550 years before the birth of Christ Cyrus I forged the Persian empire and built a palace and garden for himself on a high plateau in the south west of Iran which he named after his tribe - Pasagardae. The outlines of his garden remain to this day. Its stone watercourses and basins link the palaces, temples and pavilions which constituted the complex and provided water for his orchards which were said to have been planted in quincunxes.