A Group of Iranian Historians' Letter to Officials to Commemorate 'Cyrus the Great Day'

Nineteen Iranian archaeologists and historians have written a letter to the governor's office in Fars Province requesting the registration of the seventh of Aban as 'Cyrus the Great Day' in the official calendar of the country. They stated that commemorating this day could play an effective role in fostering national unity and solidarity among all Iranians. In the letter addressed to Hadi Pajooh, the political deputy of the Fars governor and head of the scientific and executive working group for the commemoration of Cyrus Day, they criticized Pajooh's statement that 'there is no historical document regarding the seventh of Aban and Cyrus the Great Day.' The authors also provided 'scientific documentation' to support the designation of the seventh of Aban as 'Cyrus the Great Day.' According to the letter, in the famous Babylonian inscription known as the 'Chronicle of Nabonidus,' which is over 2500 years old and currently housed in the British Museum, it is written that Cyrus 'went to Babylon on the third day of the month of Arakhshamnu (corresponding to October 29 / seventh of Aban) in the year 539 BC, after liberating Babylon, and the people welcomed him with open arms.' The authors also referenced the works of archaeologist Richard Anthony Parker, stating that in his book 'Babylonian Chronology,' the exact date of the issuance of the Cyrus Cylinder is the third day of the month of Arakhshamnu (according to the Babylonian calendar), corresponding to October 29/seventh of Aban in 539 BC. The letter was signed by Alireza Jafari Zand, Mehdi Farashiani, Ali Babaei-Darmani, Mir Mehrdad Mir Sanjari, Ataollah Abdi, Reza Satari, Dr. Ahmad Ali Asadi, Parvin Pour-Mojidian, Roghayeh Soltani, Narges Alai-Bakhsh, Zagros Zand, Shadi Foroughi, Monazam Haqiqat, Rahmatollah Soleimani-Farsani, Reza Nikpour, Noushin Pour-Rad, Ali Barahani, Sohrab Firoozi, and Sousan Cheraghi. Bahram Parsayi, a representative from Shiraz in the parliament, had previously requested an official ceremony for Cyrus Day in a letter to the Minister of Culture. However, security agencies prevented the ceremony from taking place on the seventh of Aban by barricading the area around Pasargadae, blocking access routes, and sending threatening text messages to some citizens. Following the prevention of the ceremony, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, stated that from next year, 'we must manage Cyrus Day and it should be noted that the issue of Cyrus is not anti-Islamic.' He added, 'Our problem is not Cyrus, but rather the opponents who sought to exploit this day.' Last year, following a gathering of thousands to commemorate Cyrus at Pasargadae, his tomb, many participants were arrested. During this event, some attendees chanted slogans such as 'Iran is our homeland, Cyrus is our father,' as well as slogans against the Islamic Republic. Reports indicated that other slogans included 'Happy Birthday, Prince,' referring to the ninth of Aban, the birthday of Prince Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran. Reza Pahlavi also reacted to this slogan on his Facebook page, stating it was 'the best birthday gift in recent years.' The letter from the 19 archaeologists and historians criticized the gathering and stated, 'The at least twelve-year history of commemorating this day by various groups of people and scientific and cultural references, which far exceeds the recent exploitations by some anti-regime political groups, suggests that choosing an alternative day instead of the seventh of Aban without regard to the history, documentation, and the people's wishes, merely to counter the anti-security actions of a few groups, could practically lead to polarization in society and increase tensions on this day.' Meanwhile, several Shia clerics have criticized the commemoration of 'Cyrus Day.' Among them, Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamadani, a Shia source of emulation in Qom, criticized the presence of thousands near Cyrus's tomb in Pasargadae last year, stating that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, referred to those 'remembering Cyrus' as 'anti-revolutionaries.'