The Islamic Republic Of Iran

The Safavid Empire was based in what is today Iran. This Islamic Empire was strong enough to challenge the Ottomans in the west and the Mughals in the east.

In 6th century BCE the Persian Empire was the main empire dominating most of the Mediterranean Sea. It ran from part of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan in to modern day Turkey and portions of Northern Greece. The Persian Empire was a strict state with powerful kings ruling over the massive empire. The empire ruled over a vast ethnic group and proved to have success in diversity, especially with Jews, whose history have been well documented with the Persian Empire.

Persia began not as a mighty empire but as a group of people who migrated from Russia to modern day Iran approximately one thousand years before Christ. Although Persia eventually engulfs other cultures and accumulates a vast land mass area, it began as disconnected peoples who settled in different areas of northern and southern Iran. This separation continued until the Medes of northern Iran decided to push south menacing their neighbors. Persian King Cyrus not only fought back the Medes, he seized their land and deemed it his first satrapie.

The Iranians slowly settled into specific regions and began establishing their own societies. Eventually, two groups established themselves as leaders in the region. In the South, the Persians governed the area between the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf and began establishing their own society. In the North, the Medes formed a state called Media and united themselves under one king in 710 B.C.E. Once the Medes had established the rule of a central government authority in the form of a monarchy, they began to expand into Persian territory while at the same time allying with the neighboring Babylonian Empire to overthrow the Assyrian Empire in 612

Ismail I lived during a turbulent time in Iran’s history. It was a period of “political fragmentation and decentralization” [Richard C. Martin]. He was the founder of the Safavid Empire. In 1501, he named himself the Shah, king, of the empire and proclaimed Twelver religion the official religion of state. It took him almost over a decade to consolidate his control over all of Iran, where most of the Persian population still practiced as Sunni. His Qizilbash military was given the task to convert anyone on Safavid territory to Twelver Islam and the army succeeded. Ismail was a remarkable leader when he set his mind to it, yet the Ottoman empire instigated a war against the Safavid empire because of the increase of Shia population. Ismail was caught by surprise and the Qizilbash were defeated. The aftermath of the battle was severe; Ismail was so embarrassed by the defeat he became inattentive to any Qizilbash work and military affairs of state. He broke down and started to write poems about pious Muslims and how they worship their god. The shah died at age 36, after becoming an alcoholic, but the Safavid empire continued for over 200 years after. The Safavid Empire was founded on the unified front of their population, their military strength and intolerance for other beliefs but their own.

Safavid Empire were a native Iranian period of time with the same powerful family rulers from Azerbaijan that ruled from 1501 to 1736. It established Shi'a Islam as Iran's official religion and united its areas of a country under a single Iranian independent power of a country in the early modern period. This clearly made different to Iran from the Ottomans, who were Sunnis. Thus, the central holy and untouchable places of Sunni Islam would always be in the Arabian Peninsula and the places were much closer to Iraq, took prisoners by force by the Safavids in 1623 but then they gave up again to the Ottomans in 1639. The Safavids generally ruled over a peaceful and rich empire and their death was followed by a period of unrest but then they clever got together as partners with powers in order to protect themselves from the Ottomans.

Throughout the twentieth century Iran, like many other countries in the world, would enter a period of change that would completely alter the political, social and economic structure of the country. Perhaps the most important result of this restructuring was the incorporation of Shia Islam from solely the religious sphere to both the religious and political sphere. Analysis of history shows that for centuries Shia Islam had maintained its existence by functioning as a religious arm of the monarchy. The establishment of the Safavid Dynasty in 1501 resulted in Shia Islam become the official religion of Persian Empire and it was drawn upon by rulers in the following centuries as a source of imperial power. The collapse of the Safavid Empire in

The Persian empire under the Achaemenid dynasty was one of the largest and most diverse nations to exist during the second wave of civilization. Persia effortlessly exuded wealth and power with its grand structures and far stretching conquest. In total, there was close to 50 million people, all ranging in background, culture, and religion, living under one empire. Ruling over such a large diverse population may pose a problem for a nation in terms of intolerance and ethnic hatred. However, Persia readily adapted to the influx of cultures. Leaders promoted various religious groups, as well as appeasing specific cultural grievances in hopes of gaining trust and loyalty. (96) The Persian empire accomplished a nearly impossible feat for a nation during this era: creating and sustaining an empire with grandeur that lasted for over 220 years. This

