2,500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire Commemorative Terracotta Plaque With Cyrus The Great and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi portraits, Circa 1971. About: The Celebration of the 2,500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire was a national event in Iran that consisted of an elaborate set of grand festivities during October 1971 to celebrate the founding of the ancient Achaemenid Empire by Cyrus the Great. The intent of the celebration was to highlight Iran's ancient civilization and history as well as to showcase its contemporary advances under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The celebrations highlighted pre-Islamic origins of the country while promoting Cyrus the Great as a national hero.