In 2005, the International Committee for the Preservation of Pasargad designated October 29 as “Cyrus the Great Day.” This date commemorates the issuance of his charter and was chosen to highlight the historical significance of Cyrus the Great. The committee’s aim was to raise awareness and support for preventing the flooding of the Sivand Dam, which threatened the tomb of Cyrus the Great with dampness and destruction. Fortunately, this initiative was well-received by both the media and the public, both within Iran and internationally.

The Preservation Committee, operating as the “Pasargad Heritage Foundation,” was officially established in the United States in 2007. It was founded as the first international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to preserving Iranian cultural heritage. Through the support of cultural supporters worldwide and timely intervention from UNESCO, the foundation successfully compelled the Ahmadinejad government (the government of Iran at the time) to lower the height of the Sivand Dam, mitigating the risk of damage from dampness to the Pasargad site’s monuments.

Naming Cyrus the Great Day not only prevented the danger that threatened Pasargadae, but also raised awareness of Cyrus’s significant contributions to the survival of human civilization.

The importance of this designation lies in its approval by a non-governmental cultural organization and dozens of prominent cultural and social figures. This was achieved without any governmental or religious support, and it has been widely recognized by Iran-friendly visual and audio media abroad, as well as thousands of Iranian and non-Iranian individuals both within and outside of Iran.

For years now, coinciding with Cyrus the Great Day on October 29^th, many people in Iran and abroad have honored the name and memory of a man who, 25 centuries before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written and at a time when the world was consumed by violence and backwardness, stated in his charter: “He entered Babylon in peace, his many soldiers walked in Babylon in friendship, and he did not let anyone be intimidated in all the lands of Sumer and Akkad. He rescued the oppressed people from helplessness, returned the displaced to their homes, freed the slaves from slavery, and commanded that everyone be free to choose their religion and place of residence…”

Pasargad Heritage Foundation

WCHV

World Migratory Bird Day is officially celebrated on the second Saturday of May in Canada and the US, and the second Saturday of October in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. However, every day is Bird Day, and you can celebrate birds and host events any day of the year!

The 2025 poster, illustrated by Annamaria Savarino Drago of Mexico, features birds that depend on safe spaces. Look closely in the image to find the ways that you can create bird-friendly cities and communities. World Migratory Bird Day has its roots in two separate but related events: International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD), which began in 1993 in the Americas, and the inaugural World Migratory Bird Day in 2006 for the African-Eurasian region. The two were formally combined into a single, global event in 2018.

History :

• • 1993: The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology founded the first International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). The first event was hosted at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., as an educational campaign to raise awareness about migratory birds and their conservation needs.

• • 1995–2006: The IMBD program was directed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The event was held on the second Saturday in May, corresponding with the peak of spring migration in North America.

• • Present: The program is coordinated by Environment for the Americas and has grown to involve hundreds of events and festivals each year. It is celebrated on the second Saturday in May in Canada and the U.S., and on the second Saturday of October in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. 

World Migratory Bird Day (African-Eurasian region)

• • 2005: The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) started the “Migratory Waterbird Days” in Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia.
  • 2006: AEWA and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) expanded the scope of the event to a global scale, launching the first official World Migratory Bird Day. The inaugural event was held in Kenya and coincided with a negative public perception that linked migratory birds to the spread of avian influenza. The campaign’s theme, “Migratory birds need our support now!,” aimed to counter this misinformation.
  • Global expansion: After its successful launch, World Migratory Bird Day gained popularity and expanded to more countries annually.

Unification into a global campaign

• • 2017: On October 26, officials from Environment for the Americas, CMS, and AEWA announced an official partnership to unite the two major migratory bird education campaigns.

• • 2018: The combined, single campaign adopted the name “World Migratory Bird Day.” To accommodate the differing migration seasons in the hemispheres, major celebrations are now organized twice a year: on the second Saturday of May and the second Saturday of October. 

Campaign today

Today, the unified World Migratory Bird Day continues to raise awareness of the ecological importance of migratory birds and advocate for their conservation. The campaign features a new conservation theme each year, focusing on issues such as:

By: Dr. Kaveh Farrokh

The article “Parthian Fortresses of Nysa” was originally posted by UNESCO. The photographs inserted below are from the Meros.org venue, with the descriptive captions and map of the Parthian Empire provided by Kavehfarrokh.com. The version printed below has also been slightly edited.

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Nisa was the capital of the Parthian Empire, which dominated this region of central Asia from the mid 3rd century BCE to the early 3rd century CE. As such it formed a barrier to Roman expansion, whilst at the same time serving as an important communications and trading centre, at the crossroads of north-south and east-west routes. Its political and economic power is well illustrated by the surviving remains, which underline the interaction between central Asian and Mediterranean cultures.

