CONCLUSION POWER AND PARADISE

Ancient Persian civilization is so bound up with Cyrus the Great that if we attempt to find the geographical heart of the Achaemenid Empire we need look no further than Pasargadae. There the great victory over the Medes began the Persian rise to a dominant position in the Middle East, and there also is the tomb of the victor himself. Over the centuries many of the great and the good, from Alexander the Great to the last shah, and more recently Ayatollah Khamene’i, now supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, have come to pay their respects. Pasargadae was also the place that Cyrus chose as his capital. Whatever regime has subsequently been in power in Persia, Cyrus and his tomb at Pasargadae have always been accorded due respect.

The tomb of Cyrus is now visited by large numbers of people who are likely to visit at the same time as seeing the tomb of his successor, Darius, which is nearby. The pairidaēza has long disappeared and Cyrus’s tomb now stands in solitary – but splendid – isolation on the bleak plain of Pars. However, it is not completely alone. Adjacent to the small road leading to the tomb stands a secondary school for boys. Outside this school a large sign in English reads: ‘Welcome to the land of the freeborn poets, devouts, philosophers and heroes. Pasargad High School’. This sign is clearly intended to make a statement about how modern Iran views its ancient heritage. It links the youth of the Islamic Republic with the achievements of Persian/Iranian civilization over the millennia. The poets, devouts, philosophers and heroes are clearly seen as part of a long and illustrious national history. It is recognized that these poets and others of earlier generations all made their particular contributions to the identity of Iran.

Iranian visitors to the Tomb of Cyrus.

Pasargad High School.

While today Iran is an Islamic Republic, many other ideas and ideologies have prevailed at different periods in the country’s history. However, underlying them all has been a feeling of identity that emphasizes the country itself and its individuality. It is possible to perceive this in ancient times in Zoroastrianism, the religion of the Achaemenid dynasty. One can also see it much later in Shia Islam, in many ways an assertion of the role of Persians and their ideas in the development of the religion. The importance of this native contribution to Islam has been further explored by scholars since the Khomeini revolution. Most recently Patricia Crone’s research on the ‘nativist prophets’ has stressed their importance in converting ‘Islamic Persia’ into ‘Persian Islam’. Her thesis that indigenous rural prophets in Iran had defied conquering Arabs and helped to shape a distinct Islamic culture is one with an obvious appeal to Persian nationalism.

The Tomb of Cyrus and Pasargad High School, geographically so close together on the plain of Pars, are separated in time by well over two millennia. They are nevertheless linked by the strong feeling of national identity that has persisted, despite the massive upheavals that have taken place in the country. From the earliest times, the ‘devouts and philosophers’, together with the poets, have provided a sense of unity throughout the long history of the country. Implicit in this is the acceptance of the existence of diversity. Such acceptance may not be all that apparent at any particular period, but it can be seen clearly when viewed in the wider context of history.

In attempting to explain this diversity, it has been observed that there are in some ways two countries, Persia and Iran, occupying the same geographical space. Each of these has presented over time a very different image. Michael Axworthy sets out what he calls this ‘paradox’ as follows: ‘The image conjured up by Persia is one of romance; roses and nightingales in elegant gardens . . . carpets with colours glowing like jewels, poetry and melodious music.’ On the other hand, in the modern media in particular, ‘Iran has a rather different image: frowning mullahs, black oil, women’s blanched faces peering . . . from under black chadors, grim crowds burning flags, chanting “death to”’.1

And yet the two images are by no means irreconcilable, and this unity in diversity is perhaps the most outstanding characteristic of Iran. It explains the way in which the ancient civilization has been lost many times but found again by future generations, usually with very different ideas. During the 1980s, after paying a visit to Persepolis and Pasargadae, the Ayatollah Khamene’i spoke of ‘monuments which after the lapse of tens of centuries still remain a marvel to mankind’. They are a treasury, he said, in which we can see history and humanity. The Ayatollah was talking about the wider context of history in which ultimately it is possible to detect distinct themes running through the complexity.

Iran’s foundations may have been in the remote past but the relevance of these foundations has persisted in supporting a national framework for the ideas of each new generation. In this way a distinct Iranian identity has been preserved in one of the most highly volatile regions in the world.