Often these days we can hear a story about a country in the southwestern part of Asia called Persia. What country has replaced it on the political map of the world? Since 1935, Persia became officially called Iran.
In ancient times, this state was the center of a huge empire, the territory of which stretched from Egypt itself to the Indus River.
Geography
It is worth saying that at one time the state of Persia did not have clear boundaries. What country is now located on these lands is difficult to determine. Even modern Iran is only approximately located on the territory of Ancient Persia. The fact is that in certain periods this empire was located on most of the world known at that time. But there were worse years, when the territory of Persia was divided among themselves by local rulers who were hostile to each other.
The relief of most of the territory of present-day Persia is a high (1200 m) highland, which is crossed by a chain of stone ranges and individual peaks rising to 5500 m. In the northern and western parts of this area are the Elbrus and Zagros mountain ranges. They are located in the form of the letter "V", framing the highlands.
Mesopotamia was located west of Persia. This is the birthplace of the most ancient civilizations on Earth. At one time, the states of this empire largely influenced the culture of the still-nascent country of Persia.
History
Persia (Iran) is a country with a great past. Its history includes aggressive and defensive wars, revolts and revolutions, as well as the brutal suppression of all political actions. But at the same time, Ancient Iran is the birthplace of the great people of that time, who led to the flourishing of the country's art and culture, as well as built amazingly beautiful buildings, the architecture of which still amazes us with its splendor. The history of Persia has a large number of ruling dynasties. It is simply impossible to count them. Each of these dynasties enacted its own laws and rules, which no one dared to violate.
Historical periods
Persia experienced a lot on the way of its formation. But the main milestones of its development are two periods. One of them is pre-Muslim, and the second is Muslim. The Islamization of Ancient Iran was the cause of fundamental changes in its political, social and cultural sphere. However, this does not mean the disappearance of previous spiritual values. Not only were they not lost, but they also significantly influenced the new culture that originated in the country at the turn of the two historical periods. In addition, many pre-Islamic rites and traditions have been preserved in Iran to this day.
Reign of the Achaemenids
As a state, Ancient Iran began its existence with Cyrus II. This ruler became the founder of the Achaemenid dynasty, in power from 550 to 330. BC e. Under Cyrus II, the two largest Indo-Asian tribes — Persians and Medes — were first united. This was the period of the greatest power of Persia. Its territory extended to Central and Asia Minor, the Indus Valley and Egypt. The most important archaeological and historical monument of the Achaemenid era are the ruins of the capital of Persia - Persepolis.
Here is the tomb of Cyrus II, as well as an inscription carved by Darius I on the Behistun rock. At one time, Persepolis burned Alexander the Great during his campaign to conquer Iran. This conqueror put an end to the great Achaemenid empire. Unfortunately, written evidence of this era has not been preserved. They were destroyed by order of Alexander the Great.
Hellenistic period
From 330 to 224 BC e. Persia was in decline. Together with the country, its culture also degraded. During this period, Ancient Iran was ruled by the ruling Greek Seleucid dynasty at that time, being part of the state of the same name. The culture and language of Persia has changed. They were influenced by the Greeks. At the same time, Iranian culture did not die. She influenced the immigrants from Hellas. But this only happened in areas where there were no self-sufficient and large Greek communities.
Parthian Kingdom
Years passed, the power of the Greeks in Persia came to an end. The history of Ancient Iran has entered its new stage. The country began to be part of the Parthian kingdom. Here the Arshakid dynasty ruled, considering itself the descendants of the Achaemenids. These rulers liberated Persia from Greek rule, and also protected it from the invasion of the Romans and the raids of the nomads.
During this period, the Iranian folk epic was created, a large number of stories with heroic characters appeared. One of them was Rustem. This Iranian hero is in many ways similar to Heracles.
In the Parthian period, the feudal system strengthened. This weakened Persia. As a result, it was conquered by the Sassanids. A new stage has begun in the history of Ancient Iran.
Sassanid state
Between 224 and 226 years BC e. the last Parthian king Artaban V was overthrown from the throne. The Sassanids dynasty seized power. During this period, the borders of Ancient Iran were not only restored, but also expanded to the western regions of China, including the Punjab and Transcaucasia. The dynasty waged a constant struggle with the Romans, and one of its representatives - Shapur I - even managed to capture their emperor Valerian. Constant war was fought by the Sassanid dynasty with Byzantium.
During this period, cities developed in Persia, and the central government strengthened. Then Zoroastrianism arose, which became the official religion of the country. In the Sassanid era, a four-stage system of the existing administrative division and stratification of all sections of society into 4 classes was developed and approved.