“The Persian Empire was the most powerful and aggressive power in the eastern Mediterranean at the time.” (Many Europes; pg 51). Before expanding the land, The Persian Empire had land that expanded west of Asia and included Egypt. With the defeat of the Assyrians Empire around 550 BCE with the leadership of King Cyrus, this gave them the name of the Persian Empire. That’s when the Empire began to expand its land and power with overtaking many different city-sates, like Lydians, Mesopotamians, and Babylonians, and incorporating them into the Persian Empire. It wasn’t until King Darius, who ruled from 521 BCE to 485 BCE, started to rule that the invasions were directed to the Greece. Now many of the Greeks thought that the Persian Empire was different and that was for a good reason. Not only did the empire have a

The Persian Empire also known as the Persian Republic occupied the modern day Iran. This Empire inhabited a vase variety of cultures and religions with its occupancy of thirty five to fifty million residents. Its primary ethnicity was that of the Indo-European race. It was created in 539 B.C.E. and became the model empire for the creation of other Second-Wave Civilizations. It specialized in the ability to provide freedom to its many people. This allowed them to practice religion freely and participate in trade and commerce. The Persian Empire was a Monarchy: having one set ruler or king over the entire population. Persian Monarchy was very welcoming for its time. It allowed people to be free as long as some form of taxes was paid and the

Similar to the Roman Empire the Persian Empire stretched across vast lands without any serious rivalry. At the height of the empire it stretched across, not only, Asia, from the Aegean to the Indus River, but also included part of the continent of Africa. We get the word, Persia, from the Greek word Parsa meaning, “Above reproach”. The Persians unlike most other Empires would be ruled under a benevolent ruler. This would bring a large amount of cultural diffusion to the Empire. The empires history is separated into three historical periods: Old Persia (600-300 B.C.E), Middle Persia (300-800 B.C.E.) and modern Persia (800-Present). The height or the Empire was reached around 500 B.C.E. (Ancient and Medieval History

As Michael Axworthy states on the back cover of his book, A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind, Iran is a “land of contradictions”. As this is true these contradictions is what makes Iran, Iran. Iran today is looked as the pinnacle of the Islamic faith in the form of a Government structure. Since 1979, Iran has been known as the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran will continue being an Islamic Republic for centuries to come. Iran has a rich history of intellectuals and scholars. Iran is known for its vibrant culture that dates back longer than the Western Ideals were even conceived. However Axworthy asks a question about Iran and its impact on the world’s history and the current events that we see in Iran today, Axworthy asks “Is Iran an aggressive power, or a victim?” This statement is a true paradox, can Iran be the next Nazi Germany, the next Soviet Union or the next Great Islamic Caliphate or is Iran just fighting to keep its culture alive from a vast array of attacks from foreign entities and internal struggles.

Iran was included in the territory of what was then the ancient Persian Empire. For centuries Iran (land of the Aryans) was also referred to as Persia, which was the official name until 1935. Fourteen years had passed before the Iranian government allowed the use of both names. Few groups of people today have significant history like the Iranians, descending from the ancient Persians, who possess one of the world’s richest and oldest cultures. Historically, a variety of other cultures and groups had once occupied the ancient Iranian plateau as early as 4,000 B.C.E, with little importance. Beginning by the third millennium, Persia was ruled by some of the greatest kings of all time, from Cyrus the Great to Darius the III, who turned the

Iranians deeply value their social and cultural traditions. The Persian revolution formed the basis through which the country evolved and foundation upon which its empires were established. The Islamic regime practiced by the country formed the basis through which the country’s sophisticated institutions were built. Shah seemed to champion for secularization and westernization (Axworthy,

Iran, known as Persia until 1935, became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was driven out by a widespread revolution. Also known as the Islamic Republic of Iran, it borders the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, and is located between Iraq and Pakistan. It also shares borders with Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. Iran is roughly 1,648,195 square feet, the eighteenth largest country in the world with a population size of 82,801,633. It is governed as a theocratic republic, which is their legal system based on Islamic law. The judiciary system of Iran follows some aspects of Sharia law, but is also mixed with civil law that is authorized and overseen by Parliament. Alongside Parliament is their president, Hassan Ruhani, who has held office since August 2013, however; the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is at the very top of Iran’s configuration of power. Khamenei controls Iran’s domestic and foreign policies, serves as commander in chief of their armed forces, and directs the republic’s intelligence and security operations. Iran’s economy is characterized by its reliance on oil and gasoline exports. Their Gross National Income is 1.209 trillion per capita (PPP). Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, and copper are some of their largest natural resources and their biggest export is petroleum (80%) to China, India, Turkey, and Japan. Industrial supplies, capital goods, and technical services from the UAE, China,