanctuaries to promote their well-being… I put an end to their misfortune.Cyrus, The Great, 539 B.C.
Founder of The First Persian Empire
Wikipedia notes some historians characterize this as a traditional beginning to a reign, rather than an innovative statement of purpose; who am I to say? He does remind me of Napoleon (of whom I also know little) in that he’s reputed to have been an innovator in the realm of civil administration.
But apparently he’s a bad influence on Iranians.
