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Irano-British Quarterly Magazine

No.36

The British Museum lends The Cyrus Cylinder to the National Museum of Iran

The British Museum is lendi ing the Cyrus Cylinder to the National Museum of Iran for an exhibition that will open for four months in Tehran on 12 September. Together with two fragments of contempor rary cuneiform tablets, it will be the centrepiece of an exhibit tion that celebrates a great mom ment in the history of the Midd dle East. The loan reciprocates the generous loans made by the National Museum of Iran to

the Forgotten Empire and Shah Abbas exhibitions in 2005 and 2009 at the British Museum. The Cylinder was found during a British Museum exc cavation at Babylon in Iraq in 1879, and has been in the Briti ish Museum since that time. It was originally inscribed and buried in the foundations of a wall after Cyrus the Great, the Persian Emperor, captured Bab bylon in 539 BC. The Cylinder

is written in Babylonian cuneif form by a Babylonian scribe. It records that aided by the god Marduk Cyrus captured Babyl lon without a struggle, restored shrines dedicated to different gods, and repatriated deported peoples who had been brought to Babylon. It was this decree that allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild The Temple. Because of these enl lightened acts, which were rare in antiquity, the Cylinder has

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No.36

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acquired a special resonance, and is valued by people all around the world as a symbol of tolerance and respect for differe ent peoples and different faiths. These are the qualities for which Cyrus is revered in the Hebrew Bible. The two fragm ments of tablet were also found in nineteenth century British Museum excavations in or near Babylon. These fragments were identified by experts at the Mus seum earlier this year as being inscribed with parts of the same text as the Cylinder but do not belong to it. They show that the text of the Cylinder was proba ably a proclamation that was widely distributed across the Persian Empire. As Neil Macgregor, Direct tor of the British Museum has said: You could almost say that the Cyrus Cylinder is A Hist tory of the Middle East in one object and it is a link to a past which we all share and to a key moment in history that has shaped the world around us. Objects are uniquely able to speak across time and space and this object must be shared as widely as possible. In recognition of the fact that the Cyrus Cylinder is truly a part of the worlds cultural heri itage, the Trustees of the British Museum are eager that as many people as possible should have an opportunity to see it, particu

ularly in Iran where Cyrus the Great is held in special revere ence. Although political relat tions between Iran and the UK are at the moment difficult, the Trustees take the view that it is all the more important to maint tain the cultural links which have been so carefully built up over a period of years and which could in themselves lead to a better relationship based on dialogue, tolerance and unders standing. Colleagues in Irans museums are part of a worldwide scholarly community in which the British Museum plays a leading role. Niall Fitzgerald, Chairman of the British Museum, said: The British Museum has a long standing policy of lendi ing its unparalleled collection as widely as possible across the world to benefit the greate est number of world publics. This cultural exchange is a vit tal part of the Museum>s comm mitment to being a Museum for the world. The British Museum has a positive and ongoing exc change of skills and objects with colleagues at the Nationa al Museum of Iran which has played a key part in recent exh hibitions. The Trustees have reaffirmed their view that exc changes of this sort are an ess sential part of the Museum>s international role, allowing valuable dialogues to develop

independently of political cons siderations. Baroness Helen Kennedy QC, human rights lawyer and Trustee of the British Museum, said: The Cyrus Cylinder is an ancient artefact of great symb bolism and it is absolutely right that the British Museum fulfils its promise to loan it to the Mus seum in Tehran. This is part of the reciprocity from which we in Britain have also benefited. Art and culture can sustain rel lationships between the people of nations even when diplomac cy is strained. To present this particular temporary gift to the people of Iran at this particular time is an act of faith which will have profound meaning and value. One of the chief tasks of our generation is to build a global community, where peoples of differing ideologies can live tog gether in respect and harmony, said Karen Armstrong, author and commentator on religious affairs and a British Museum Trustee. At a time of political tension, it is essential to keep as many doors of communicat tion open as possible. We all have much work to do to build a peaceful world. This cultural exchange may make a small but timely contribution towards the creation of better relations between the West and Iran.