“Experts began to study the detrimental effects two years ago after some cracks were observed on the relief,” added Babak Kial.
The Winged Man, considered to be Cyrus the Great by some archaeologists and historians, is a relief of a standing man with four wings who is praying. He also wears a crown which has two horns on it. Some scholars say that that Cyrus the Great is Zulqarnain, whose story is told in the Holy Qur’an, because Zulqarnein means “one with two horns” in Arabic.
“Frost, lichen, and the growth of some types of fungus have made some cracks on the relief over the past few years,” said Kial, adding that experts are looking for a way to prevent the destruction of the relief.
“We plan to replace the original relief with a replica and to transfer the original to a museum if experts determine that is necessary,” he stated.
Experts have made several attempts to prevent the extension of cracks on the relief over the years but were unsuccessful.
Pasargadae, the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, was founded by Cyrus II, the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century B.C. 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.
UNESCO registered Pasargadae on the World Heritage List on July 1, 2004.
The charter of Cyrus the Great (known as the Cyrus Cylinder), a baked-clay Aryan language cuneiform cylinder, was discovered in 1878 during an excavation of the site of Babylon. In it, Cyrus the Great described his humanitarian treatment of the inhabitants of Babylonia after its conquest by the Iranians.
In related news, some parts of the ancient site of Tang-e Bolaghi, four kilometers from Pasargadae, will be submerged by the Sivand Dam, which is scheduled to become operational in March 2006. Experts say the humidity caused by the dam will also damage other parts of Pasargadae.
MMS/HG
End
MNA
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