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the Archeological Sites of Pasargad

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The Cylinder as a Charter of Human Rights

United Nations Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor with replica of Cyrus Cylinder at UN headquarters, New York.

The Cyrus Cylinder has been described as the world’s first charter of human rights,^[5][6][7], and "predating the Magna Carta by more than one millenium".^[8] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Young Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (Born 9 March 1956 in London) is the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information. ... The Cyrus Cylinder. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Magna Carta Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter, literally Great Paper), also called Magna Carta Libertatum (Great Charter of Freedoms), is an English charter originally issued in 1215. ...

It was translated into all official U.N. languages in 1971.^{[citation needed]} A replica of the cylinder is kept at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in the second floor hallway, between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council chambers.^[9] This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. ...

Passages in the text have been interpreted as expressing Cyrus’ respect for humanity, and as promoting a form of religious tolerance and freedom.^[10] By this argument, Cyrus' generous policies, support for local religions and stated opposition to repression and tyranny did win him support from his subjects.^[11]

However, there are many scholars who disagree with the concept of the Cylinder as a Charter of Human Rights, and have argued that such a concept is alien to the historical context. They also point out that Mesopotamia has a long tradition dating back to the third millennium BC of Kings making similar declarations when beginning their reigns and thus Cyrus' own declaration was neither unique nor the first.^[12][13]"