Iran- a brief history

Recent archaeological studies indicate that as early as 10,000 BC, people lived on the southern shores of the Caspian, one of the few regions of the world which according to scientists escaped the ice age. They were probably the first men in the history of mankind to engage in agriculture and animal husbandry.

Though the history of Iran is long and comlex, its shape is determined by the rise and fall of successive dynasties.

The Persian Empire, the Medes, the Assyrian Kingdom, the Macedonians, the Huns, the Sasanians, the Arabs, the Seljuks, and Mongols, the Timurids and the Safavids, all held sway here at one time or another and the history of Iran could be classified as 'Seven faces of civilization:"

In the 6th century BC Cyrus the Great founded the Persian Empire, which was destroyed in 330 BC by Alexander the Great. In succeeding centuries, Persia was invaded by the Parthians, the Arabs, the Mongols and various Turkish dynasties. After the Arab consquet in the middle of the 7th century the ancient Persian religion of Zarastrianism gave way to Islam

Persia continued to be overrun by foreign powers for another thousand years. But it was during the reign of Shah Abbas lst (1587-1629) Persian once again came to be known as a super power because it was the greatest opponent of Ottomans.

In the 18th-19th centuries Iran fell under the increasing pressure of European nations particularly the Russian Empire and Great Britain. The discovery of oil in early 1900s intensified the rivalry of Great Britain and Russia for power over the nation. After World War 1 Iran was admitted to the League of Nations as an original member

In 1921 Reza Khan, an army officer, established a military dictatorship. He was subsequently elected hereditary Shah, thus ending the Qajar dynasty and founding the Pahlavi dynasty.

In 1963 Iran's most important religious nation wide uprising led by Imam Ayatollah Khomeini took place which finally culminated in the overthrow of Shah following the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Iran was renamed the Islamic Republic of Iran . The new constitution drawn up in1979 designated Ayatollah Khomeini as the policy guide and ultimate decision maker.and April 1, 1979 became the Islamic Republic Day. 1092- 1157- 1227- 1380 - 1393- 1500 -

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