A royal romance : the cult of Cyrus the Great in modern Iran
Abstract
This article looks at the continuing fascination with the idea of monarchy in Iran, dismissed and condemned after the revolution but gradually rehabilitated through an engagement with the Shahnameh and a reinvigorated interest in ancient Iran. The interest in Sasanian Iran, as the cradle for the development of Islamic civilisation, has in turn enabled a popular re-acquaintance with Achaemenid Iran, previously frowned on for its association with Mohammad Reza Shah but legitimised by the enthusiastic endorsement of the figure of Cyrus the Great by President Ahmadinejad. This political myth of Cyrus the Great reflects the changing political dynamics of the Islamic Republic and the need to appropriate popular nationalist iconography to the state.
Citation
Ansari , A 2021 , ' A royal romance : the cult of Cyrus the Great in modern Iran ' , Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , vol. 31 , no. 3 , pp. 405 - 419 . https://doi.org/10.1017/S1356186321000195
Publication
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1356-1863Type
Journal article
Collections
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