Daniel came from a noble Jewish family. He lived in VI-V centuriesEkah BC. Together with his fellow tribesmen, he was captured by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar when he conquered Jerusalem. But captivity was not imprisonment, and in Babylon he received an education, and then even took a position under the king. He was an interpreter of dreams – first at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, then of Cyrus and Darius. One day, at a feast with King Belshazzar, Daniel interpreted the words that suddenly appeared on the wall. They said that Belshazzar himself would soon die, and his kingdom would be divided between the Persians and the Medes. That same night Belshazzar was killed and Babylon fell. Later, Daniel predicted the coming of the Messiah.

A famous episode from the life of Daniel is his miraculous escape from lions. King Darius wanted to make Daniel a leader over many nobles and stewards, which they were unhappy with. They persuaded Darius to issue a decree according to which anyone who asked God or man other than the king for anything within thirty days would be thrown into the lions’ den. Daniel knew about this, but every day he openly prayed to God. And Daniel was thrown to the lions. But the Lord sent an angel who “stopped the lions’ mouth,” and the animals did not touch him. Then Daniel was released, and those nobles along with their families were thrown into the ditch, and the lions did not spare anyone. After such a miracle, Darius ordered everyone to honor the God whom the prophet worshiped.

Daniel is reputed to have lived a hundred years. Five places are vying for the right to be called his tomb, including the cities of Kirkuk (Iran) and Samarkand (Uzbekistan).