Cyrus the Great Day

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Cyrus the Great Day
روز کوروش بزرگ
7aban1394.jpg
Iranians gathering around the tomb of Cyrus, 29 October 2015
StatusUnofficial
GenreCommemoration
Date(s)7th day of Aban (c. 28–29 October)
FrequencyAnnual
VenueTomb of Cyrus
Location(s)Pasargadae, Fars Province
Coordinates30°11′38″N 53°10′02″E / 30.19389°N 53.16722°E / 30.19389; 53.16722
Country Iran
Years activeEarly 2000s–present
ActivityGatherings and nationalist celebrations

Cyrus the Great Day (Persian: روز کوروش بزرگ‎, romanizedruz-e kuroš-e bozorg) is an unofficial Iranian holiday that takes place on the seventh day of Aban, the eighth month of the Solar Hijri calendar (usually occurring on 29 October on the Gregorian calendar), to commemorate Cyrus the Great, the founder of the ancient Achaemenid Persian Empire.

The holiday prominently consists of gatherings at the tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae, Fars Province.[citation needed]

History of observance[]

Cyrus the Great Day is an invented tradition introduced in the early 2000s[1] on the internet and social networking websites.[2] Based on some historical records, 29 October was the day when Cyrus entered Babylon after the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to the Achaemenid Persians in the Battle of Opis.[3] The holiday is observed by Iranian nationalists and monarchists to pay homage to Iran's pre-Islamic history. [4]

The celebrations are unofficial, and the holiday is not designated on any official calendar, neither on the Iranian calendars nor on those of the UNESCO.[5] There have been calls for the Iranian government to recognize the day at the official level.[1] In 2017, Bahram Parsaei, the representative of the electoral district of Shiraz in the Iranian parliament, openly voiced the demand for the state to recognize and observe the holiday.[6]

2016 Cyrus the Great Revolt[]

Gatherings at Pasargadae on 28 October 2016

In 2016, the holiday occurred on 28 October (due to the overlapping of leap years in the Iranian and Gregorian calendars) and fell on Friday (official weekend day in Iran due to its Islamic significance).[3] Consequently, the tomb of Cyrus at Pasargadae attracted thousands of people from across the country who celebrated the day and chanted nationalist slogans.[1] Nomads, tribesmen and ethnic minorities, including Kurds and Iranian Arabs, were present at the celebrations in their traditional ethnic clothing.[1] The attendance was unprecedented according to spectators, and the roads leading to the tomb reportedly saw a large traffic jam.[3]

An unofficial 2017 estimate puts the attendance figure at between 15,000 and 20,000 people.[7]

Protests[]

The gatherings eventually morphed into protests against the ruling Islamic theocracy. Iranian protestors reportedly chanted "No Gaza, no Palestine, we will only sacrifice ourselves for Iran!",[8][9][10] "Iran is our homeland; Cyrus is our father," and “Clerical rule is synonymous with only tyranny, only war,” as well as “Freedom of thought cannot take place with beards” were among the slogans in the amateur videos going viral on social media.[7][11]

According to Reuters, protesters shouted anti-Arab and pro-Shah slogans. A judiciary official said that the organizers of the event were arrested.[12]

2017 government crackdown[]

In October 2017, an official statement by local authorities from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism in Fars Province was published and circulated on social media, declaring that Cyrus' tomb would be closed to the Iranian public between 27 and 30 October 2017. However, the director of the ministry officially denied that any plans for a shutdown of the tomb were being made in the days leading up to the holiday.[7]

Subsequently, all roads leading to Pasargad County were closed by Iranian authorities, who cited "ongoing construction" as the reason for the shutdown. Fences were erected around the mausoleum in Pasargadae and paramilitary Basij troops were stationed in the region to hold a drill. The mouthpiece of the Iranian judiciary stated that the Ministry of Intelligence had disrupted plans for the "illegal gathering" on Cyrus the Great Day.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Menahem Merhavi (16 January 2017). "Cyrus Day – A Tradition in the Making". Iran Pulse Heading. Tel Aviv: The Alliance Center for Iranian Studies. 5 (80).
  2. ^ Masoud Alzahid (30 October 2016), "Why Iranians circumambulate Cyrus' tomb", Al Arabiya News, retrieved 30 October 2017
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Saeid Jafari (2 November 2016), "'Cyrus the Great' enters Iranian politics", Al-Monitor, retrieved 30 October 2017
  4. ^ "Former Political Prisoner Arrested at "Cyrus Day" Celebration". 4 November 2019.
  5. ^ Fatemeh M. Safaei, ed. (30 October 2016), translated by Reza Bahar, "On naming a day after Cyrus the Great", Islamic Republic News Agency, 82287376, retrieved 30 October 2017
  6. ^ "MP Calls For Celebrating International Day Of Cyrus The Great", Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 12 October 2017, retrieved 30 October 2017
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Heritage Director Denies Pasargadae Shutdown As Cyrus Day Approaches", Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 24 October 2017, retrieved 30 October 2017
  8. ^ "Thousands in Iran use king's anniversary to protest against ruling regime". The Observers.
  9. ^ "Iran Security Forces Blocking Roads To Prevent Cyrus Day Gathering". Radio Farda.
  10. ^ "Iranians arrested after celebrating ancient Persian king Cyrus the Great". Reuters.
  11. ^ Alijani Ershad (3 November 2016), "Thousands in Iran use king's anniversary to protest against ruling regime", France24, retrieved 30 October 2017
  12. ^ Bozorgmehr Sharafedin (31 October 2016), Tom Heneghan (ed.), "Iranians arrested after celebrating ancient Persian king Cyrus the Great", Reuters, retrieved 30 October 2017
  13. ^ "Iran Says It Foils Plot Involving Tomb of Cyrus the Great", Associated Press, VOA News, 29 October 2017, retrieved 30 October 2017
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