MAP OF IRAN
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Iran, the second largest country in the Middle East, has 5,000 years of fascinating history, and is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations.
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran was unified as a nation in 625 BC by the Medes, and was first ruled by the Achaemenid Empire; succeeded by the Seleucid Empire, the Parthians and then the Sassanids until 651 AD.
Muslims invaded Iran in 656, marking a turning point for their history, as the new Islamic policy became gradually absorbed into the Persian civilization.
Genghis Khan invaded Iran in 1218, and massacred more than half of the country's population. The past six centuries of Islamic influence were stripped away as the Mongols destroyed the culture, burned libraries and replaced mosques with Buddhist temples.
Mongol commanders continued to rule Iran, even after Genghis' death in 1227, and remained there until the arrival of Timur in 1381. Timur conquered Iran piece by piece, and was known for his sheer brutality in getting what he wanted.
Timur's successors continued to reign over much of Iran until 1452, at which point they lost the region to the Black Sheep Turkmen; who were in turn conquered by the White Sheep Turkmen in 1468.
However, it wasn't long before the Safavid dynasty took control, and it was under their ruling that Persia went through a revival.
From the beginning, Sunnism was the dominant form of Islam in most of Iran, but as the Safavids' power over the region grew they initiated a religious policy to recognize Shi'a Islam as the official religion of the empire.
The Safavid dynasty is also credited for founding the modern nation-state of Iran, as a significant portion of Iran's current borders originated during their reign.
By the early 1600's, the Safavid dynasty had become a major world power, and began the promotion of tourism to Iran. The dynasty lasted until the early 1700's, when Iran became the target of repeated raids, and were finally defeated by Mir Wais Khan in 1722.
In the midst of chaos that ensued during this moment, the Ottomans and Russians took it upon themselves to seize territory for themselves, and it was Nader Shah that restored the boundary lines and order to Iran.
Nader was known as one of the last great conquerors of Asia, but his cruel nature during his final years led to a series of revolts and his ultimate assassination in 1747.
Following Nader's death, a period of anarchy in Iran prevailed as commanders fought for power, until the Qajar dynasty succeeded in becoming the new shahs.
Aside from the Qajars, a few European countries, such as Great Britain, Russia, and France began establishing footholds in the region. During the early 20th century oil was discovered in Khuzestan by the British, which prompted an all too eager renewed interest in Persia, and both the United Kingdom and Russia scrambled to gain control of the area.
The Great Game, as it had become known, divided Persia into several stretches of influence without regard to their national sovereignty.
Iran was able to remain neutral through World War I, despite the occupation of British and Russian forces.
In 1925, the Pahlavi dynasty was established, and was able to rise to power due to the instability of the Qajar government. Reza Shah Pahlavi ruled Iran until September 16, 1941, and successfully established an authoritarian government that valued nationalism, militarism, secularism and anti-communism combined with strict censorship and state propaganda.
During World War II, Reza Shah's son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi took over control of Iran, and there was a belief that the country would become a constitutional monarchy due to the fact that Mohammed was very hands-off with his role as leader in the beginning.
However, after Operation Ajax, which was a formal coup d'etat to overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953, brought on by the United Kingdom and the United States, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's rule became progressively autocratic.
Demonstrations against the Shah began in 1978, and by January 1979 Iran became an Islamic republic after the ruling Shah was forced into political exile.
Iran was then thrust into the worldwide spotlight in November 1979, when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran, and struggled through a bloody and disastrous (no win) eight-year-war with Iraq in the 1980s.
Following the war, Iran's new government concentrated on rebuilding and strengthening the economy. And after the American invasion of Iraq in 2006 to overthrow Sadam Hussein, Iran's position within the region intensified.
The foundations of the Islamic Republic were challenged in 2009 during the Iranian presidential elections, as it was announced that president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the election; however several western countries, as well as the European Union and Iranian citizens expressed concerns of irregularities during the vote.
Following the complaints, the Guardian Council announced a recount, and concluded that there were no discrepancies.
Literally surrounded by the most tumultuous area on the planet, the rigidity of its own long-standing political and social policies have come under attack in recent years, and there's now a powerful and growing internal pressure for reform.
The country is rich in natural gas and petroleum resources, and when that economic power is combined with its outwardly-friendly and hard working people, a troubled past certainly points to a bright future.
