The day Alexander visited the tomb of Cyrus the Great

Alexander the Great was a powerful conqueror; But it wasn’t the first person in history to reach such a position. He had a special respect for the conquerors of previous generations.

Quoted by Gerry Ricoter; It was such an interest that Alexander one day traveled to the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Imperial.

Cyrus the Great was a powerful kingdom who lived in the sixth century BC. He changed the face of the Middle East completely; As Alexander did two centuries later. Cyrus was a Persian king who had no significant power at that time.

At that time, the Medes were the superior regional power of modern Iranian lands. Cyrus won the Persians in the war with the Medes and merged this territory into his kingdom. He then expanded his reign to the west and conquered the Lidiyeh Empire.

Finally, Cyrus turned to the south and conquered Babylon. Thus, during his life, a great Pars king was formed as the Achaemenid Empire.

Photographer: Unknown / history.wrapper

Alexander was well aware of the life and achievements of Cyrus the Great; Because he had learned about this Persian king since childhood. Alexander is said to have read about him in a work known as Cyropaedia. This work is dedicated to describing Cyrus’ great and impressive victories and introduces him as a brave and powerful conqueror; In addition, this book explains that Cyrus was a wise and pragmatic king who deservedly ruled his people.

He wrote Cyrusnameh as “Xenophon”, a soldier and historian of Socrates and a student of Socrates. He wrote this work about 5 BC; That is, at the time of Alexander’s birth, this was the latest writing about Cyrus; Therefore, it seems that Alexander was interested in Cyrus from his youth.

Photographer: Unknown / Cyropaedia.online

Cyrus died in the year 5 BC. About five years later, in the year 5 BC, Alexander was rejected by the HelleSpont or Darishel Strait and began his war against the Achaemenid king. The Macedonian king was able to defeat the Achaemenids at a speed beyond imagination.

At one point, Alexander went to Pasargad. It was one of the most important cities of ancient Iran, known as the Imperial Capital during the reign of Cyrus. There, Alexander found that Cyrus’ tomb had been attacked and looted. Because of his admiration and respect for the great ruler, this was heavily affected.

Arrian, the second -century Greek historian, is the main source of Alexander’s visit to the tomb of Cyrus. Arian quoted the narrative from the historical report of Aristobulus, a historian with Alexander.

Photographer: Tony Baggett / Fotolia

According to Aryan, the tomb of Cyrus was located in the midst of a trees, near the meadow, next to several streams. The tomb was based on a rectangular basis of solid -shaped rocks. The roofing room was on top of it, which was the main tomb.

It was possible to enter the tomb through a very narrow hole in the front of the roof room. Inside the tomb, there was a golden coffin with Cyrus’ body. Also, a magnificent bed with a Babylonian carpet was spread.

On the bed there was a set of precious objects, including jewelry, clothing and other treasures. In addition, there is an inscription on the tomb:

O people, I am Cyrus, the son of Cambodia, “the one who built the Persian Empire and ruled Asia.

When Alexander reached Cyrus’ tomb, he found that the looters had kidnapped everything from there. The only bed was left. The thieves even removed the coffin lid, thrown the body on the ground and had serious damage to the coffin.

Photographer: Unknown / Greekreportter.com

Alexander was offended by this insult to the tomb of Cyrus the Great and ordered it to be restored. He ordered the exact examples of objects previously in the tomb and placed in place. He also ordered the coffin to restore the remains of Cyrus’ body.

Alexander probably ordered the seal of the tomb to prevent further looting. He ordered his soldiers to fill the narrow entrance with a stone and a layer of plaster. Then, he put his royal seal on it.

According to Aryan, a group of Moghan were responsible for protecting the tomb. However, it seems that they had not done their job properly or that they may have even contributed to this disrespect. Alexander ordered them to torture them to determine who was responsible for the looting. However, they refused to give any information and were eventually released.

Photographer: Bernd81 / Wikimedia

If you have visited the tomb of Cyrus, share your experience with us and other Kajaro companions.

Cover Photo Source: The Historian’s Hut, Owner: Pierre Henri de Valenciennes