A late 19th Century illustration of Cyrus II of Persia (600-530 BC), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire learning about the Jewish faith. Cyrus had a general policy of religious tolerance throughout his vast empire. His treatment of the Jews during their exile in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem is reported in the Bible. The Jewish Bible's Ketuvim ends in Second Chronicles with the decree of Cyrus, which returned the exiles to the Promised Land from Babylon along with a commission to rebuild the temple.

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Size: 4531px × 3534px
Location: Persia
Photo credit: © De Luan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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