Pasargadae Historical Complex

The Pasargadae World Heritage Site is a group of ancient structures surviving from the Achaemenid era, located in Pasargad County in Fars Province. The complex includes buildings such as the Tomb of Cyrus the Great, the Royal Garden of Pasargadae, the Gate Palace, the Bridge, the Audience Hall, the Private Palace, two pavilions, the water features of the Royal Garden, the Tomb of Cambyses, the defensive structures of Tall-e Takht, the Mozaffari Caravanserai, the Sacred Precinct and the Bolaghi Gorge. Pasargadae is the fifth Iranian site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was inscribed at the UNESCO session held in China in Tir 1383 (July 2004) with 100 percent of the votes, in recognition of the many criteria it meets.

Pasargadae, near Shiraz, was the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire and was founded by Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BCE. The name Pasargadae originally means "the noble ones of the age." The city's original name was something like "Pasargad" (Pasaragad), and the modern pronunciation is also correct; the name has no connection with "Pars." The name comes from the Pasargadae tribe, the tribe of the Persian kings, which meant "those who wield heavy maces." It has also been suggested that Pasargadae may be a modified form of "Parsagrad," meaning "city of Pars." Grad, gord and gerd (as in Dastgerd) mean "city." Hinz has suggested that the Elamite name of this place may originally have been Batrakatas.

Pasargadae lies on a high plain at an elevation of 1,900 metres above sea level, surrounded by mountains. In the 7th century AH (13th century CE), an atabeg of the Salghurid dynasty of Fars built a mosque near the Tomb of Cyrus the Great, using stones from the palaces. On the occasion of the 2,500-year celebrations of the Iranian monarchy in 1971, these stones were returned to their original places. The best seasons to visit the area are spring and autumn. In spring, this beautiful area, set in a wide plain, is full of colourful flowers. In autumn, the leaves of the trees turn many different colours and create a lovely view.