This site is located near the House of Iran- a cottage which is part of Balboa Park's House of Pacific Relations. A few dozen nation's have similar cottages here to showcase their national histories and culture.
This monument cites Cyrus the Great as the issuer of the First Declaration of Human Rights. Cyrus was the Emperor of Persia in the 6th century B.C. See the Wikipedia article about him at (
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This monument has a depiction of the clay cylinder upon which his declaration was inscribed in cuneiform AND another plaque in which a part of the declaration is presented in English.
The entire plaque reads:
"First Declaration of Human Rights by Cyrus the Great
Inscribed in cuneiform on a clay cylinder discovered in 1879.
Now on display in the British Museum
Cyrus the Great (585-529 BC) the Iranian Emperor defined the First
Declaration of Human Rights on this cylinder. Cyrus is admired more
as a liberator than a conqueror of his vast empire because of his repsect for human rights and the humane treatment of those he ruled. He is "anointed" in the Bible (Is 45:4-15). Professor Richard Frye of Harvard University said; "Surely, the concept of One World, the fusion of Peoples and Cultures into oneness was one of his important legacies".
The following from this ancient cylinder are a rendition of the spirit of his message in modern English:
1. I declare that I will respect the traditions, customs and religion of the many nations of my empire and never let any of my governors to look down or insult the inhabitants of my nations.
2. I hereby abolish slavery; my governors are ordered to prohibit
exchanging men and women as slaves within their ruling domains. Such
a tradition should be exterminated the world over.
3. If anyone oppresses others, should it happen, I will take his/her right back and penalize the oppressors.
4. Today I declare the Freedom of Religion. All are free to choose any religion, live in all regions and take up any job provided that they never violate other's rights.
These proclamations ring true today in our times as they did
in 535 BC"
HOUSE OF IRAN"
Additional information about the site can be seen at (
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