Pasargadae

Pasargadae was founded by Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BC as the first capital of the Achaemenid empire, laid out on a high plain rather than a defensible hill, and its remains are spread widely across open grassland rather than concentrated: palace platforms, a gatehouse, a garden plan with stone water channels that is among the earliest known formal gardens of the fourfold type, a tall stone tower of uncertain purpose and a citadel platform on the ridge. The building everyone comes for is the tomb of Cyrus, a plain gabled stone chamber on six receding steps, standing by itself in a field, with no inscription and no decoration. Alexander is recorded as having visited it and ordered its repair after finding it disturbed.

History

Cyrus the Great founded Pasargadae in the 6th century BC as the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire, near the site of his victory over the Median king Astyages in 550 BC, and named it after his royal clan; it remained the capital until Darius moved it to Persepolis. Its gardens are the earliest known example of the Persian fourfold chahar bagh, its Gate R is the oldest known freestanding propylaeum, and the remains of a tomb identified in 2006 as that of Cyrus' son Cambyses II have been found near the fortress of Toll-e Takht. Ernst Herzfeld first explored the site in 1905 and excavated here in 1928, an Iranian team under Ali Sami worked here from 1949 to 1955 and a British team under David Stronach from 1961 to 1963, and in the 1960s the Pasargadae Treasure of Achaemenid jewellery was found near the foundations of one of the pavilions (Wikipedia, Pasargadae).

The main sights

• The tomb of Cyrus - a plain gabled chamber on six stone steps.
• The garden water channels - stone-cut runnels of an early formal garden.
• Palace platforms - foundations spread across open grassland.
• The Zendan tower - a tall stone building whose purpose is still argued.

When to go

March to May and September to November; summer on the plain is very hot and winter is cold and windy. Two to three hours. Spring brings green grass and wildflowers around the tomb, which is when it looks best.

Before you go

The remains are scattered over a large area with a good deal of walking between them and very little shade. Only the tomb is substantially standing; the rest is foundation level. Signage is limited. It is usually done as a stop on the road between Shiraz and Isfahan.

Nearby

Naqsh-e Rostam and Persepolis are south toward Shiraz.

Key facts