Location: Fars Province, 130km north-east of Shiraz

Precinct Fire

"O man, I am Cyrus, son of Cambyses,  who founded the Empire of the Persians and was king of the East."  

This is an inscription that said,  to have graced the Tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae. It was here that the great ruler and founder of the Persian Empire established his capital in the first half of the 6th century BC. The empty mausoleum, which came to be known as the "Tomb of the Mother of Solomon" following the Arab invasion of Persia, is 5.24 meters long, 5.30 meters wide and 6 meters high and set upon a stepped plinth.

Pasargadae, Cyrus tomb

 According to Arian, biographer of Alexander the Great, the embalmed body of Cyrus lay in a golden sarcophagus on a gold couch beside which stood a treasure-laden golden table.

The Tomb is the most imposing monument at Pasargadae. Other remains include the Audience Palace, the Residential Palace, the Audience Hall and the Stone Tower known as Prison of Solomon..