In the era of the Sassanids, Christianity penetrated into Persia, which was negatively met by Zoroastrian priests. At the same time, several other opposition religious movements appeared. Among them - Mazdakism and Manichaeism.
The most famous representative of the Sassanid dynasty was Shah Khosrov I Anushirvan. The literal translation of his name means "with an immortal soul." His reign lasted from 531 to 579 years. Khosrov I was so famous that his fame remained for many centuries after the fall of the Sassanid dynasty. This ruler remained in the memory of posterity as a great reformer. Khosrov I showed great interest in philosophy and science. Some Iranian sources even present his comparison with the Platonic "king-philosopher."
The Sassanids were greatly weakened by the constant wars with Rome. In 641, the country lost a major battle to the Arabs. The Sasanian stage of Iranian history ended with the death of the last representative of this dynasty - Yazdegerd III. Persia entered the Islamic period of its development.
Reign of local dynasties
The Arab caliphate was gradually expanding east. At the same time, his central authority in Baghdad and Damascus could no longer maintain strict control over all the provinces. This led to the emergence of local dynasties in Iran. The first of these is the Tahirids. Its representatives ruled from 821 to 873 years. in Khorasan. This dynasty was replaced by the Saffarids. Their dominance on the territory of Khorasan, southern Iran and Herat lasted for the second half of the ninth century. Next, the throne was captured by the Samanids. This dynasty proclaimed itself the descendants of the Parthian military commander Bahram Chubin. The throne of the Samanids was held for more than fifty years, extending its power to large territories. During their reign, the country of Iran ran from the eastern outskirts of the highlands to the Aral Sea and the Zagros ridge. The center of the state was Bukhara.
A little later on the territory of Persia, two more clans ruled. In the second half of the tenth century, these were the Ziyarids. They controlled the coast of the Caspian Sea. Ziyarids became famous for their patronage of art and literature. In the same period in central Iran, the Bund dynasty was in power. They conquered Baghdad and Force, Khuzistan and Kerman, Rei and Hamadan.
Local Iranian dynasties sought power in the same way. They seized the throne, raising an armed rebellion.
Ghaznavid and Seljukid Dynasties
Starting from the eighth century, Turkic nomadic tribes began to penetrate the Iranian Highlands . Gradually, the lifestyle of this people became sedentary. New settlements arose. Alp-Tegin - one of the Turkic tribal leaders - began to serve the Sassanids. In 962, he became in power and rule the newly created state, the capital of which was the city of Ghazni. Alp-Tegin founded a new dynasty. The Gaznevites held power for a little over a hundred years. One of its representatives, Mahmoud Ghaznevi, kept vigilant control over the territory from Mesopotamia to India. The same ruler settled a tribe of Oghuz Turks in Kharasan. Subsequently, their leader Seljuk revolted and overthrew the Ghaznavid dynasty. The capital of Iran was declared the city of Rey.
The Seljukid dynasty belonged to the faithful Muslims. She subjugated to herself all the local rulers, but for her domination she waged constant wars for many years.
During the years of power of the Seljukids, architecture flourished. During the reign of the dynasty, hundreds of madrassas, mosques, public buildings and palaces were erected. But at the same time, the reign of the Seljukids was hindered by constant uprisings in the provinces, as well as invasions of other tribes of Turks, who were advancing to the western lands. Constant wars weakened the state, and by the end of the first quarter of the twelfth century it began to disintegrate.
Domination of the Mongols
The invasion of Genghis Khan’s troops did not pass Iran. The history of the country tells us that in 1219 this commander managed to take control of Khorezm, and then, moving west, plundered Bukhara, Balkh, Samarkand, Nashapur and Merv.
His grandson, Hulagu Khan, again plunged into Iran and, taking Baghdad in an attack, destroyed the Abbas Caliphate. The conqueror took the title of Ilkhan, becoming the ancestor of the Hulaguids dynasty. He and his successors adopted the religion, culture and lifestyle of the Iranian people. Over the years, the position of the Mongols in Persia began to weaken. They were forced to wage constant wars with feudal rulers and representatives of local dynasties.
Between 1380 and 1395 The territory of the Iranian Highlands was captured by Amir Timur (Tamerlan). He was conquered and all the lands that are adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. The descendants of the great commander up to 1506 preserved the state of the Timurids. Further, it was subordinated to the Uzbek Sheibanid dynasty.
Iranian history from the 15th to the 18th centuries
Over the next centuries, wars for power continued in Persia. So, in the 15th century, the Ak-Koyundu and Kara-Aoyundu tribes fought among themselves. In 1502, Ismail I seized power. This monarch was the first representative of the Safavids - the Azerbaijani dynasty. During the reign of Ismail I and his successors, Iran revived its military power and became an economically prosperous country.
