1 A Royal Romance: The Cult of Cyrus the Great in Modern Iran ALI ANSARI Abstract: This article looks at the continuing fascination with the idea of monarchy in Iran, dismissed and condemned after the revolution but gradually rehabilitated through an engagement with the Shahnameh and a reinvigorated interest in ancient Iran. The interest in Sasanian Iran, as the cradle for the development of Islamic civilisation, has in turn enabled a popular reacquaintance with Achaemenid Iran, previously frowned on for its association with Mohammad Reza Shah but legitimised by the enthusiastic endorsement of the figure of Cyrus the Great by President Ahmadinejad. This political myth of Cyrus the Great reflects the changing political dynamics of the Islamic Republic and the need to appropriate popular nationalist iconography to the state. Key words: Monarchy, Shahnameh, Sasanian Iran, Achaemenid Iran, Cyrus the Great, political myth, nationalism Royalty has rarely been more popular in Iran. As paradoxical as this statement may first appear it should come as little surprise that after nearly 40 years of Islamic Revolution and Republic the public are reacting against an official ideology that has ostensibly defined itself against the institution of monarchy. Part of this reaction is a consequence of the continuing romance of monarchy that is deeply embedded within Iranian culture and which is reflected in the widespread fascination with the ‘national’ epic, the Shahnameh; a fascination that despite initial reservations, the political establishment of the Islamic Republic, has come to embrace, if for no other reason than its literary merit. But the interest goes further and into areas that highlight not only the contradictions of contemporary political culture but the difficulties in imposing state narratives on an unwilling population. Interest in the Shahnameh can be explained as a form of cultural retrenchment; a reversion to tradition in which the more knowledgeable may point out - despite the title - is not sparing of the failings of kings. As a cultural icon of Iran, therefore, the Shahnameh can be