Rediscover : The Persian Empire

The Persian Empire : Iran









The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known to outsiders as Persia, is one of the centers of ancient human civilization.

The name Iran comes from the word Aryanam, meaning "Land of the Aryans."

Sited on the hinge between the Mediterranean world, Central Asia, and the Middle East, Iran has taken several turns as a superpower empire, and been overrun in turn by any number of invaders.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the most formidable powers in the Middle East region - a land where Persian poetry vies with strict interpretations of Islam for the soul of a people.

The Capital of Iran, Tehran, with population 7,705,000 is  the biggest city of Iran.

Surprisingly, the Adulthood age in Iran is 15 years.

The Annual per capita income of Iran is US$ 7,000 (2003 estimate).

The Currency of Iran is : Iranian Rial (IRR); the "Toman" (10 rials) is the monetary unit most commonly used.

There is heavy domestic consumption of heroin in Iran.

The Ethnic groups that reside in Iran are Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%.

The Football Associationin Iran  is known as Iranian Football Association.

The Highest Mountainof Iran goes to Kuh-e Damavand (5,671m).

The Languages spoken in Iran are Persian (Farsi) 51%, Turkic 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%.

Since the Revolution of 1979, Iran has been ruled by a complex governmental structure.

Iran has a unicameral legislature called the Majlis, which has 290 members. Laws are written in accordance with sharia law, as interpreted by the Guardian Council.

Iran also hosts over 1 million Iraqi and Afghan refugees.

Some Iranian languages are critically endangered, such as Senaya of the Aramaic family, with only about 500 speakers.

Senaya is spoken by Assyrians from the western Kurdish region of Iran.

Approximately 89% of Iranians are Shi'a Muslim, while 9% more are Sunni.

The remaining 2% are Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Baha'i.

Since 1501, the Shi'a Twelver sect has dominated in Iran.

The Iranian Revolution of 1979 placed Shi'a clergy in positions of political power; the Supreme Leader of Iran is a Shi'a ayatollah, or Islamic scholar and judge.

Iran's constitution recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism as protected belief systems.

The messianic Baha'i faith, on the other hand, has been persecuted since its founder, the Bab, was executed in Tabriz in 1850.

At the pivot point between the Middle East and Central Asia, Iran borders on the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Caspian Sea.






It shares land borders with Iraq and Turkey to the west; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to the north; and Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east.

Slightly larger than the US state of Alaska, Iran covers 1.6 million square kilometers (636,295 square miles).

Iran is a mountainous land, with two large salt deserts, Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir, in the east-central section.

Iran is a majority centrally-planned economy depends upon oil and gas exports for between 50 and 70% of its revenue.

Almost 18% of Iranians live below the poverty line and 20% are unemployed.

The earliest archaeological findings from Iran date to the Paleolithic era, 100,000 years ago.

By 5000 B.C., Iran hosted sophisticated agriculture and early cities.

Powerful dynasties have ruled Iran, beginning with the Achaemenid (559-330 B.C.), which was founded by Cyrus the Great.

Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 300 B.C., founding the Hellenistic era (300-250 B.C.) followed by the indigenous Parthian Dynasty (250 B.C.-226 A.D.) and the Sassanian Dynasty (226-651 A.D.).

During the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks conquered Iran bit by bit, establishing a Sunni empire.

The Seljuks sponsored great Persian artists, scientists and poets, including Omar Khayyam.

In 1219, Genghis Khan and the Mongols invaded Iran, wreaking havoc across the country and slaughtering entire cities.

In 1381, a new conqueror appeared - Timur the Lame or Tamerlane.

In 1921, the Iranian army officer Reza Khan seized control of the government.

Soon after 1979, the Shi'a clergy took control of the country, under the leadership of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.






Khomeini declared Iran a theocracy, with himself as the Supreme Leader. He ruled the country until his death in 1989; he was succeeded by Ali Khamenei.

The largest desert in Iran is Dasht - e - Kavir.

Iran ranks second in the world in natural gas and third in oil reserves.

Tehran suffers from severe air pollution, known as smog.

Iran has borders with ten countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq and Turkey.

Iran has a life expectancy of 69 years and literacy rate of 79 per cent.

Iran is one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC.

Iran ranks seventh among countries in the world as regards to number of World Heritage Sites recognized by UNESCO.

Iran's Mausoleum of Maussollos was identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The total number of airports in Iran is 316.
  



There are 54 "major" airports in Iran - 8 international, 21 air border, and 25 domestic.

Number of flights from airports nationwide reached 31,088 in a month, October 20-November 20, 2008 - 10,510 domestic, 4,229 international and 15,404 transit.

Two-thirds of all Iranians are under the age of 25.

Iran is in 18th position in size of countries between Libya and Mongolia.

Iran‘s second largest export commodity is carpets.

Iran is one of 8 countries that begins with the letter “I”.

Almost nine in 10 Iranians belong to the Twelver Shi’a branch of Islam.

Three of four Iranians over 15 can read and write.

Iran‘s top export partners are – China 15%, Japan 14.3%, Turkey 7.4%, South Korea 7.3%, Italy 6.4%.

Iran‘s top import partners are – China 14.2%, Germany 9.6%, UAE 9.1%, South Korea 6.3%, Russia 5.7%, Italy 5%.

There is one telephone for every three Iranians and one mobile phone for every two. One in three Iranians are online.

