Cyrus the Great October 29

Cyrus on the Big Day is an invented tradition introduced in the early 2000s on the Internet and social networking sites. According to some historical records, October 29 was the day Cyrus entered Babylon after the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at the hands of the Persians Achaemenids during the Battle of Opis. The holiday is observed by Iranian nationalists and monarchists to pay homage to Iran's pre-Islamic history.

The celebrations are not official, and the holiday is not designated on any official calendar, neither on the Iranian nor on the UNESCO calendars. There have been calls for the government Iranian recognize the day at the official level. In 2017, Bahram Parsaei, the representative of the Shiraz electoral district in the Iranian parliament, openly called for the state to recognize and observe the holiday.

Cyrus II of Persia (c. 600–530 BC; Old Persian: 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 Kūruš), commonly known as Cyrus the Great and also called Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Under his rule, the empire encompassed all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded considerably, and eventually conquered most of Western Asia and much of Central Asia.

Stretching from the Mediterranean Sea and the Hellespont in the west to the river Industrial in the east, the empire created by Cyrus was the largest the world had ever seen. At its maximum extent under its successors, the Achaemenid Empire extended from parts of the Balkans (Eastern Bulgaria-Paeonia and Thrace-Macedonia) and from Southeast Europe proper in the west to the Indus Valley in the east.

The reign of Cyrus lasted about thirty years; his empire took root with his conquest of the Middle Empire followed by the Empire Lydian and ultimately the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He also led an expedition to Central Asia, which resulted in major campaigns that were described as having "subdued all nations without exception."

Cyrus did not venture into Egypt and is believed to have died in battle fighting the Massagetae, an ancient nomadic tribal confederation of eastern Iran, along the Syr Darya in December 530 BC. However, Xenophon claimed that Cyrus did not die in battle and returned again to the Achaemenid ceremonial capital of Persepolis. He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who managed to conquer Egypt, Nubia and Cyrenaica during his short reign.

Cyrus is well known for respecting the customs and religions of the lands he conquered. He played an important role in the development of the system of a central administration in Pasargadae governing the satraps in the border regions of the empire, which operated very efficiently and profitably for both rulers and subjects.

The Edict of Restoration, a proclamation attested by a cylinder seal in which Cyrus authorized and encouraged the return of the Israelites to the Land of Israel after their conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, is described in the Bible and also left a lasting legacy on the Jewish religion due to its role in ending the Babylonian captivity and facilitating the Jewish return to Zion. According to Isaiah 45:1 of the Hebrew Bible, God anointed Cyrus for this task, even calling him the messiah; Cyrus is the only non-Jewish figure in the Bible to be venerated in this capacity.

Cyrus is also recognized for his achievements in human rights, politics, and military strategy, as well as his influence on both Eastern and Western civilizations. Achaemenid influence in the ancient world would eventually extend to Athens, where upper-class Athenians adopted aspects of the culture of the ruling class of Achaemenid Persia as their own.

A native of Persis, roughly corresponding to the current Iranian province of Fars, Cyrus played a crucial role in defining the national identity of modern Iran. He remains a cult figure among modern Iranians, his tomb serving as a place of reverence for millions.