Tomb of Cyrus the Great

A remarkably restrained funerary monument for the founder of history's largest empire. The stepped limestone tomb of Cyrus the Great stands alone on the Pasargadae plain — six tiers of cut stone supporting a gabled chamber, without any inscription identifying its occupant. Its austerity speaks louder than ornamentation: this is the resting place of a ruler who called himself simply "King of Anshan." When Alexander the Great visited in 330 BCE, he found the tomb looted but ordered its restoration, reportedly moved by a Greek translation of its inscription: "O man, I am Cyrus, who gave the Persians their empire. Do not begrudge me this patch of earth that covers my body."