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Persian News for Learners: Cyrus the Great Day

Hand-painted news cover for روز کوروش بزرگ (Cyrus the Great Day), with ancient Persian relief art and celebrants.

news

روز کوروش کبیر

  korosh kabir  


روز ۷ آبان (۲۹ اکتبر) که تاریخ نویسان آن را روز ورود کوروش به بابل و صدور منشور کوروش می‌دانند.  به پیشنهاد سازمان بین‌المللی نجات پاسارگاد٬ روز کوروش کبیر انتخاب و نام‌گذاری شده است.

این روز به مناسبت پایان تصرف امپراتوری بابل به دست سپاه هخامنشیان (۲۹ اکتبر سال ۵۳۹ پیش از میلاد) و پایان دوران ستمگری در جهان باستان انتخاب شده‌است.

 

Read a short Persian text about Cyrus the Great Day on 7 Aban (October 29), with a line-by-line translation, key words, date grammar and a quiz.

Reading the news: Cyrus the Great Day

The headline روز کوروش کبیر (ruz-e kurosh-e kabir) means "Cyrus the Great Day". The text explains why 7 Aban in the Iranian calendar, which falls on October 29, is marked as a day for Cyrus, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. This text uses Persian digits (۷, ۲۹) rather than Western ones, so it is also a good chance to practice reading numbers and dates.

The text, sentence by sentence

Persian Pronunciation English
روز ۷ آبان (۲۹ اکتبر) که تاریخ‌نویسان آن را روز ورود کوروش به بابل و صدور منشور کوروش می‌دانند. /ruz-e haft-e âbân (bist-o noh-e oktobr) ke târikhnevisân ân râ ruz-e vorud-e kurosh be bâbel va sodur-e manshur-e kurosh midânand./ The day of 7 Aban (October 29), which historians consider the day Cyrus entered Babylon and issued the Cyrus Charter.
به پیشنهاد سازمان بین‌المللی نجات پاسارگاد، روز کوروش کبیر انتخاب و نام‌گذاری شده است. /be pishnahâd-e sâzmân-e beynolmelali-ye nejât-e pâsârgâd, ruz-e kurosh-e kabir entekhâb va nâmgozâri shode ast./ At the suggestion of the International Organization for Saving Pasargadae, Cyrus the Great Day has been chosen and named.
این روز به مناسبت پایان تصرف امپراتوری بابل به دست سپاه هخامنشیان (۲۹ اکتبر سال ۵۳۹ پیش از میلاد) /in ruz be monâsebat-e pâyân-e tasarrof-e emperâturi-ye bâbel be dast-e sepâh-e hakhâmaneshiyân (bist-o noh-e oktobr-e sâl-e pânsad-o si-o noh-e pish az milâd)/ This day was chosen to mark the end of the conquest of the Babylonian Empire by the Achaemenid army (October 29, 539 BC)
و پایان دوران ستمگری در جهان باستان انتخاب شده است. /va pâyân-e dowrân-e setamgari dar jahân-e bâstân entekhâb shode ast./ and the end of an age of tyranny in the ancient world.

منشور کوروش (manshur-e kurosh), "the Charter of Cyrus", is what Iranians usually call the clay text known in English as the Cyrus Cylinder. Pasargadae (پاسارگاد, pâsârgâd) is the site in Fars province where Cyrus's tomb stands.

Key words

Persian Pronunciation English
کبیر /kabir/ great (in titles)
تاریخ‌نویس /târikhnevis/ historian
ورود /vorud/ entry, arrival
صدور /sodur/ issuing
منشور /manshur/ charter
به پیشنهاد /be pishnahâd-e/ at the suggestion of
سازمان /sâzmân/ organization
بین‌المللی /beynolmelali/ international
نام‌گذاری کردن /nâmgozâri kardan/ to name
به مناسبت /be monâsebat-e/ on the occasion of, to mark
تصرف /tasarrof/ conquest, capture
امپراتوری /emperâturi/ empire
سپاه /sepâh/ army
ستمگری /setamgari/ tyranny, oppression
پیش از میلاد /pish az milâd/ BC

Grammar in the text

Dates. In a date, the number comes before the month and is linked to it with ezâfe: ۷ آبان is read هفتِ آبان (haft-e âbân), "7 Aban", and ۲۹ اکتبر is (bist-o noh-e oktobr). In formal reading you may also hear the ordinal: (haftom-e âbân). For years before the Common Era, add پیش از میلاد (pish az milâd), "before the birth (of Christ)"; for Western years after it, add میلادی (milâdi).

Two verbs, one auxiliary. انتخاب و نام‌گذاری شده است (entekhâb va nâmgozâri shode ast), "has been chosen and named", shares one شده است between two compound verbs. This saves repeating the auxiliary and is common in formal writing.

Talk about it

Try to say today's date in Persian, first with the Iranian month and then with the Western month. The Iranian months in order are فروردین, اردیبهشت, خرداد, تیر, مرداد, شهریور, مهر, آبان, آذر, دی, بهمن and اسفند. Aban is the eighth month, which is why 7 Aban falls in late October. Then retell the text in two sentences: what day it is and why it was chosen.

Keep reading

Practice

  1. Which Iranian date is Cyrus the Great Day?

    Show answer

    7 Aban. ۷ آبان

  2. What happened on that day, according to historians?

    Show answer

    Cyrus entered Babylon and issued his charter. ورود کوروش به بابل و صدور منشور کوروش

  3. Who suggested the name for the day?

    Show answer

    The International Organization for Saving Pasargadae. سازمان بین‌المللی نجات پاسارگاد

  4. How do you read ۵۳۹ پیش از میلاد?

    Show answer

    pânsad-o si-o noh-e pish az milâd (539 BC)

  5. Read this date aloud: ۲۰ مهر

    Show answer

    bist-e mehr

Find more short stories in Persian news for learners.


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