Iran is on the soon-to-be ex-president’s ‘dirt’ list – the axis of evil.

There are at three Iranian English Dailies - Tehran Times,Iran Daily and Iran News.

Alexander’s wife, Roxanne, was an Iranian. “Roshanak” in Farsi.

Persians have a different language and identity from the rest of the Middle East.






In Persian mythology, the devil uses Persian food to corrupt The king of the land. Two serpents grow from the King’s shoulders as a result.

“Zahak, The Dragon King” is eventually slain by a brave warrior at the foot of Iran’s highest peak, Mt. Damavand.

Famous western poets influenced by Persian poets are Ralph Waldo Emerson, Wolfgang Von Goethe.

Iran’s constitution and Parliament were created on Aug 5th, 1906.

Famous biblical people buried in Iran are Queen Esther, Daniel, Cyrus The Great, Darius The Great, St. Thaddaeus.

In spite of fierce competition, Persian rugs are still the best rugs in the world.

Iran has world’s best caviar.

It snows in Tehran like it does in Denver.

Iran has crocodiles. It’s tigers were hunted to extinction 50 years ago but still has the only Asiatic cheetah.

Only country to have purchased F-14 Tomcats from US.

Persian is still spoken in Tajikestan and Afghanistan. It was the official court language of India for 200 years.

Iran’s official price for one liter of gasoline is an amazingly low 10 cents per liter. Imagine traveling from New York City to Los Angeles California in a gas guzzling Hummer for under $21.00 at official Iranian gasoline prices.

Iranians call pistachios the “Smiling Nut”.

One of the world’s strangest laws is found in Iran, which bans having a Mullet.

Owning a dog as a pet is also outlawed in Iran.

The most nutritious fruit the pomegranate is native to Iran.

Iran is among the world’s most educated population with more than three quarters of its people being literate and producing three quarters of a million college graduates each year from Iranian universities.

Surprisingly, Iran built the earliest known windmills, which resembled large paddle wheels. Iran was pioneering wind energy long before any other nation realized the energy benefit of God’s natural energy powerhouse.

Interesting arrays of animals that are native to Iran - The Caspian Horse found along the Caspian Sea, The Cheetah & Crocodiles.

The Shahid Motahari Mosque has eight minarets, from which the city can be viewed.

'The Bazaar' is one of the world's largest bazaars in Iran.

There is a separate section for each trade practised and craftsmen can be seen at their work.

The Alborz mountain chain is a popular destination for excursions from Tehran.

The covered Qaisariyeh Bazaar dates back to the 15th century.

About 22km from the salt lake is the town of Uromieh, which claims to be the birthplace of Zoroaster.

The Golden Triangle is the name popularly given to the region enclosed by the ancient cities of Hamadan, Kermanshah and Khorramabad.

Kermanshah is a good base for visiting the Taghe Bostan Grottoes, which have several excellent bas-relief carvings.

The site of the Seleucid Temple of Artemis is in Kangavar which consists of massive fallen columns and is now being reconstructed.

Esfahan is the former capital of Persia and has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

The city Esfahan's most remarkable feature is its magnificent central square which is roughly seven times larger than San Marco in Venice.

The Friday Mosque (Masjid-e Jomeh) is one of Iran's finest buildings.

The Shaikh Lotfullah Mosque is famous for the stalactite effect of its northern entrance.

The 999-year-old Gonbad-e Qabus in Golestan, Iran is the world's tallest brick tower at 70 meters.

The nearly completed Sivand Dam project in Fars Province, Iran, will flood 130 archaeological sites and hasten the destruction of the ancient Persian city of Pasargadae.

The song "Push The Button" was believed by some to relate to Iran's attempt to build nuclear weapons.






The modern border between Iran and Iraq dates back to the Treaty of Zuhab, which concluded the Ottoman–Safavid War of 1623–1639.

As a result of t'aarof, it is not uncommon for Iranian employees to work unpaid for a week before even discussing wages.

IR-40, an Iranian heavy water reactor, could produce 10 kgs to 12 kgs of plutonium, enough to build two nuclear weapons, each year.

Lake Urmia, Iran's largest lake, is too salty to support fish.

Tanaz Eshaghian's film 'Be Like Others' explores the experiences of transsexuals in Iran, a country that outlaws homosexuality but sanctions sex-reassignment surgery.

Marzieh Meshkini's 2000 film 'The Day I Became a Woman' depicts three stages in the lives of Iranian women, focusing on a nine-year-old girl, a married woman, and an elderly widow.

Louis Merrilat played football with Dwight Eisenhower at West Point, trained Iran's Persian Guard, and served as a soldier of fortune in China and with the French Foreign Legion.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is on death row in Iran for the crime of adultery, and was originally to be executed by stoning.

King Farouk I of Egypt secretly communicated with representatives of Nazi Germany during World War II through his father-in-law Youssef Zulficar Pasha, Egypt's first ambassador to Iran.

'The Land of Green Plums' by Nobel Prize winner Herta Müller, depicting life in a totalitarian state, became a favorite of Iranian activist Mohammad-Ali Abtahi soon after he was released from jail.

'Jews of Iran' is the first documentary film about Iran's Jewish minority.

Riots broke out among Azeris in Iran after a newspaper published a cartoon about a cockroach.

- By Sunil R Yadav