The article states at Iranian calendar Modern era from 1925 that in 1976 the Shah decreed that Solar Hejri year 1355 became the imperial year 2535 Thus the first imperial year was the year that Cyrus the Great acceded to the throne in 559 BC not his birth year many years earlier This would mean that during Gregorian year 2010 the imperial year 2569 would have begun if the Solar Hejri year had not been reinstated in 1978 Your year 2549 would imply a first imperial year 20 years after Cyrus began his reign after he had conquered many nations inducing their kings to bring him gifts This would be even more arbitrary then the beginning of his reign which is a well known year His birth year is assigned to be two different years either 600 599 BC or 576 575 BC Regarding Nowruz in Achaemenid times the official year began at Nowruz at the vernal equinox but popular usage placed Nowruz at the summer solstice In Sasanid Persia gifts were presented to the king at Nowruz These two dates for Nowruz persisted into the Islamic period See Nawruz in the Encyclopaedia of Islam