Iran Presents Replica of Ancient Edict to United Nations

The Government of Iran presented the U.N. with a replica of the ""Edict of Cyrus"" in a ceremony held outside the Economic and Social Council Chamber, where it will be displayed. Secretary-General U Thant accepted the gift on behalf of the Organization and made a statement. Princess Ashraf Pahlavi, Chair of the delegation of Iran to the General Assembly, presented the gift and spoke in reply. The President of the General Assembly, Adam Malik, joined them in the ceremony. The ""Edict of Cyrus"" is a declaration made by Cyrus the Great concerning the preservation of human rights in occupied cities after his capture of Babylon in 539 B.C. Cyrus the Great (circa 600 B.C. to 529 B.C.) was the founder of the Persian Empire, which, at his death, extended from the Hellespont to the Indies. The celebration in Iran of the 2500th anniversary of the foundation of the Persian Empire began on 12 October and will culminate on 15 October in a parade in Persepolis at the tomb of Cyrus the Great. The replica of the clay tablet on which the cuneiform letters of the ""Edict"" are inscribed was made by the British Museum from the original which is in its collection. The case in which it is displayed was designed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and contains English and French translations of the ancient Persian text as well as the replica itself.
Princess Ashraf Pahlavi making a statement. At left is Assembly President Adam Malik (Indonesia). At right is Secretary-General U Thant.