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The most important monument in Pasargadae is the tomb of Cyrus the Great. Though there is no firm evidence identifying the tomb as that of Cyrus, Greek historians tell us that Alexander III of Macedon believed it was so. When Alexander looted and destroyed Persepolis, he paid a visit to the tomb of Cyrus. Arrian, writing in the second century of the common era, recorded that Alexander commanded Aristobulus, one of his warriors, to enter the monument. Inside he found a golden bed, a table set with drinking vessels, a gold coffin, some ornaments studded with precious stones and an inscription of the tomb. No trace of any such inscription survives to modern times, and there is considerable disagreement to the exact wording of the text. Strabo reports that it read:
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Pasargadae was a city in ancient Persia, and is today an archaeological site and one of Iran's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.It was the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire and lies in the Fars province, 43 kilometers from Persepolis. The construction began around 546 BCE. The tomb of Cyrus' son and successor, Cambyses II, also has been found in Pasargadae. Pasargadae remained the Persian capital until Darius founded another in Persepolis.