Homage to Cyrus the Great
The opening of the celebrations of the 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire took place on the 12th October 1971 in Pasargad, the ancient capital of the time of Cyrus the Great, the founder of a huge, humane and a peaceful Empire.
The Imperial Family of Iran arriving at Pasargad for the opening ceremony
His Imperial Majesty pays homage to Cyrus the Great and leaves a wreath of flowers at his simple, but remarkable tomb.
His Imperial Majesty made the first speech of the celebrations:
“O Cyrus, great King, King of Kings, Emperor of the Achaemenians, monarch of the land of Iran. I, the Shahanshah of Iran, offer thee salutations from myself and from our nation.
“We are here to acclaim Cyrus, the Great, the immortal of Iran, the founder of the most ancient empire of the World; to praise Cyrus, the extraordinary emancipator of History; and to declare that he was one of the most noble sons of the Humanity.
“Cyrus, we gather today around the tomb in which you eternally rest to tell you: Rest in Peace, for we are well awake and we will always be alert in order to preserve your proud legacy.
“We promise to preserve forever the traditions of humanism and goodwill, with which you founded the Persian Empire: traditions which made our people be the carrier of message transmitted everywhere, professing fraternity and truth.”
A minute of silence was held in memory of Cyrus the Great after which the Imperial family and the guests returned to Persepolis...
Cyrus the Great
"I am Kourosh (Cyrus), King of the world, great king, mighty king, king of Babylon, king of the land of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters, son of Camboujiyah (Cambyases), great king, king of Anshân, grandson of Kourosh (Cyrus), great king, king of Anshân, descendant of Chaish-Pesh (Teispes), great king, king of Anshân, progeny of an unending royal line, whose rule Bel and Nabu cherish, whose kingship they desire for their hearts, pleasure. When I disposed, entered Babylon, I set up a seat of domination in the royal palace amidst jubilation and rejoicing. Marduk the great god, caused the big-hearted inhabitations of Babylon to .... me, I sought daily to worship him.
At my deeds Marduk, the great lord, rejoiced and to me, Kourosh (Cyrus), the king who worshipped him, and to Kaboujiyah (Cambyases), my son, the offspring of (my) loins, and to all my troops he graciously gave his blessing, and in good sprit before him we glorified exceedingly his high divinity. All the kings who sat in throne rooms, throughout the four quarters, from the Upper to the Lower Sea, those who dwelt in ...., all the kings of the West Country, who dwelt in tents, brought me their heavy tribute and kissed my feet in Babylon. From ... to the cities of Ashur, Susa, Agade and Eshnuna, the cities of Zamban, Meurnu, Der as far as the region of the land of Gutium, the holy cities beyond the Tigris whose sanctuaries had been in ruins over a long period, the gods whose abode is in the midst of them, I returned to their places and housed them in lasting abodes.
I gathered together all their inhabitations and restored (to them) their dwellings. The gods of Sumer and Akkad whom Nabounids had, to the anger of the lord of the gods, brought into Babylon. I, at the bidding of Marduk, the great lord, made to dwell in peace in their habitations, delightful abodes.
May all the gods whom I have placed within their sanctuaries address a daily prayer in my favour before Bel and Nabu, that my days may be long, and may they say to Marduk my lord, "May Kourosh (Cyrus) the King, who reveres thee, and Kaboujiyah (Cambyases) his son ..."
Now that I put the crown of kingdom of Iran, Babylon, and the nations of the four directions on the head with the help of (Ahura) Mazda, I announce that I will respect the traditions, customs and religions of the nations of my empire and never let any of my governors and subordinates look down on or insult them until I am alive. From now on, till (Ahura) Mazda grants me the kingdom favor, I will impose my monarchy on no nation. Each is free to accept it , and if any one of them rejects it , I never resolve on war to reign. Until I am the king of Iran, Babylon, and the nations of the four directions, I never let anyone oppress any others, and if it occurs , I will take his or her right back and penalize the oppressor.
And until I am the monarch, I will never let anyone take possession of movable and landed properties of the others by force or without compensation. Until I am alive, I prevent unpaid, forced labor. To day, I announce that everyone is free to choose a religion. People are free to live in all regions and take up a job provided that they never violate other's rights.
No one could be penalized for his or her relatives' faults. I prevent slavery and my governors and subordinates are obliged to prohibit exchanging men and women as slaves within their own ruling domains. Such a traditions should be exterminated the world over.
I implore to (Ahura) Mazda to make me succeed in fulfilling my obligations to the nations of Iran, Babylon, and the ones of the four directions."
"Cyrus, the Great, the immortal of Iran, the founder of the most ancient empire of the World, the extraordinary emancipator of History and one of the most noble sons of the Humanity..."
