Sept. 10-12, and now Norouz. Is it just coincidence that the Cyrus Cylinder, a 2500 year old document sometimes described as the first declaration of human rights and attributed to the founder of the Persian Empire, traveled from its museum home in the West (UK) to the Middle East (Iran) on September 10 (2010) for an exhibit that began on September 12? The deafening silence to my American ears is of course Sept. 11. Iranian President Ahmadinejad proudly introduced the Cylinder, ascribed to Cyrus II (the Great), at the beginning of its visit to the National Museum of Iran, touting it as a testament to the importance of fighting oppression and championing the rights of individuals for freedom and dignity. The cylinder was due to return to the British Museum today (Jan. 10), but BM officials have extended its visit through the Iranian New Year holidays (Norouz) until mid-April to allow schoolchildren and others to view this object, a piece of historythat is “crucial” for its resonance in the histories of East and West. Simply engaging in this exchange, as Iranians and Brits have done, honors the power of the past to shape our present and future. Relations between nations, a crack in the suspicions that divide us. Happy New Year in the West, and best wishes for the same to our neighbors in the East.
