Iran History
Iran, which has a history of several thousand years, was called Persia in earlier times. Over the centuries, all the major dynasties such as the Medes, Achaemenids, Seleucids, Savifids, Sassanians, and even the descendants of the ruthless Timur Lane helped to mould a Persian identity and develop a sophisticated culture as reflected in its art and craft, religion, food and architecture. The Medes inhabited the land about 3,000 years ago under the rule of the Assyrians of Mesopotamia. In the 7th century BC, the Medes together with the Babylonians overthrew their rulers, and subdued other tribes such as the Persian. In 550 BC, the Persians under king Cyrus, defeated the Medes and established the Achaemenid Empire, with its center in Susa and later in Persepolis (near present-day Shiraz). He and his successors (especially Darius I) went on to conquer lands in Anatolia (modern day Turkey), the Ionian states (Greek states in southwest Turkey), some Greek city-states, and Egypt (in 525 BC), among others. They kept harassing the Greeks, but lost two major wars with them, in 490 BC (when the legend of the marathon was born) and 480 BC. Unfortunately for the Achaemenids, the Greeks had long memories. Around 334 BC, the Macedonia king Alexander the Great defeated the Achaemenids, captured their territories and burnt Persepolis. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, one of his generals, Seleucus, became the ruler of Persia and neighbouring regions. During the Seleucid empire’s 300 yea rule, it built many cities and established trade routes between the east and the west, but in the end, it was squeezed by the Romans from the west and by the Parthian tribes from the east. By 64 BC, the Seleucid empire was no more; the Euphrates became the border separating the Roman empire from the Persian empire now ruled by the Parthians. The Parthians and their successor kingdom, the Sassasians, lasted until the 7th century AD, during which time there were frequent clashes with the Romans. In the 7th century, the Arabs conquered Persia and put it under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate based in Damascus. Gradually, Islam replaced Zoroastrianism and other religions in Persia. The Umayyads did not come from the family tree of, but shared the same ancestor as, Prophet Mohammed. In 751 AD, Persian influence in Islam increased when a revolt, started in Persia and instigated by descendants of the uncle of Prophet Mohammed (al-’Abbas), ousted the Umayyads, and established the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. The Abbasids relied on the support of the Persians and other non-Arabs and Shi’ites. The Abbasid Caliphate survived until 1258 when Baghdad was destroyed by the Mongols, but it started to decline around 900 AD as Persia and other territories established their own local kingdoms and paid lip service to Baghdad. From the 9th century onwards, Persia was ruled by several indigenous or Turkic (from Central Asia , including Seljuk Turks) kingdoms, and by two separate branches of Mongols (the first time by Genghis Khan from 1258 and the second time from 1383 by Timur Lane). In the 16th century, a Shi’ite regime called Savifids emerged from Azerbaijan, home of the descendants of the Medes, invaded Persia, parts of Afghanistan, the Caucasus and Mesopotamia. This regime also made Shia the official religion of Persia and spread it to Caucasus and other regions. Partly for this reason, the Savifids were constantly under threat from their Sunni foes, the most dangerous of whom were the Ottomans. The Savifids ruled from about 1500 until 1722, gradually deepening the Persian culture and religion. Their legacies can be found in one of their capitals, Isfahan, where they built impressive mosques and other structures. In the 1720s, Persia was overrun by tribes from Afghanistan. They were driven out by a Turkic general, Nadir Sha, who served under the Savifids. Nadir Sha took over the country and later invaded India , defeated the Moghuls, sacked Delhi , massacre its population and took away the Moghul emperors’ Peacock Throne plus numerous other treasures. Nadir Sha’s empire did not last long after his death in 1740s. The Qajars, another tribe with Turkic roots, established its rules over Persia in the early 1800s. Under the Qajar Dynasty, apart from its usual enemies, Persia faced new foes, Russia and Britain. In the 19th century, Persia lost three wars, in the 1810s and 1820s against the Russians, and in 1856 against the British. As a result, the Persians ceded Georgia, Azerbaijan, and most of the Caucasus to the Russians, and was forced by the British to give up control of Afghanistan, so that the latter would become a buffer state between India and Russia. The last Persian dynasty was Pahlavi, whose founder was an army officer of the Qajar dynasty, which ruled from 1925 until the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Last edited Mar 11, 09 9:54 AM. Contributors: Andrew W. |
Travel Tips for History of Iran
Hamadan, Northwestern Iran, Iran
The oldest capital city of Iran, the history of this city goes back to 3000 years! It's a great city to visit. You'd love it by seeing all the development that mankind had in 3000 years ago.
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Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran
After Esfahan, it has to be Shiraz for me in Iran ... and with the Perspepolis and related sights, perhaps even more important ...don't miss Shiraz's literary heritage now that its wine heritage is just history... check out the tombs of Hafez and Saadi... the former, especially, is some sight in the evenings, rarely have I seen so many people visiting the tomb of a literary figure... but this is partly because Hafez was a prophetic figure too... so you have people selling cards with prophetic wishes and Hafez verses written on them and parrots to pick them up for you outside the gate ... people stay wrapped around Hafez's grave for hours wishing for something or the else ... but it is a social place too where people come out for an evening stroll in nice clothes ... in comparison, Saadi's tomb is less visited, and Khaju Kermani's tomb is just a grave in a cave atop the Quran-e-Darwaza (near the grave is the man-sized cave where the poet is said to have sat alone and written most of his ascetic life) ... while at the Quran-e-Darwaza, head up further on the stairs from Khaju Kermani's grave and you come to a wonderful chaikhana - sit there smoking a sheesha, drinking tea and enjoying wonderful aerial views of Shiraz ... the Quran-e-Darwaza itself is an impressive gate... old timers will tell you that this used to be the outskirts of Shiraz earlier... now the city has expanded so much that it is well within the city... take a walk in the pleasant Dilkusha Gardens if you want a change...
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Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran
After Esfahan, it has to be Shiraz for me in Iran ... and with the Perspepolis and related sights, perhaps even more important ...don't miss Shiraz's literary heritage now that its wine heritage is just history... check out the tombs of Hafez and Saadi... the former, especially, is some sight in the evenings, rarely have I seen so many people visiting the tomb of a literary figure... but this is partly because Hafez was a prophetic figure too... so you have people selling cards with prophetic wishes and Hafez verses written on them and parrots to pick them up for you outside the gate ... people stay wrapped around Hafez's grave for hours wishing for something or the else ... but it is a social place too where people come out for an evening stroll in nice clothes ... in comparison, Saadi's tomb is less visited, and Khaju Kermani's tomb is just a grave in a cave atop the Quran-e-Darwaza (nearby is the man-sized cave where the poet is said to have sat alone and written most of his ascetic life) ... while at the Quran-e-Darwaza, head up further on the stairs from Khaju Kermani's grave and you come to a wonderful chaikhana - sit there smoking a sheesha, drinking tea and enjoying wonderful aerial views of Shiraz ... the Quran-e-Darwaza itself is an impressive gate... old timers will tell you that this used to be the outskirts of Shiraz earlier... now the city has expanded so much that it is well within the city... take a walk in the pleasant Dilkusha Gardens if you want a change...
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Esfahan, Ishafan Province, Iran
They call the city "The venice of Iran", because there is a river going through the city. Lovely town I thought. If you go, don't forget to eat kalepache or visit Imam square (they proudly say it is three times as big as the piazza de marco in venice). The history and architecture in Esfahan is overall stunning!
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