Cyrus Day Ceremony: A Wreath Laid Beside Cyrus the Great’s Mausoleum
Police forces in Shiraz prevented a gathering of supporters paying tribute to Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenid king, on Monday.
The seventh day of Aban corresponds to October 29, marking Cyrus’s entry into Babylon in 539 BCE.
In recent years, a number of Iranian citizens and 19 senior historians of ancient history from various countries have requested that Tehran register November 7 (Aban 7) as “Cyrus Day” in Iran’s official calendar. However, after objections from some Shiite religious authorities close to the government, particularly Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani, and a notable gathering of supporters of the official registration of this anniversary at Pasargadae on Aban 7, 1395 (September 28, 2016), permission for gatherings at Cyrus’s mausoleum has no longer been granted to enthusiasts.
According to unofficial reports, in recent days some citizens have received anonymous text messages warning that gatherings at Pasargadae are illegal and should be avoided near Cyrus’s mausoleum.
Nevertheless, what did this year’s supporters of naming the seventh day of Aban “Cyrus Day” do?
Kourosh Zaam, a member of the central council of the “National Front of Iran,” who had spoken at a gathering at Pasargadae two years ago on the occasion of Aban 7, told Radio Farda that today one of the supporters of this organization managed to cross the fence with permission from stationed officers and place a wreath of flowers beside Cyrus’s mausoleum.
However, he added that no one was given permission to hold a gathering, and despite the security barriers, it was not possible to do so. Kourosh Zaam also recalled Parviz Varjavand, the former secretary-general of the “National Front of Iran,” who in the final years of his life was the “caller for gatherings at Pasargadae” and a supporter of naming Cyrus Day. Mr. Zaam added that last year, and even under house arrest on this day, he held ceremonies. He also said that today, before the interview with Radio Farda began, people had gathered at his home to pay tribute to Cyrus, and this ceremony is still continuing.
Kourosh Zaam added that a number of his other friends and acquaintances held similar ceremonies in their homes for this occasion.
On Aban 20, 1397 (November 11, 2018), Bahram Parsai, Shiraz’s representative in the open parliament session, criticized Hassan Rouhani in a speech and said that Iran’s president, on the one hand, introduces Iran as the savior of the Jews in international travels, but on the other hand refers this representative’s request to register Aban 7 in the country’s official calendar to the “Supreme National Security Council.” Kourosh Zaam describes Rouhani’s action as “irrelevant” and says that despite the lack of ground for formalizing the anniversary of Cyrus’s entry into Babylon in the calendar, citizens’ movement in this direction will continue.
The member of the central council of the “National Front of Iran” says that he previously sent a formal letter to UNESCO requesting that it register October 29, corresponding to Aban 7, as “Cyrus Day” internationally, but the organization has not yet responded to this request.
Source: Radio Farda
