Iran is undoubtedly a beautiful nation, beautified by the Persian language and culture.The history of Iran is dotted with numerous conquests since the land was fertile and the nation would form a good trade route. It is one of the countries in the world that is known for its beautiful culture and landscape.For most of history, the extent of the area now called Iran was known as Persia. Even though the economy of the country has struggled over the past few years, the history of invasions and plunders shows how much wealth the nation had. Keep reading to find out more!If you enjoyed reading this article, why not also check out Iran culture facts and Iran government facts here at Kidadl!Fun Facts About Iran’s HistoryIran was home to one of the earliest human civilizations. Iran is the birthplace of one of the world’s oldest continuous dominant civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating to 7000 BCE. Additionally, Iran is known for its architecture, food, and rich history.Traces of human civilization in the form of fossils have been found in Iran from thousands of years ago, which makes the country rich in cultural heritage. Archeologists, over the years, have been able to put a pin on the timelines during which the Persian Empire thrived. The earliest specimens which show Iran’s human civilizations trace back to around 100,000 years ago.The earliest specimens found from Iran date back to 100,000 years ago, which was the Paleolithic era. Early cities started forming in the nation in around 500 BCE. Iran also had very rich and fertile soil, which made the nation dependent on its agriculture. The name ‘Iran’ is derived from the word ‘Aryanam’ which means ‘Land of the Aryans’. Forming a sort of boundary between the Middle East and Asia, this nation has gone through a series of battles and conquests in order to now become the Islamic Republic of Iran.The earliest ruling dynasty of Iran was the Achaemenid dynasty. They ruled over the land for many years and many generations held possession of the throne and the economy of the state. The Achaemenid dynasty remained as a power in the nation from 559-330 BCE. As you can tell, for any dynasty to have power over a land for so long, especially in a world where conquests and wars were so common, was pretty amazing. This dynasty was founded by Cyrus the Great, only to be overthrown and replaced by Alexander the Great, who conquered and gained control over the land in the year 300 BCE.It was then replaced by the Parthian Dynasty. The Parthian dynasty only held the throne from 250 BCE-226 CE. After the Parthian dynasty came the Sassanian dynasty. The rule of the Sassanian dynasty went on for a fairly long time, although there is not enough data to tell us whether their rule was prolonged due to the effective nature of their governance or simply because there weren’t any appropriate takers for the throne. At the same time, there is insufficient data about the battles that these dynasties engaged in. It is pretty obvious that there would be an immense amount of fights and battles since the empire was so large, but the reasons why they happened aren’t stated in any records. Whether or not the Sassanian dynasty had any long-lasting enemies that tried to seize control of the land is also unclear. In any case, the rulers of the Sassanian dynasty managed to get a hold on the nation and maintained it under their control from 226-651 CE.Facts About Iran’s RulersAncient Iran was ruled by the Achaemenid dynasty. Although, foreign powers started invading the land very quickly and started to make the nation their own territory. Many invaders succeeded in gaining control over Iran. With every dynasty that was overthrown and every invading dynasty that gained control of the land, the Persian culture of Iran started to see irreversible changes. As one of the factors that come as a side-effect of colonialism, the history of Iran is dotted with numerous battles and conquests.The main reason why so many leaders got attracted to Persia was the fact that it had very fertile land and was an excellent channel to Central Asia. The fact that ancient Persia bordered the Caspian sea gave the Iranian people access to fertile soils, and hence the ability to grow profitable crops.The rule of Alexander the Great was followed by the Sassanian dynasty and then the Parthian dynasty. In between the swap of power between the Parthian and Sassanian dynasties, Iran also saw an influx of Arab Muslims, which caused the Islamic Revolution. Through this revolution, Persia was exposed to the religion of the Arabs. The Shia school of belief became the most prominent religion for the Persians. The majority of the Iranian population started converting to Islam. Today, around 96.6% of the Iranian population follows Islam as a religion. Previously, the most dominant Persian religion was Zoroastrianism. Today, the religion is almost absent in the country.The conquests of the Seljuk Turks began in the 11th century, as they started to capture the whole of the land bit by bit. They eventually had control over the entire Persia and established the Sunni empire. The Seljuks were great admirers of art and hence, sponsored many Persian artists and poets. Iranian art and culture thrived at this time. The Sunni empire was also known to have sponsored the Persian polymath, Omar Khayyam.The country again went into a period of stress and bloodshed in the year 1219, when Ghengis Khan and the Mongols started wreaking havoc in order to gain control of the land. It was only in the year 1335 that the Mongol rule could come to an end. However, that was not enough reason for the Iranian population to rejoice, since it was quickly followed by a period of more chaos.In the year 1381, Timur the Lame gained control of the land but was driven away by the Turkmen within a short span of 70 years. 1501 saw the rise of the Safavid dynasty, which with it brought the Shia sect of Islam. They had somewhat of a long and prosperous reign on the land until 1736. The economy and the political scenario found stability with the founding of the Qajar dynasty. The Qajar dynasty was dethroned by Reza Khan, who called himself the Shah. This marked the beginning of the Pahlavis, Iran’s final dynasty. This took place in the year 1925. The rule of the Shah went on till 1979 when the Iranian Revolution took place and Iran finally adopted a constitution of its own.Facts About Iran’s FormationIranian history is just as complex as Persian culture. This is because Iran has a history of numerous battles and conquests.Before becoming the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran went through many conquests and was led by many dynasties. These dynasties and their people brought their own cultures and religions, which have now become an integral part of present-day Iran. Although it may seem like the Islamic Revolution only led to the making of Iran into a theocratic republic, the fact is that Iran did not even have the concept of Islam as a religion. Islam, particularly the Shia belief, was brought to Iran by invaders. This ensures that the Persian Empire was not the birthplace of the Shia belief of Islam, but simply one of the routes through which the religion was propagated. Iranian dynasties before the propagation of the Shia belief had different religions such as Zoroastrianism, although the number of Iranians who still practice this faith is dwindling. The pre-Islamic Iranians were ruled by dynasties of other religious faith, but none of them were able to convert as many Iranians as the Shia people did.The country is bordered by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. This is why other countries and invaders wanted to catch hold of Iran and use its many resources. Although, admittedly, only a chosen few could form their own government in the country.It was in the year 637 CE that Islam was brought to the country. Eventually, Islam spread all across the land, as more and more people started to abandon Zoroastrianism in order to convert to Islam. This happened over around 35 years, and the effects of such large-scale conversion to Islam are seen even today. The Arab Muslims were the ones who started propagating their faith amongst the people of Iran.Today, even though we popularly simply refer to the country as Iran, the official name is the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Islamic government was made in the country after the Iranian Shah fled the country following a revolutionary war. It was only at this point that a government was formed, which consisted of a Supreme Leader, a judiciary system, and an executive. The Supreme Leader of Iran is both the religious and military head of the country. He is responsible for all important tasks in the nation, including the appointment of the Iranian president and the Assembly of Experts who choose the Supreme Leaders. The Iranian system of governance also shows the impacts of the Islamic conquest, since the entire system of governance and the constitution is made up of laws that are upheld in the Islamic texts. It can therefore be said that the Arabs and their desire to propagate their own faith is at the heart of the nation of Iran that we see today.Facts About Battles Fought In IranMany battles were fought in Iran and there were many that men of this country took part in. This would include World War I and World War II, the Iran-Iraq War, and the Syrian Civil War.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 145 Iran history facts: read these to ace your history test then why not take a look at Iran facts, or Morocco facts
Iran is undoubtedly a beautiful nation, beautified by the Persian language and culture.
