The Tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae at night: the stone tomb with its gabled chamber on a stepped plinth, lit warm against the dark, beneath the band of the Milky Way. — open full screen
Pasargadae, Iran

Tomb of Cyrus the Great

Under the Milky Way

Pasargadae, Iran · 2015 · Night Shots

Original file 1196 × 1500 px · 601 KB

01 The photograph

Tomb of Cyrus the Great, Pasargadae

Place
Pasargadae, Iran
Year
2015
Photograph
Mohammadreza Domiri Ganji
Original file
1196 × 1500 px · JPEG

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Mohammadreza Domiri GanjiPasargadaeNight Shots

02 The place

The capital of Cyrus the Great

Pasargadae, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great, lies 130 km north-east of the city of Shiraz. Cyrus the Great ordered its construction (550–529 BC) after his victory over Astyages, the last king of the Median Empire. The complex is best known for its most famous monument, the tomb of Cyrus, but it also includes the Prison of Solomon, the Palace of Pasargadae and the citadel.

Cyrus ordered the construction of his tomb together with Pasargadae. It consists of a chamber with a sloping roof, built on seven stone benches. In 336 BC, when Alexander the Great invaded Persia, Pasargadae was destroyed and the entire treasury of the palaces and of the tomb of Cyrus was looted.

03 In his words

A star-filled sky

This is a very important monument, as it is related to one of the most famous Persian emperors and to the history of Persia. It is for this reason that I had always wanted to immortalise the place at its best.

The Milky Way is only visible on certain summer evenings, when the sky is clear and there is no moon. My aim was to capture this valuable structure under such a star-filled sky. Nobody is permitted to enter the area of Pasargadae; so, aside from having to find the perfect time and moment, I also had to obtain various permits to make this photograph possible.

Mohammadreza Domiri Ganji

04 In the gallery

06 — In his words

“My aim was to capture this valuable structure under such a star-filled sky.”

Mohammadreza Domiri Ganji, on this photograph

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The Tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae at night: the stone tomb with its gabled chamber on a stepped plinth, lit warm against the dark, beneath the band of the Milky Way.

Tomb of Cyrus the Great, Pasargadae · Mohammadreza Domiri Ganji