Map of the Parthian Empire in 44 BCE to 138 CE (Picture source: Farrokh, page 155, Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War-Персы: Армия великих царей-سایه‌های صحرا–). See also Military History and Armies of the Parthians …

The Parthian Fortresses of Nisa consist of two tells of Old and New Nisa, indicating the site of one of the earliest and most important cities of the Parthian Empire, a major power from the mid 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD. They conserve the unexcavated remains of an ancient civilization which skillfully combined its own traditional cultural elements with those of the Hellenistic and Roman west. Archaeological excavations in two parts of the site have revealed richly decorated architecture, illustrative of domestic, state and religious functions. Situated at the crossroads of important commercial and strategic axes, this powerful empire formed a barrier to Roman expansion while serving as an important communication and trading centre between east and west, north and south.

A close-up of one of the sections of Nysa’s enduring Parthian system of architecture (Meros.org).

UNESCO Criteria

Criterion (ii): Nisa is situated at the crossroads of important commercial and strategic axes. The archaeological remains vividly illustrate the significant interaction of cultural influences from central Asia and from the Mediterranean world.

Criterion (iii): The Parthian Empire was one of the most powerful and influential civilizations of the ancient world, and a brilliant rival of Rome which prevented the expansion of the Roman Empire to the east. Nisa, the capital of the Parthian Empire, is the outstanding symbol of the significance of this imperial power.

A walled structure of one the chambers at Nysa(Meros.org). Later Sassanian architecture would also display especially thick walls and depending on the region, either bricks or stones could be used in their construction. For more on Parthian and Sassanian military architecture, consult Chapter 13 “Military Architecture”  in Armies of Ancient Persia: The Sassanians (2017).

The integrity and authenticity of the property, and also of the surrounding landscape, in terms of the size of the two tells and the siting of the capital at the foot of the Kopet-Dag mountains, are unquestionable. The two tells do not in any sense represent the original appearance of the Parthian capital, but their present appearance is due solely to natural erosion.

A meandering pathway towards a Nysa structure(Meros.org).

The site is gazetted as one of the 1,300 historical and cultural monuments of Turkmenistan. Nisa is also one of the eight State Historical and Cultural Parks (SHCP) that have been created to protect the most significant sites in Turkmenistan. A buffer zone has been established. The property comes within the provisions of the Bagyr town development plan. Serious efforts are still needed to set up an efficient preventive maintenance scheme that will ensure the survival of recently excavated parts of the site. A five-year plan has been formulated for 2006-2010, in order to ensure a better balance between the different activities (e.g. archaeology vis-à-vis conservation) and to combine and harmonize all the existing documents and strategies relating to the site.

Related posts:

1. Parthian Warrior Grave Accidentally Unearthed in 2020 during COVID-19 Burial
2. UNESCO: Takht-e Soleiman
3. UNESCO: Sassanian Archaeological Landscape of the Fars Region
4. Journal Article: A Unique Parthian Sword
5. Professor Shapour Shahbazi: The Parthian Army
6. Parthian site in Andika, Khuzestan discovered by Karamian Archaeological Team
7. Parthian horses and Parthian Horse Archers
8. Preserving the Buddhist Stupa Structure in Topdara, Afghanistan
9. Documentary Film Production: the UNESCO Sassanian Fortress in Darband
10. Structure of the Parthian Army (2016) – (۱۳۹۵) ساختار ارتش اشکانیان

For the last few weeks, the Islamic occupying government in Iran has been trying its best to entertain the people in some way. This “entertainment” approach, which first started with Khamenei’s “Iran, Iran, sing,” has now reached a point where they have begun holding celebrations in every city (and even, in mosques). We have observed that participants in these programs include both organized groups of government supporters and individuals from less privileged backgrounds. The latter, some who may harbor anti-government sentiments, still seem eager to attend events that offer some degree of freedom and enjoyment, something they may have long anticipated.

Astonishingly, this death-perpetuating government’s recent initiative is organizing public celebrations for people. For the past 46 years, this government has predominantly focused on mourning ceremonies, and its leaders have historically considered clapping a sin, only permitting it at weddings.

The shift towards promoting joy among the populace is a stark contrast to their established practices. Most importantly, for the past 46 years, this government has suppressed the celebration of important national events. Currently, young people are being held in prison simply for celebrating Cyrus the Great Day. This underscores the profound longing for freedom that persists within the country.

The government’s recent actions are not surprising when taking a look at history. It appears that when dictatorial regimes face popular unrest and are on the brink of collapse, they often attempt to transform public anger into a semblance of joy or celebration. Almost like a powerful painkiller, these celebrations are designed to temporarily calm the populace.

This approach may be new in our country because, not only during the Pahlavi era but even during the Qajar era, celebrations that were supported by the government, as in European and American countries, were only national celebrations and not celebrations to silence the voices of the opposition.

