What was the nature and purpose of the building program at Pasargardae?

The early Achaemenid Persian monarch, Cyrus II established a city on the tableland north of the modern city of Shiraz in order to give himself a base from which to govern the Persian tribes in the area of Parsa (modern Fars). Both Cyrus and his immediate successor, Darius I set about building a fortress, palace and numerous other buildings associated with a small city. Such a settlement must have appeared foreign to the rural and nomadic Persians but Pasargardae was an important military and administrative base. This source-based homework task is designed for students of the NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Higher School Certificate course
Historical Periods
Option D: Persia - Cyrus II to the death of Darius III

Historical Societies
Option D: Persia in the time of Darius II and Xerxes