Pasargadae was the first capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great on the plain of Morghab in Fars c. 546 BCE after his victory over the Median king Astyages. It served as the imperial centre until Darius I built Persepolis some 50 km to the south.

Is Cyrus the Great really buried there?

Yes. The freestanding limestone gabled tomb at the southern edge of the site is identified as the burial place of Cyrus the Great by ancient sources including Arrian and Strabo, who report Alexander the Great's visit and his order to restore it after finding it looted in 324 BCE.

What is the chahar-bagh?

Pasargadae's royal garden, dated to the 6th century BCE, is the earliest known example of the chahar-bagh — a quadripartite garden divided by water channels — the prototype of every later Persian, Mughal and Andalusian paradise garden, from the Taj Mahal to the Alhambra.

How do I get to Pasargadae?

Pasargadae is about 130 km north-east of Shiraz on the road to Isfahan. Most visitors combine it with a day trip to Naqsh-e Rustam and Persepolis.

Is the inscription on the tomb still there?

No — the inscription quoted by Arrian and Strabo was already lost when modern scholars reached the site. Only Greek and Roman authors preserve its text.

What is the four-winged figure at the gate?

A bas-relief on a doorjamb of Palace R shows a man in Elamite robe and Egyptian crown with four wings. A trilingual inscription that once accompanied it identified the figure as Cyrus; the inscription is lost and modern scholars debate whether the genius represents Cyrus himself or a tutelary spirit.

Pasargadae — Capital of Cyrus the Great

Site

On the plain of Morghab

Cyrus the Great founded Pasargadae on the plain of Morghab in Fars after defeating the Median king Astyages c. 550 BCE. The archaeological park stretches across more than 1.6 km² of open steppe at 1,900 m elevation and contains the tomb of Cyrus, the Tall-e Takht citadel, the gatehouse known as Palace R, the audience hall (Palace S), the residential Palace P, two royal pavilions and the remains of the first formally surveyed Persian garden.

"The tomb of Cyrus was in the royal park at Pasargadae… upon it stood this inscription in Persian letters: "O man, whosoever thou art and whencesoever thou comest, I am Cyrus, who founded the empire of the Persians. Grudge me not, therefore, this little earth that covers my body.""
— Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander VI.29, 2nd c. CE

Monuments

What survives

The principal monuments of Pasargadae
Monument	Function	Notes
Tomb of Cyrus	Royal burial	Freestanding limestone gabled tomb, six stepped tiers, c. 11 m tall
Tall-e Takht	Citadel platform	Massive ashlar terrace on a north hill, comparable to Persepolis
Palace R (Gate House)	Ceremonial gateway	Site of the four-winged 'Cyrus' relief
Palace S	Audience hall	Hypostyle with bull-protome capitals
Palace P	Royal residence	Open colonnaded portico facing the garden
Royal Garden	Chahar-bagh	World's earliest known four-fold garden plan
Tomb of Cambyses (Zendan-e Soleyman)	Tower-tomb	Stone-built tower, function debated

Legacy

A capital before Persepolis

After Cyrus's death in 530 BCE, Pasargadae remained the ceremonial site for the coronation of Achaemenid kings even after Darius I shifted the imperial centre to Persepolis. The plain was looted by Alexander's troops in 330 BCE; Alexander himself, according to Arrian, ordered the desecrated tomb of Cyrus repaired.

c. 546 BCE

Cyrus founds Pasargadae after defeating Astyages

1.6 km²

Area of the archaeological park

6 tiers

Of the stepped tomb of Cyrus

330 BCE

Alexander visits and orders the tomb restored

UNESCO 2004

Inscribed as a World Heritage Site

29 Oct

Annual gathering at the tomb for Cyrus the Great Day

Gallery

Pasargadae \u2014 Cyrus's first capital

The earliest Achaemenid capital, founded c. 546 BCE on the plain of Morghab in Fars; UNESCO World Heritage since 2004.

Pasargadae from the air — the royal precinct on the Morghab plain.Wikimedia Commons

Tomb of Cyrus the Great — a six-stepped gabled chamber in dressed limestone.Wikimedia Commons

The tomb seen at ground level.Wikimedia Commons

Side elevation of the tomb.Wikimedia Commons

Images shown here are served from the local media library.

FAQ

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References

All imagery is sourced from Wikimedia Commons, public-domain museum collections (British Museum, Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of Iran), or UNESCO World Heritage records. No AI-generated images are used. Scholarly text is synthesized from Encyclopædia Iranica, the Cambridge History of Iran, and peer-reviewed publications.