This type of recent strategy by the Islamic government is a reminder of past dictatorships, particularly the regimes in 20th-century Argentina and even Nazi Germany. In Nazi Germany, all cultural and artistic activities were managed under the direct supervision of the Nazi Party. I see parallels in how the Islamic government currently supervises cultural and artistic endeavors.

The Nazis not only eliminated Jewish composers and singers, but also supported and promoted their replacements from among their own composers and singers. This behavior is akin to the Islamic government, which, from the beginning, dismissed or forced the people’s favorite national singers and composers to leave the country and replaced them with composers and artists who supported it.

In dictatorial regimes such as those in South America and Nazi Germany, as the state became increasingly gripped by the fear of collapse, support for and expansion of the entertainment arts grew. Large-scale concerts, designed for maximum public impact, became increasingly frequent.

During the Second World War, while the crematoriums were busy massacring Jews and the prisons were full of opponents of the government, Hitler’s supporters organized large gatherings and concerts, with well-known Nazi figures (and sometimes even Hitler himself) participating in these types of events; the government allocated the most publicity to them.

I am one of those people who know that this strategy of the “death-perpetuating” government is not to pour “honey and sugar” into the tired souls of the people, but to silence their voices. These shows are not intended to uplift the spirits of the people but rather to suppress their voices, even if only for a short period.

However, I believe there is no need for concern. As long as the majority of our country’s population continues to suffer from poverty, hunger, and destruction, these shows will remain nothing more than a comedic diversion that will eventually burst and collapse like a balloon, taking the entire government with them.

September 7, 2025

NYAYANGA, KENYA—Around three million years ago, early hominins developed what is known as the Oldowan toolkit to work wood, pound plant material, or process animal carcasses. To create these specialized tools, our human ancestors used hammerstones to strike at stone cores and create sharp-edged flakes. Finding the right rocks was integral, as Oldowan tools needed to be shaped from stones that were strong, yet also brittle enough to easily flake. According to a statement released by the Leakey Foundation, new research suggests that early humans were surprisingly capable of identifying sources of suitable stones and transporting them over long distances. The evidence comes from the site of Nyayanga on Kenya’s Homa peninsula, where excavations uncovered a trove of fragmentary stone tools. Local rocks in the area were relatively soft, however, and would have resulted in poor utensils. Using geochemical and geological analysis, researchers determined that 2.6 million years ago, the site’s occupants routinely traveled around six miles to another site on the peninsula in order to procure better source material, and then carried those stones back with them to Nyayanga. This is the earliest evidence of early hominins moving significant rocks over long distances and predates other known instances by around 600,000 years. This marks a major milestone in the history of human evolution as it demonstrates ancient hominins’ ability to mentally map their environment and remember locations with high-quality stones. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Science Advances

The Sassanian Game-board of ‘Hashtpay

By: Dr. kaveh Farokh

The article below is written by Antonio Panaino and originally posted in the CAIS website hosted by Shapour Suren-Pahlav in London, England. Readers are also encouraged to consult/click the link “The Sassanian Era” 

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Name of a game from the Sassanian era which has not been precisely identified. The haštpay “eight feet” (more likely than aštapad) is mentioned together with other games in chapter 15 of the Xusraw ud Redag (ud pad Chatrang ud new-ardaxšî r ud haštpay kardan az hamahlan fraztar hom “and in playing chess, backgammon and the haštpay I am superior to my comrades” (Unvala, p. 16; Monchi-Zadeh, 1982, p. 65; Panaino, 1999, p. 51). Its name, as in the case of chess (Pahl. Ch < Skt. caturanµga-), is an Indian borrowing; it derives from Sanskrit astapada- (cf. pali atthapada), originally referring to a game-board of 8 x 8 little squares. Such a board was used for various games (Murray, 1913, pp. 35-40; 1952, pp. 129-36), one of them played, according to the Balabharata (II, 5, pp. 10-13), with red and white pieces and a pair of dice. In many other sources the astapada- was doubtless the chessboard and its name strictly associated with this game (MacDonell, p. 122; Jacobi, p. 228; Thomas, 1898, pp. 272; 1899, pp. 365; Thieme, 1984, p. 208).

A conjectural drawing by Ashkan H. (اشکان.ح) of a possible configuration of the Hashtpay game-board (Source: Public Domain).

From the Xusraw ud Redag it is clear that the Sassanian haštpay was distinguished from other popular games like chess and the variety of backgammon represented by new-ardaxšî r. The haštpay could perhaps be associated, according to Semenov (pp. 16-20, 131; but see Panaino, 1999, pp. 153-56, 189), with a game-board (with three lines of eight squares) recently discovered in Paikend and with another one represented on a later Sassanian silver cup with a different but apparently comparable form.

