LONDON,
(CAIS) -- The exhibition of “Forgotten Empire: the
World of Ancient Persia” finished its work in the
British Museum last Sunday after five months with 150,000
people who visited this exhibition during this time, a
number that was twice what the British Museum organisers
had anticipated.
Following
some negotiations between Spanish and Iranian officials,
the collection will head for Spain in 15 days time to
display the dignity of Persian Empire during the
Achaemenid era.
The
exhibition have traced the rise and fall of one of the
ancient world's largest and richest empires. Encompassing
a rich diversity of different peoples and cultures,
ancient Iran's Achaemenid
Empire flourished between 550 and 331 B.C. The empire
originated with Cyrus
the Great (559-530 B.C.) and expanded under his
successors, who ruled from the Imperial capitals of Susa,
Persepolis, Ecbatana, and Sardis, until at its peak it
stretched from the Indus Valley to Greece and from the
Caucus to Egypt. The Achaemenids acted as a bridge between
the earlier Near Eastern cultures and the later Classical
world of the Mediterranean and had a profound influence on
Greece in political, military, economic, and cultural
fields.
Forgotten Empire
was created in association with
the British Museum, which is mounting the most
comprehensive exhibit ever staged on the Achaemenids.
Although
many Iranian visitors have found the exhibition insulting
and questioned the motives behind the exhibition, but in general
it was success in reminding the British public about Iranian
civilisation, which opened a window onto the wealth
and splendour of ancient Iranian society--its rich
palaces, exquisite craftsmanship, and sophisticated
culture.
A
content visitor written: "After visiting the
exhibition, I was certainly persuaded that the Persian
empire was impressively rich and powerful. The palace at
Persepolis had columns 20m tall, apparently. That's about
the height of a seven-storey building"; -while a disappointed visitors said: "the exhibition hall was cramped and claustrophobic,
we had difficulties walking around, let alone viewing the
exhibition properly; -the texts accompanied the artefacts
was inadequate in explaining their iconographic and
cultural background."
""The first man in the world's history who deservedly
had gained the title of "the
Great", the one who issued the first decree of
human rights in 6th century BC, in this exhibition became
just "Cyrus", while 4th c. BC Macedonian
warlord-conqueror and murderer has become "the
Great". The most appalling of all was text
accompanied Cyrus
the Great' Cylinder, which was unfair; -the
composer of the text has hopelessly tried to give a distort
version of history. It is sad when we witness
archaeologists and historians have become politicians in
this day-and-age."" said an Iranian
archaeologist.
"Today I have witnessed the
bad-intentions and hatred towards Iranian culture especially
at the end of the exhibition. It
was absolutely disgusting when I saw they have glorified a
savage-Macedonian, and then few steps away they mention the
name of father of Iranian nation as someone like
John who works in a grocer shop; -It is shameful that
Iranian authority care about Arabs and Islam, than
Iranians and Iran, otherwise they should have not permitted
British Museum organisers
to distort the history and
insult the father of Iranian nation", another
Iranian visitor furiously added.
Forgotten Empire
was divided into sections such
as the expansion of the Persian Empire, arms and warfare,
trade and commerce, writing, luxury dinner services, jewellery,
religious and burial customs, and the rediscovery of
ancient Persia. All the articles were
collected and displayed in a way to project the splendour of Iran during ancient times and to obliterate the wrong
imaginations about ancient Iranian as portrayed by her
enemies, formed under the influence of writings by some
historians such as Herodotus.
"Western
world is biased and contrived to make the Europeans the
heroes. If the Iran was in Europe rather than in the
Middle East, this amazing race would be idolized above and
beyond the extent of that which the ancient Greeks,
Romans, Egyptians, etc are today" said a visitor.
Achaemenid
dynastic era is one of the most honourable ones, not only
in Iranian but the world history, which left a unique legacy in
the world culture and art. The exhibition started with Darius
the Great' Statue, and finished with Cyrus
the Great' Cylinder the first charter of human rights,
as symbols of Iranian identities.
The
exhibition, “Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient
Persia” was held in the British
Museum from 9 September 2005 – 8 January 2006 with
the cooperation of National
Museum of Iran, Iranian
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, and Iran
Heritage Foundation.
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