Iran
Host to the World
In October, 1971, Iran was host to the world. In Persepolis, the spiritual capital of the first world empire, and Tehran, the capital of modern Iran, glittering ceremonies were held to mark the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great. Heads of state and their personal representatives together with large numbers of distinguished statesmen, scholars and journalists attended the ceremonies to celebrate and pay homage to Iran's history.
Distinguished Guests
The European Royal Families were present in great force: TM The King and Queen of Denmark, Frederik IX and Ingrid, were the most senior royal guests. From neighboring Norway HM The King, Olav V also attended, while the old King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden had sent his grandson and heir, HRH Crown Prince Carl Gustaf. The King and Queen of the Belgians, Baudouin I and Fabiola, represented their country in the festivities, while the exiled but still titular sovereign couple of Greece, TM King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of The Hellenes, were accompanied by HRH Prince Michael of Greece to the celebrations. HM The Queen of the Netherlands was represented by her husband, HRH The Prince Bernhard. The Royal Family Luxembourg was present at the highest level, with TRH The Grand-Duke and Grand-Duchess of Luxembourg, Jean and Josephine-Charlotte, traveling to Iran with their daughter, the young Princess Astrid. TSH The Prince and Princess of Monaco, Rainier III and Grace, attended, as did TSH The Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein, Franz Joseph II and Gina. TRH The Prince and Princess of Spain, Juan Carlos and Sofia, represented General Franco and the Kingdom of Spain at the festivities. Prince Juan Carlos, previously known as Prince of the Asturias, had been designated successor of dictator Francisco Franco “with the title of King” in 1969. The European republics were also well represented: the President of the Soviet Union, Nikolai Podgorny, met in Teheran some of the other communist leaders of Europe: Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia (accompanied by his wife Jovanka), President Ceaucescu of Romania (accompanied by his wife Elena) and President Pal Losonczi of Hungary. President Ludvík Svoboda of Czechoslovakia, President Cevdet Sunay of Turkey and President Urho Kekkonen of Finland completed the list of European heads of state. His Holiness Pope Paul VI sent Cardinal Maximilian of Furstenberg as his special representative. The French President had planned to attend, but later decided to send his Prime Minister, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, who was accompanied by his wife, whom he had recently married. The German Chancellor Willy Brandt, who would receive the Nobel Peace Prize a few weeks later in Norway, represented West Germany, while Emilio Colombo, the Italian Prime Minister, represented Italy. Vice-President Klimaszewski represented Poland and Fritz Wahlen, former President of Switzerland, represented his country. Portugal was represented by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Rui Patrício.
Asia was also present in force: HM The King of Jordan, Hussein, and his second wife, HRH Princess Muna, were accompanied by King Husseins young sister, Princess Basma. TM The King and Queen of Nepal, TM The King and Queen of Malaysia, HRH Prince Bhalubandutzagala of Thailand, Prince Abdul Vali Khan (uncle of HM The King of Afghanistan) and Prince Mikasa of Japan (brother of HIM Emperor Hirohito) were among the Asian royals present at the celebrations. In addition, the Sultan of Oman and the Emirs of Kuwait and Bahrein were equally present. General Yahya Khan, the President of Pakistan, was accompanied by the Begum Aga Khan III during the celebrations. From neighbouring India came President Varahagiri Giri Venkata, while from China came the Vice-President of the National Assembly, Kuo Mo-jo. The President of Lebanon, Suleiman Franjieh, and the Prime Ministers of Yemen and Korea. President Marcos of the Philippines was represented by his wife, Imelda, and their daughter.
From Africa came HIM The Emperor of Ethiopia, Hailé Selassié, and HM The King of Lesotho, King Moshoeshoe II, while King Hassan II of Morocco preferred to send his brother as his representative, and Prince Makhosini, Prime Minister of Swaziland, represented his sovereign. Other heads of state from Africa present were Hubert Maga, President of Dahomey (later Benin), Leopold Senghor, President of Senegal, Moktar Ould Daddah, President of Mauritania, and Jacobus Fouché, President of South Africa. The Prime Minister of Algeria was also present, while the Tunisian President sent a special representative.
From the United States of America, President Nixon sent his Vice-President, Spiro Agnew, to represent him, while from Canada the Governor-General Roland Michener attended. Petronio Portela, President of the Brazilian Government, represented Brazil. Finally, the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Paul Hasluck, represented his country.
State Banquet in Honor of the Distinguished Guests
From left, King Frederik IX of Denmark, King Olav V of Norway, King Constantine II of The Hellenes, Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, Crown Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Vice-President Spiro Agnew and his wife, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Imelda Marcos, First Lady of the Philippines, the President of Turkey and the Queen of the Belgians.
and the ceremonies and the various other functions continued...
Message from History
The Historical Parade at Persepolis
Soldiers of Iran