An Indian manuscript depicting Krishna and Radha playing chaturanga on an 8×8 Ashtāpada (Source: CAIS). For more see “Chess: An Indian or Iranian invention” …

Bibliography

Jacobi, “Über zwei ältere Erwähn-ungen des Schachspiels in der Sanskrit-Litteratur,” ZDMG 50, 1896, pp. 227-33.

A. MacDonell, “The Origin and Early History of Chess,” JRAS, 1898, pp. 117-41.

Monchi-Zadeh, “Xus-rôv i Kavâtân ut Rêtak,” in Monumentum Georg Morgenstierne, vol. II. Acta Iranica 22, Leiden, 1982, pp. 47-91.

J. R. Murray, A History of Chess, Oxford 1913. Idem, A History of Board-Games other than Chess, Oxford 1952.Panaino, La novella degli Scacchi e della Tavola Reale. Un’antica fonte orientale sui due gixochi da tavoliere piuà diffusi nel mondo euroasiatico tra Tardoantico e Medioevo e sulla loro simbologia militare e astrale. Testo pahlavi, traduzione e commento al Wiz-arišn î Chatrang ud nihišn î  new-ardaxšî r “La spiegazione degli scacchi e la disposizione della tavola reale,” Milano, 1999.

L. Semenov, Studien zur sogdischen Kultur an der Seidenstrasse, Wiesbaden, 1996.

Thieme, “Chess and Backgammon (Tric-Trac) in Sanskrit Literature,” in E. Bender, Indological Studies in Honor of W. Norman Brown, New Haven, 1962, pp. 204-16, reprinted in Kleine Schriften, Wiesbaden, 1984, pp. 413-25.

W. Thomas, “The Indian Game of Chess,” ZDMG, 52, 1898, pp. 271-72; 53, 1899, pp. 364-65.

M. Unvala, The Pahlavi Text “King Husrav and his Boy,” published with its Transcription, translation and copious notes, Paris, n.d.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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TELL EL-BURAK, LEBANON—Phoenician builders invented a type of waterproof plaster long before the Romans popularized it, according to the Greek Reporter. Archaeologists working at the site of Tell el-Burak in southern Lebanon recently uncovered a winemaking facility dating to between 725 and 600 b.c., the oldest known complex of its kind in the region. The structure features a large grape treading basin linked to a fermentation vat capable of holding about 1,188 gallons. Analysis of the basin’s surface indicated that it was coated in a special plaster that was mixed with crushed fragments of pottery, likely broken amphoras. The ceramic inclusions chemically reacted with the lime binder to create a pozzolanic material that was capable of setting and hardening even in wet conditions. “The presence of ceramic aggregates wasn’t just about recycling waste—it was a technological choice to produce water-resistant, durable plaster,” said University of Tübingen archaeologist Silvia Amicone. The new research has forced archaeologists to reevaluate the sophistication of Phoenician engineers and to redate the origins of hydraulic plaster technology, which was largely considered a Roman innovation. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Scientific Reports. 

ULPIANA, KOSOVO—Vox News Albania reports that Kosovan Minister of Culture Hajrulla Çeku announced that a team of archaeologists uncovered a rare mosaic inscription linked with the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (reigned a.d. 527–565) at the site of Ulpiana. This find comes two years after the discovery of another inscription from the same time period. Ulpiana was a major urban center in the Roman province of Dardania and flourished from the first to the sixth century a.d. The city was flattened by an earthquake around a.d. 518 but was rebuilt by Justinian, a native of the area, during his reign. The first inscription records Ulpiana’s refounding as the city of “Justiniana Secunda,” while the second, newly uncovered mosaic bears a dedication to the Byzantine emperor and his wife Theodora upon the construction of a new church. Officials said that the discovery not only confirms Justinian’s commitment to rebuilding both the civic and religious monuments of the city, but highlights his close historical connections to the site and the region.

ROC DE LES ORENTES, SPAIN—Millennia ago, a local community living high in the Catalan Pyrenees mountains near present-day Girona buried their dead in a cave over a period of two or three centuries. Excavations in recent years at the site, which is known today as Roc de les Orentes, have uncovered more than 6,000 human bone fragments from about 60 different individuals. Analysis indicates that many of the robust skeletons bear signs of intense physical activities associated with the challenging lifestyle of living and herding in the Pyrenees. However, according to a La Brújula Verde report, the cave has also recently become a 4,000-year-old crime scene. Archaeologists identified a human rib with a flint arrowhead embedded in it. The weapon had struck the individual from behind. Some evidence of violence had previously been detected at the site, such as fractures and cut marks on bones, but the researchers were unsure whether these were part of local funerary traditions. The new find leaves no doubt that there was interpersonal conflict. Surprisingly, though, the bone displayed signs of regeneration and healing, hinting that the victim may not have immediately succumbed to their wounds