"It happened in the days of Ahasuerus - the Ahasuerus who reigned over a hundred and twenty seven provinces from India to Nubia".
During this period, the Persian kingdom was a very strong empire. It had existed ever since the great victory of King Cyrus over the Babylonians and his famous declaration, which allowed the Jews to return to their homeland (Eretz Israel), about 538 B.C.E. The famous Jewish historian, Josephus Flavius, describes this period in Jewish history and explains that Ahasuerus was the fifth Persian king after Cyrus. The events that came to be celebrated as 'Purim' took place in the second half of the fifth century B.C.E.
The sages of the Mishna and the Talmud regarded Purim as a very important holiday. They even dedicated a special tractate to it, called the Megilla (Scroll) of Esther and there is also a special prayer for Purim. The Rambam (Maimonides) wrote that all the books of Prophets and Ketuvim will be cancelled when the Messiah arrives, except for the book of Esther which will remain, like the 5 books of the Torah.
Of the five scrolls in the Bible, four are connected to a Jewish holiday only post factum:
The book of Esther, however, is related to the holiday of Purim because it is the basis and essence of the holiday.
From the Talmuds - both the Jerusalem and the Babylonian ones - we understand that Purim holiday was not easily accepted by our sages as a national holiday, partly because of the detailed description of the Jewish revenge. But in later generations it became one of the most popular holidays and many legends, humorous stories and plays were written about this occasion.
The graves of Esther and Mordechai are in the city of Hamdan in Iran. The authorities ordered that the name of this site be removed from the city map. Visitors, however, can easily find a tourist guide who will lead them to the graves.
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