Pasargadae
According to the Roman geographer Strabo of Amasia, Pasargadae was built on the site where king Cyrus defeated the leader of the Medes, Astyages, in 550 BCE (Strabo, Geography 15.3.8). There is no evidence to contradict it, but the context is very odd and contains errors, so we should not place too much confidence on it.
However, that Cyrus was indeed the builder of this town, can be corroborated from the building inscriptions in the palace, which state Cyrus, the great king, an Achaemenid. If he did not build the palace on the site of his victory, there may have been other reasons: the place is beautifully situated in the center of a fertile plain which is on all sides surrounded by mountains.
The oldest part of of Pasargadae was the citadel, which is known as Tall-i-Takht or 'throne hill' (seen here on a satellite photo). It overlooks the palace complex itself. This consists of two smaller units: the residential palace (built from cold white natural stone) and a columned audience hall. The audience hall can be approached from the south-east; the visitor first has to pass a gate and then has to cross a bridge over the river Pulvar.
Stylistically, the audience hall or Apadana (satellite photo) belongs to the architectural tradition of the Iranian nomads, who lived in large tents. However, Cyrus used elements from other cultures as well: sculptures from the Assyrian palaces were used as models, work was done by stonemasons from Greek Ionia, and a hybrid demon guarded the gate. Probably, the population of the city had a similar, mixed character.
After a walk through the gardens of the park, the visitor finally reached the residential quarters.
The tomb of Cyrus
The small tomb of king Cyrus -stylistically based on a model from western Turkey- is situated a little to the south (satellite photo). It was venerated by later rulers, a.o. the Macedonian king Alexander the Great, who ordered restorations in January 324 BCE. The tomb of Cyrus' successor Cambyses was never finished.
King Darius I the Great (522-486) built a new capital, Persepolis, forty-three kilometers downstream along the river Pulvar. However, Pasargadae remained an important place, probably as the religious capital of the Achaemenid empire where the inauguration of the kings took place. You can read a description over here.
In 2006, remains of the tomb of king Cambyses
were identified.
Literature
- E. Badian, 'Alexander the Great between two thrones and Heaven: variations on an old theme' in: Alastair Small (ed.), Subject and Ruler: the Cult of the Ruling Power in Classical Antiquity (1996 Ann Arbor)
- D. Stronach, 'Pasargadae' in Ilya Gershevitch (ed.): The Cambridge History of Iran, vol. II: The Median and Achaemenian Periods, 1985 Cambridge, pages 838-855.