The History of Iran
The history of Iran, known until the mid-twentieth century as Persia, is one of the oldest and most fascinating in the world
This land has seen the birth of powerful empires, revolutionary ideas, legendary wars and a cultural heritage that has left traces everywhere from Greece to India, passing through the Caucasus and Central Asia
The heart of Persia is the Iranian plateau, but its influence extended over an immense region called Greater Iran
A strip of land that went from the shores of the Aegean and Anatolia, passing through Mesopotamia to the borders of ancient India
To the north, the Caucasus mountains and the Eurasian steppes, to the south, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman
It all began with the Indo-European peoples who settled in the region, including the Medes and the Persians
It was the Persians who founded the first great empire under Cyrus the Great
This ruler is remembered not only for the conquest of Babylon, but also for his religious tolerance and for having given birth to a of the first examples of organized imperial government
His reign was continued by Darius and Xerxes who faced the Greeks in the Persian Wars
During the Achaemenid period Persia was an empire that united people of different languages religions and cultures under a single administration with a perfect road network and an extraordinary postal system
The Ancient History of Iran
After the arrival of Alexander the Great who conquered the Achaemenid Empire Persia became part of the Hellenistic world But soon it re-emerged with a new dynasty the Parthians The Parthians were warriors of the steppes who governed with political and military skill holding their own even against Rome Then came the Sassanids who brought the Zoroastrian fire back to the center of religion and fought for centuries against the Byzantine Empire Their reign was a golden age for Persian culture, art, architecture and philosophy Many of the palaces of traditions and epic stories such as those of the Shahnameh have their roots in that period With the arrival of Islam Persia did not disappear indeed The Persian people adopted the new religion but retained their language, arts, poetry and their own identity Persian Islamic dynasties such as the Samanids, Safavids and Qajars transformed the face of the country but also of the Islamic world in general The poetry of Ferdowsi Hafez Rumi, Persian miniatures, calligraphic art, turquoise domes and Persian gardens influenced all of Asia and the Mediterranean Until the mid-twentieth century, Persia was known by this name Only later was the name Iran officially adopted, meaning land of the Aryans This land has been invaded and conquered several times but never erased Its culture has been able to absorb the outside world without losing its essence A place of desert mountains, stone cities, fragrant markets and eternal poems that still today tell the ancient soul of a proud people
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