TEHRAN -- Iran has overruled critics and started filling a new dam in the parched south of the country that will drown an ancient archaeological site and could threaten the tomb of Cyrus the Great.

Thousands of activists have rallied and petitioned the government not to flood the dam, which is only seven kilometres (four miles) from Pasargadae -- the first capital of the Persian Empire...

It will also drown parts of the Tange Bolaghi area, a mountain pass with ancient settlements dating back to 5,000 BC.