Paradise

Ancient Greeks thought the Paradise to be the heaven but in fact it is the Persian name of a large ancient royal park in Pasargadae, about 2x3 kilometers large and one of the most valuable world heritage monuments:

http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=1106 : Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II, the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century BC. Its palaces, gardens, and the mausoleum of Cyrus are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization. Particularly noteworthy vestiges in the 160-ha site include: the Mausoleum of Cyrus II; Tall-e Takht, a fortified terrace; and a royal ensemble of gatehouse, audience hall, residential palace, and gardens. Pasargadae was the capital of the first great multicultural empire in Western Asia. Spanning the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt to the Hindus River, it is considered to be the first empire that respected the cultural diversity of its different peoples. This was reflected in Achaemenid architecture, a synthetic representation of different cultures.

An Assyrian four-winged genius

An Egyptian crown

A relief from Pasargadae

The northern wall on a winter day. One gets a sense of the enormous dimensions by comparing the wall to the man who is trying to climb down.

Edited by Cyrus Shahmiri - 14-Dec-2006 at 06:09

Wow....just, wow. I always thought that Old Persian Cuneiform was invented in Darius' time, but I guess the picture 3rd from the bottom shows it was older. (That is definitely Old Persian by the way, not Babylonian or Elamite Cuneiform). I can make out a couple of the words too  I'm not sure because it's a little wierd but I as far as i can see the first two lines say: "adam/kurush/xshayathiya/haxamanishiya" "I am Kurosh, an Achaemenian". The third and fourth lines I can't make out.

Edited by Xshayathiya - 14-Dec-2006 at 11:02

Yes, it is possible Cyrus. I actually just found Old Persian inscriptions by Ariarmnes and Arsames (who would have been Darius' great grandfather and grandfather). Both inscriptions are in Hamedan, which is wierd because it was the capital of the Median empire.

Amazing - would have loved to have seen it in it's prime.

anyway Cyrus jan your post are always fantastic. thank you for your useful information.

Ruins abound in the region. Most noteworthy is Van Castle (Cavustepe), constructed by King Sardur II of Urartu and expanded by the Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans. Located atop a limestone rock 360 feet above the lake, this ancient citadel is honeycombed with tombs and caves and also with stairways carved into the stone that carried defenders and conquerors�like Tamerlane�to the crest of this strategic hill. As at Toprakkale, kings and generals had cuneiform inscriptions carved into the polished cliffs, one of which, placed there by the fifth-century Achaemenian King Xerxes, proclaims, with becoming innocence, that Xerxes is the "Great King, King of Kings, the King of the provinces with many languages, the King of this great earth far and near."

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197302/van..htm