World History
History of Iran. This is an essay on the history of Iran which was known as Persia in ancient times.
From the site:
The ancient nation of Iran, historically known to the West as Persia and once a major empire in its own right, has been overrun frequently and has had its territory altered throughout the centuries. Invaded by Arabs, Seljuk Turks, Mongols, and others--and often caught up in the affairs of larger powers--Iran has always reasserted its national identity and has developed as a distinct political and cultural entity.
Archeological findings have placed knowledge of Iranian prehistory at middle paleolithic times (100,000 years ago). The earliest sedentary cultures date from 18,000-14,000 years ago. The sixth millennium B.C. saw a fairly sophisticated agricultural society and proto-urban population centers. Many dynasties have ruled Iran, the first of which was the Achaemenid (559-330 B.C.), a dynasty founded by Cyrus the Great. After the Hellenistic period (300-250 B.C.) came the Parthian (250 B.C.-226 A.D.) and the Sassanian (226-651) dynasties.
The seventh century Arab-Muslim conquest of Iran was followed by conquests by the Seljuk Turks, the Mongols, and Tamerlane. Iran underwent a revival under the Safavid dynasty (1502-1736), the most prominent figure of which was Shah Abbas. The conqueror Nadir Shah and his successors were followed by the Zand dynasty, founded by Karim Kahn, and later the Qajar (1795-1925) and the Pahlavi dynasties (1925-1979).
- Ghaznavids
Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ruled eastern Afghanistan and parts of Iran and Pakistan from 977 to 1186. Sebuk Tigin (r. 977–997), a former slave, founded the empire, ruling from the city of Ghazna, from which the dynasty obtained its name....
- Nadir Shah - Persian Conqueror
Nadir Shah (Nader Shah), often called the “Napoleon of Iran,†was the last of the Central Asian conquerors who made the region quake under the hoofbeats of his army. Like Genghis Khan, Babur the Tiger, and Timurlane before him, Nadir came...
- Safavid Empire
Safavid Empire The Safavid Empire was established as the Mongol il-Khan government declined and the Safavids were victorious over the numerous Turkish tribes who had established independent fiefdoms in Persia (present-day northern Iran) during the 13th...
- Revisionist History As Told By Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Revisionist History as Told by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. From the CNN article, "Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed doubt that the Holocaust occurred." And with this statement, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad joins the ranks of other...
- History Of Turkmenistan
History of Turkmenistan. This is a decent short essay on the history of the Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Wikipedia notes that, "Turkmenistan, formerly known as the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic is a country in Central Asia. It has borders with Afghanistan,...
World History
History of Iran
History of Iran. This is an essay on the history of Iran which was known as Persia in ancient times.
From the site:
The ancient nation of Iran, historically known to the West as Persia and once a major empire in its own right, has been overrun frequently and has had its territory altered throughout the centuries. Invaded by Arabs, Seljuk Turks, Mongols, and others--and often caught up in the affairs of larger powers--Iran has always reasserted its national identity and has developed as a distinct political and cultural entity.
Archeological findings have placed knowledge of Iranian prehistory at middle paleolithic times (100,000 years ago). The earliest sedentary cultures date from 18,000-14,000 years ago. The sixth millennium B.C. saw a fairly sophisticated agricultural society and proto-urban population centers. Many dynasties have ruled Iran, the first of which was the Achaemenid (559-330 B.C.), a dynasty founded by Cyrus the Great. After the Hellenistic period (300-250 B.C.) came the Parthian (250 B.C.-226 A.D.) and the Sassanian (226-651) dynasties.
The seventh century Arab-Muslim conquest of Iran was followed by conquests by the Seljuk Turks, the Mongols, and Tamerlane. Iran underwent a revival under the Safavid dynasty (1502-1736), the most prominent figure of which was Shah Abbas. The conqueror Nadir Shah and his successors were followed by the Zand dynasty, founded by Karim Kahn, and later the Qajar (1795-1925) and the Pahlavi dynasties (1925-1979).
- Ghaznavids
Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ruled eastern Afghanistan and parts of Iran and Pakistan from 977 to 1186. Sebuk Tigin (r. 977–997), a former slave, founded the empire, ruling from the city of Ghazna, from which the dynasty obtained its name....
- Nadir Shah - Persian Conqueror
Nadir Shah (Nader Shah), often called the “Napoleon of Iran,†was the last of the Central Asian conquerors who made the region quake under the hoofbeats of his army. Like Genghis Khan, Babur the Tiger, and Timurlane before him, Nadir came...
- Safavid Empire
Safavid Empire The Safavid Empire was established as the Mongol il-Khan government declined and the Safavids were victorious over the numerous Turkish tribes who had established independent fiefdoms in Persia (present-day northern Iran) during the 13th...
- Revisionist History As Told By Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Revisionist History as Told by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. From the CNN article, "Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed doubt that the Holocaust occurred." And with this statement, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad joins the ranks of other...
- History Of Turkmenistan
History of Turkmenistan. This is a decent short essay on the history of the Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Wikipedia notes that, "Turkmenistan, formerly known as the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic is a country in Central Asia. It has borders with Afghanistan,...