Pasargadae was the first capital of the Persian empire, founded by Cyrus the Great after his defeat of the Median king around 550 BC. It stands on the plain of Morghab in southern Iran, at an altitude of about nineteen hundred metres, and the setting is one of wide, open space, bounded by low mountains. The tomb of Cyrus, a plain stone chamber on a six-stepped base, stands alone in the grass, and its simplicity is striking, given that it holds the founder of the largest empire the world had yet seen.
According to the Greek historians, Alexander the Great visited the tomb and was moved by its modesty, and ordered it restored after it had been looted. The inscription, if it ever existed, is lost. Elsewhere on the site, you can see the ruins of palaces and a gateway guarded by a winged figure, and the foundations of a tower. The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay cylinder found in Babylon, records the king's policy of respect for the customs of conquered peoples, and has been described as an early charter of tolerance, though historians argue about the claim.
The town of Pasargad, a kilometre and a half away, has about 30,000 people, with fuel, shops and simple restaurants, and the site itself has a small ticket office and car park. Persepolis, the later capital of Darius, lies about fifty kilometres to the south, and the two are often visited together. The road between them crosses a high, dry plain with fields of wheat, barley and pomegranate trees.
Visit in spring, when the grass is green, or in autumn, when the light is golden and the heat has eased. Winters are cold, and summers are baking, with little shade. Take water and a hat, and walk slowly. At sunset the stone of the tomb glows warm, and the wind in the grass makes a sound like quiet voices.