The Persian Empire
Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid dynasty, was a Zoroastrian. Cyrus captured Babylon in 539 BC and established the first World Empire. Cyrus the Great was a kind and tolerant king who freed the captive Jews from Babylon. He respected the subject peoples' gods and never destroyed their temples. This picture shows Cyrus's Cylinder in which he grants peace and freedom to subject people. Liberty and freedom are two very important concepts in the Zoroastrian religion.
