2495 years ago

It was the end of November in 486 BC, the 64 years old King of Kings "Shah" of Persia "Dariush the Great" after suffering a month of ill health, passed away. Dariush had 18 children from which his successor was to be chosen from, "Xerxes" was his oldest son from "Atoosa" daughter of "Cyrus the great" that became King as it was long prepared before hand by Darius himself, this farsightedness was perhaps one reason why the passage of power took place without any calamities.

The body of Dariush the Great was transfered to "Naghsh-e-Rostam" where other Achaemenid Kings were to be buried. His tomb was in preparation years ahead of his death,according to some account 7 years in advance, therefore enough time for inscriptions and epitaphs worthy of Kings. Dariush did not leave it to his successors to grant him the honor he had earned.

Some inscriptions are as follows:

"Ahuramazda, when he saw this earth in commotion, thereafter bestowed it upon me, made me king; I am king. By the favor of Ahuramazda I put it down in its place; what I said to them [my subjects], that they did, as was my desire.
If now you shall think that "How many are the countries which King Darius held?" look at the sculptures of those who bear the throne, then shall you know, then shall it become known to you: the spear of a Persian man has gone forth far; then shall it become known to you: a Persian man has delivered battle far indeed from Persia."

Dariush the Great also said about himself :

"I am a friend of the right. Of wrong I am not a friend. It is not my wish that the weak should have harm done him by the strong, nor is it my wish that the strong should have harm done him by the weak.
The right, that is my desire. To the man who is a follower of the lie I am no friend. I am not hot-tempered. What things develop in my anger, I hold firmly under control by my thinking power. I am firmly ruling over my own impulses.
[...] What a man says against a man, that does not convince me, until I hear the sworn statements of both.
[...] My body is strong. As a fighter of battles I am a good fighter of battles. [...] I am skilled both in hands and in feet. A horseman, I am a good horseman. A bowman, I am a good bowman, both on foot and on horseback. A spear man, I am a good spear man, both on foot and on horseback. These skills that Ahuramazda set down upon me."

Historically, Dariush the Great inherited a poorly organized, gigantic Persian empire, at the time of his death, Persia was one of the best managed and administered empires ever to have existed. Empires that have emerged thereafter in the last 2 millenniums have all copied and adapted Darius's system.