Cyrus the Great Day is an invented tradition introduced in the early 2000s, on the internet and social networking websites. Based on some historical records, 29 October was the day when Cyrus entered Babylon. It is celebrated by Iranian nationalists and monarchists to pay homage to Iran's pre-Islamic history. The observance is unofficial, and is not designated on any official calendar, neither on the Iranian calendar nor on those of the UNESCO. There has been calls for the Iranian government to recognize it as an official state ceremony. In 2017, Bahram Parsaei, representative of Shiraz in the parliament voiced the demand.
2016 Cyrus day occurred on 28 October and fell on Friday. Pasargadae attracted thousands of people from across the country who celebrated the day and chanted nationalist slogans. Nomad people, tribesmen and ethnic minorities, including Kurds and Iranian Arabs were present in their traditional clothing. The attendance was unprecedented according to spectators, and the roads leading to the tomb reportedly saw a 30/40-kilometer traffic jam. An unofficial estimation puts the attendance figure between 15,000 and 20,000.
Political dimensions
The gathering turned into protests against the government. "No Gaza, no Lebanon, sacrifice ourselves for Iran!", "Iran is our homeland; Cyrus is our father," and “Clerical rule is synonymous with only tyranny, only war,” and “Freedom of thought cannot take place with beards” were among the slogans in the amateur videos going viral on social media. According to Reuters, protesters shouted anti-Arab and pro-Shah slogans. A judiciary official said that the organizers of the event were arrested.
2017 crackdown
In October 2017, an official statement by the local authorities of Cultural Heritage Organization in Fars Province was published and circulated on social media, declaring that Cyrus' tomb would be closed to the public from between 27 and 30 October 2017. However, the statement was denied after criticisms. All roads leading to Pasargad County were closed, due to what the authorities called "ongoing construction". Fences were erected around the mausoleum in Pasargadae and Basij militia were stationed in the region to hold a drill. Iranian Judiciary's mouthpiece wrote that the Ministry of Intelligence disrupted plans for the "illegal gathering".