The Safavid state remained strong until the death in 1629 of its last ruler, Abbas I. In the east, Uzbeks were expelled from Kharasan, and the Ottomans were defeated in the west. Iran, whose map indicated the impressive territories belonging to it, subjugated Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Within these boundaries, it existed until the nineteenth century.
On the territory of Persia, wars were fought against the Turks and Afghans, who sought to conquer the country. These were the times when the Afsharov dynasty was in power. The southern lands of Iran from 1760 to 1779 were under the rule of the dynasty, which was founded by Zendov Kerim Khan. Then she was overthrown by the Turkic Khajar tribe. Under the leadership of its leader, it conquered the lands of the entire Iranian highlands.
Kajar Dynasty
At the very beginning of the nineteenth century, Iran lost the provinces located on the territory of modern Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was the result of the fact that the Kajar dynasty was unable to create a strong state apparatus, a national army and a unified tax collection system. The power of its representatives was too weak and could not resist the imperial desires of Russia and Great Britain. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the lands of Afghanistan and Turkestan fell under the control of these great powers. At the same time, Iran unwittingly began to serve as the arena of Russian-British confrontation.
The last of the Kajars was a constitutional monarch. The dynasty was forced to adopt this main law under the pressure of strikes in the country. Two powers opposed the constitutional regime of Iran - Russia and Great Britain. In 1907, they signed an agreement on the division of Persia. Its northern part went to Russia. Great Britain exerted its influence in the southern lands. The central part of the country was left as a neutral zone.
Iran at the beginning of the 20th century
The Qajar dynasty was overthrown by a coup. It was led by General Reza Khan. A new Pahlavi dynasty came to power. This name, which means “noble, brave” in Parthian, was intended to emphasize the Iranian origin of the clan.
During the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, Persia experienced its national revival. This was facilitated by numerous radical reforms carried out by the government. The beginning of industrialization was laid. Large investments were allocated for the development of industry. Highways and railways were built. The development and production of oil was actively conducted. Sharia courts have been replaced by legal proceedings. Thus, in the early 20th century, extensive modernization began in Persia.
In 1935, the state of Persia changed its name. Which country is its successor now? Iran. This is the ancient self-name of Persia, which means "country of the Aryans" (the highest white race). After 1935, the pre-Islamic past began to revive. Small and large cities of Iran began to be renamed. They restored the pre-Islamic monuments.
The overthrow of royal power
The last shah from the Pahlavi dynasty took the throne in 1941. His reign lasted 38 years. In conducting its foreign policy, the Shah was guided by the opinion of the United States. At the same time, he supported the pro-American regimes that existed in Oman, Somalia and Chad. One of the Shah's most prominent opposition figures was the Islamic priest Kma Ruhollah Khomeini. He led revolutionary activities against the existing government.
In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter forced the Shah to ease repression against the opposition. As a result of this, numerous parties of critics of the existing regime began to appear in Iran. The Islamic revolution was preparing. Opposition activities have intensified the protest mood of Iranian society, which opposed the country's domestic political course, oppression of the church and foreign pro-American politics.
The Islamic revolution began after the events of January 1978. It was then that the police shot a demonstration of students who opposed a slanderous article about Khomeini published in a state newspaper. Unrest continued throughout the year. The Shah was forced to introduce martial law in the country. However, it was no longer possible to keep the situation under control. In January 1979, the shah left Iran.
After his flight, a referendum was held in the country. As a result, on April 1, 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran arose. In December of that year, the updated constitution of the country saw the light. This document approved the highest authority of Imam Khomeini, which after his death was to be transferred to his successor. The Iranian president, according to the constitution, was at the head of political and civilian power. Together with him, the government of the country was carried out by the Prime Minister and the advisory council - Menglis. The Iranian President was by law the guarantor of the adopted constitution.
Iran today
A very colorful state is Persia, known since time immemorial. Which country today can match the proverb “East is a delicate matter” so precisely? This is confirmed by the entire existence and development of the state in question.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, without a doubt, is unique in its identity. And this sets her apart from other Asian countries. The capital of the Republic is the city of Tehran. This is a huge metropolis, which is one of the largest in the world.
Iran is a unique country with a lot of attractions, cultural monuments and its own characteristics of lifestyle. The republic has 10% of the world's black gold reserves. Thanks to its oil fields, it is among the ten leading exporters of this natural resource.
Persia - what country is it now? Highly religious. Her printing houses publish more copies of the Holy Qur'an than in all other Muslim countries.
After the Islamic Revolution, the republic headed for universal literacy. The development of education is proceeding at an accelerated pace.