And as for tourism, international travelers rave about Iran's natural beauty, as well as its ancient ruins, mosques and first-class museums.
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran was unified as a nation in 625 BC by the Medes, and was first ruled by the Achaemenid Empire; succeeded by the Seleucid Empire, the Parthians and then the Sassanids until 651 AD.
Muslims invaded Iran in 656, marking a turning point for their history, as the new Islamic policy became gradually absorbed into the Persian civilization.
Genghis Khan invaded Iran in 1218, and massacred more than half of the country's population. The past six centuries of Islamic influence were stripped away as the Mongols destroyed the culture, burned libraries and replaced mosques with Buddhist temples.
Mongol commanders continued to rule Iran, even after Genghis' death in 1227, and remained there until the arrival of Timur in 1381. Timur conquered Iran piece by piece, and was known for his sheer brutality in getting what he wanted.
Timur's successors continued to reign over much of Iran until 1452, at which point they lost the region to the Black Sheep Turkmen; who were in turn conquered by the White Sheep Turkmen in 1468.
However, it wasn't long before the Safavid dynasty took control, and it was under their ruling that Persia went through a revival.
From the beginning, Sunnism was the dominant form of Islam in most of Iran, but as the Safavids' power over the region grew they initiated a religious policy to recognize Shi'a Islam as the official religion of the empire.
The Safavid dynasty is also credited for founding the modern nation-state of Iran, as a significant portion of Iran's current borders originated during their reign.
By the early 1600's, the Safavid dynasty had become a major world power, and began the promotion of tourism to Iran. The dynasty lasted until the early 1700's, when Iran became the target of repeated raids, and were finally defeated by Mir Wais Khan in 1722.
In the midst of chaos that ensued during this moment, the Ottomans and Russians took it upon themselves to seize territory for themselves, and it was Nader Shah that restored the boundary lines and order to Iran.
Nader was known as one of the last great conquerors of Asia, but his cruel nature during his final years led to a series of revolts and his ultimate assassination in 1747.
Following Nader's death, a period of anarchy in Iran prevailed as commanders fought for power, until the Qajar dynasty succeeded in becoming the new shahs.
Aside from the Qajars, a few European countries, such as Great Britain, Russia, and France began establishing footholds in the region. During the early 20th century oil was discovered in Khuzestan by the British, which prompted an all too eager renewed interest in Persia, and both the United Kingdom and Russia scrambled to gain control of the area.
The Great Game, as it had become known, divided Persia into several stretches of influence without regard to their national sovereignty.
Iran was able to remain neutral through World War I, despite the occupation of British and Russian forces.
In 1925, the Pahlavi dynasty was established, and was able to rise to power due to the instability of the Qajar government. Reza Shah Pahlavi ruled Iran until September 16, 1941, and successfully established an authoritarian government that valued nationalism, militarism, secularism and anti-communism combined with strict censorship and state propaganda.
During World War II, Reza Shah's son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi took over control of Iran, and there was a belief that the country would become a constitutional monarchy due to the fact that Mohammed was very hands-off with his role as leader in the beginning.
However, after Operation Ajax, which was a formal coup d'etat to overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953, brought on by the United Kingdom and the United States, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's rule became progressively autocratic.
Demonstrations against the Shah began in 1978, and by January 1979 Iran became an Islamic republic after the ruling Shah was forced into political exile.
Iran was then thrust into the worldwide spotlight in November 1979, when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran, and struggled through a bloody and disastrous (no win) eight-year-war with Iraq in the 1980s.
Following the war, Iran's new government concentrated on rebuilding and strengthening the economy. And after the American invasion of Iraq in 2006 to overthrow Sadam Hussein, Iran's position within the region intensified.
The foundations of the Islamic Republic were challenged in 2009 during the Iranian presidential elections, as it was announced that president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the election; however several western countries, as well as the European Union and Iranian citizens expressed concerns of irregularities during the vote.
Following the complaints, the Guardian Council announced a recount, and concluded that there were no discrepancies.
Literally surrounded by the most tumultuous area on the planet, the rigidity of its own long-standing political and social policies have come under attack in recent years, and there's now a powerful and growing internal pressure for reform.
The country is rich in natural gas and petroleum resources, and when that economic power is combined with its outwardly-friendly and hard working people, a troubled past certainly points to a bright future.
And as for tourism, international travelers rave about Iran's natural beauty, as well as its ancient ruins, mosques and first-class museums.