What Iranian clerics really think of Cyrus the Great
The backlash by one prominent Iranian cleric against the recent major gathering at the tomb of Cyrus the Great belies the Shiite clergy’s more nuanced approach to Iran’s pre-Islamic past.
Cyrus the Great is probably one of the most well-known historical figures to Iranians: an ancient king who has been praised for his wise and fair rule (559-530 B.C.). His achievements — as shown in the ancient Cyrus Cylinder, which Iranians refer to as the first human rights charter — are a great source of pride for the people of Iran.
Yet the flocking of ordinary Iranians in an unprecedented manner to the Tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae on Oct. 28, to mark what has become known as the international day of Cyrus the Great, prompted a backlash by some Iranian clerics.
On Oct. 30, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani criticized the gathering that took place around the tomb of the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, saying, “People rose up and brought about the [1979 Islamic] Revolution and allowed the emergence of a true Islamic system. The Shah used to say, ‘O Cyrus, sleep in peace as we are awake.’ Now, a group of people have gathered around the Tomb of Cyrus and they are circumambulating it and have taken their handkerchiefs out and cry [as they do for Shiite Imam Hussein]. … They are counter-revolutionaries. I am amazed that these people get together around the Tomb of Cyrus, shouting the same slogans for him that we shout in support of the supreme leader, and yet we are sitting here, alive and well, and just watching this.”
Given these widely reported remarks, one may think that this is the sole position of the Shiite clergy in Iran — especially given that Nouri Hamedani’s comments were not immediately and publicly challenged by his peers.
