Professors Simons and Benn note the following on Cyrus the Great in their text on ancient and modern Iraqi history:

“…Cyrus, with typical clemency, spared the king and even joined the national mourning when Nabonidus died in 538 BC…Cyrus represented himself to the Babylonians more as a liberator than a conqueror, but still the legitimate successor to the crown.  He took the title ‘King of Babylon, King of the Land’, and he returned to their rightful temples all the statues of the gods that Nobonidus had conveyed into the capital. At the next New Year festival, Cyrus, following the custom of the traditional Babylonian kings, took the hand of the god Bel and so legitimized a new Babylonian dynasty. He also issued a decree freeing the Jews from their Babylonian captivity, stipulating that a high Persian official should accompany the Jews that decided to return to the Promised Land, to ensure that his wishes were fulfilled. The Jewish exiles hailed Cyrus as a liberator and sang songs of joy to celebrate the end of their bondage…Cyrus remained well-regarded, not only by the Jews, who called him ‘the anointed of the Lord’, the Persians called him ‘father’, and the Hellenes whom he conquered regarded him as ‘master’ and ‘law-giver’. He was a great conqueror but generally compassionate towards defeated enemies, to whom he often extended the hand of friendship”

[Simons & Benn, 1996, pp. 134-135; in Iraq: From Sumer to Saddam. Palgrave publishers]

 

Cyrus the Great enters Babylon. Cyrus Kar has been engaged in producing a documentary on the life of this notable figure of human history.

The role of Cyrus the Great in being one of history’s pioneers of Human Rights is now a recognized fact in western mainstream culture. This is clearly indicated in a recent video (The Story of Human Rights) which named Cyrus the Great as the founder of the first Human Rights Charter:

http://journal.waalmdiplomacy.org/#post10

WAALM SCD has also developed an educational website explaining the Evolution of Human Rights from Cyrus to contemporary Times:

http://sites.google.com/site/humanrightsevolution/

Kindly note that WAALM – School of Cultural Diplomacy has a full department dedicated to instruction and education with respect to the Evolution of Human Rights:

WAALM School of Cultural Diplomacy (SCD) – دانشکده دیپلماسی فرهنگی)

For more information kindly consult the Cyrus the Great link at:

https://www.kavehfarrokh.com/iranica/cyrus-the-great-and-human-rights/