ABSTRACT
The toponym came from the most imposing architectural feature of the place, a monumental pre-Islamic tomb that was attributed to the mother of Solomon after the Islamic invasion of the Sassanid Empire in the seventh century. The probable etymology of the Persian word paradidam underscores the essential role of enclosures, which was confirmed by the excavation campaigns in Pasargadae. According to Stronach, the structure of the garden was part of a political message that was also expressed by the integration of foreign motifs and materials, as a way to underline the acquired political power over foreign lands. Moreover, Cyrus invented paradise not only by hybridising techniques of urban planning and landscaping, but also by recasting these techniques in the realisation of an imperial garden capital that appears not to be a city stricto sensu. This hypothesis obviously neither implies the absence of buildings, nor of a specific architectural style.
