This period was followed by the conquest of alexander the great from greece and the. History of zoroastrianism by maneckji nusservanji dhalla, oxford university press, new york, 1938. The first great dynasty in iran was the achaemenid which ruled from 550 to 330 bc. History of iran simple english wikipedia, the free.
Iran, a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of southwestern asia. What to read to understand the 1979 iranian revolution. The history of the saffarids of sistan and the maliks of nimruz columbia lectures on iranian studies find all the books, read about the author, and more. Far from breaking my spirit, sadegh hedayats blind owl woke me up shadi gholizadeh. The iranian revolution past, present and future chapter 1 the historical background iran is one of the worlds oldest countries. This article discusses the history of iran from 640 ce to the present.
Here, she recommends six books essential for a deeper understanding of irans history, culture, and politics. This ideology was spread through books and cassettes smuggled into iran. Nomadic wealth was in livestock, which meant it was moveable and they could escape threats or attack. Iran and america since 1900, building a new silk road. The books the trump administration should read to understand iran. After the arab conquest of iran, the province became known as sijistansistan. Iranian historymahmud ghaznavi wikibooks, open books. The writers of the four books of shia were iranian, as well as many other great shia scholars. This week in the magazine, laura secor, who is a contributor and is working on a book about iran, wrote a comment about mirhossein moussavi and ayatollah ali khamenei. For a detailed description of the persian empire, see persia. The medes unified iran as a nation and empire in 625 bc the islamic conquest of persia 633656 and the end of the sassanid empire was a turning point in iranian history. Sistan derives its name from sakastan the land of the saka. The most remarkable event in the history of medieval iran was the rise of the ghaznavid empire.
Iranian historythe umayyads wikibooks, open books for. By 5000 bce, persia hosted sophisticated agriculture and early cities. The author, a former british diplomat, takes the reader on a journey from the ancient era of the prophet zoroaster through to the 1979 islamic. By ervand abrahamian 2 for a more in depth and scholarly works, abrahamians iran between two revolutions is a classic. Brief overview of the history of iran throughout much of early history, the land known today as iran was known as the persian empire. With iran again the focus of the worlds attention, a history of iran is an essential guide to understanding this volatile nation. Listen up as john teaches you about irans long history of revolution. Irans turbulent 20th century saw various political and social upheavals, including the iranian revolution in 1979. This pioneering work advanced the tradition of historical writing about. However, beginning about 1978, khomeini began publicizing more democratic views and pretended that he envisioned democratic rule in iran and that he would not be a leader of the government. The history of iran, which was commonly known until the mid20th century as persia in the. Iran history, middle eastern history, books barnes. The zendavesta part i the vendidad, translated by james darmesteter, sacred books of the east, volume 4, oxford university press, 1880.
Powerful dynasties have ruled persia, beginning with the achaemenid 559330. The history of the saffarids of sistan and the maliks of. The history of iran, which was commonly known until the mid20th century as persia in the western world, is intertwined with the history of a larger region, also to an extent known as greater iran, comprising the area from anatolia, the bosphorus, and egypt in the west to the borders of ancient india and the syr darya in the east, and from the caucasus and the eurasian steppe in the north to. The earliest archaeological findings from persia date to the paleolithic era, 100,000 years ago. Articles in historical order iran dynasties and monarchs of 8000 years ax susa is not elam. Your first book is khomeinism by ervand abrahamian. Richard nelson frye bowers museum, santa ana april 21, 2007. From them also, thrust up in the wake of the volcanic activity of late pliocene times, came diorite and obsidian, both highly prized in antiquity. She has also been writing regular updates on the situation in iran for news desk. Finally, the rivers of iran, racing swiftly through. The best books on iranian history five books expert. Online shopping for iran history books in the books store. The article iran contains a description of the geography and economy of the modern country and a short account of its history since the arab invasion of the 7th cent. The domination of the sunni creed during the first nine.
Empire of the mind reprint by michael axworthy isbn. Written by a female iraqi kurd by ramin mazaheri october 16, 2018 thirty years after the end of irans war of sacred defense irans military parades are attacked, but the world still doesnt really comprehend exactly what. Kamin mohammadis top 10 iranian books books the guardian. Top 10 books about iran nazanine hozar books the guardian. This article is concerned with the history of the ancient persian empire, in which presentday iran has its roots. What are the best books to read about the modern history. Some of the worlds most ancient settlements have been excavated in the caspian region and on the iranian plateau. Rediscovering the history of african slavery in iran iraniancanadian scholar behnaz mirzai has spent 20 years researching the african diaspora in iran, a littleknown slice of. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required.
For the history of the region before the 7th century, see ancient iran. Memoirs of a government servant in the 1960s and 70s houshang pirnazar. List of books and articles about iranian history online. Choice outstanding academic title 2014 scores of books have been written by western experts, mainly american, looking at the root causes of the conflict between iran and the us. A history of modern iran in a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discoveryofoil,imperialinterventions,theruleofthepahlavis,and,in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. From the tenth to the fourteenth centuries a number of persian historians wrote in arabic, the common academic language of the time, including the persian historian abu jafar muhammad ibn jarir altabaris 839923, author of tarikh alrusul wa almuluk, more commonly known as tarikh altabari history of tabari.
They cost a lot though in both ebook and hardcopy formats. The clergys revenge a modern history of iran books. Drugs and stimulants in iranian history, 15001900 princeton university press rudi matthee u. So i took myself on a literary exploration of iran. Early history to the zand dynasty iran has a long and rich history. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The sakas were a scythian tribe which from the 2nd century bc to the 1st century migrated to the iranian plateau and indus valley, where they carved a kingdom known as the indoscythian kingdom. Iran had been a monarchy ruled by a shah, or emperor, almost without interruption. Pages in category history books about iran the following 18 pages are in this category, out of 18 total. Abdullah ibn aamir sent a large force under rabeah ibn ziyad to quell the rebellion.
Central asia in the new world order, tradition vs charisma. However, none of them have presented an inside look at this complex relationship from within the iranian culture, society, and most importantly, the iranian policymaking. From memoirs and history to verse and fiction, the best writing about iran has a uniquely poetic touch. Islamic influence had gone moribund in the conquered areas by the 10th century ad as indigenous dynasties were replacing the caliphate.
Susians are not elamites, semites or hemites ax iran or persia. The heart of the persian empire of antiquity, iran has long played an important role in the region as an imperial power and as a factor in superpower rivalries. The books i read spanned over years of persian culture and included classics as well as popular fiction. Iranian historybibliography wikibooks, open books for. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Yes, abrahamian is one of the leading historians of modern iran. The division between nomadic or seminomadic peoples and settled, cropgrowing agriculturalists, created a tension that drives history. This is an nice overview of the history of iran, from the time of cyrus the great to about 2009. Iran is home to one of the worlds oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 bc. In his new book he presents the past five centuries of irans history in its persian, shia context.
In 649, shortly after the rebellion in fars, the province of sistan in eastern iran broke into rebellion. The first battle was fought at zaliq in which the rebels were defeated. The history of iran presented in her book is not exactly objective, but no matter. The history of iran presented in her book is not exactly objective but no matter, these books are funny and moving. The books below became my road map to a distant place. The arab invasion of iran made a break with the past that affected not only iran but all of western asia and resulted in the assimilation of peoples who shaped and vitalized muslim culture. Throughout history, iran has railed against external pressure while occasionally giving in, as in 1988 when ayatollah ruhollah khomeini. Responding to these conflicts and engaging with contemporary human rights issues in the wake of the revolution has become vital for late 20thcentury iranian authors, who have collectively given a voice to a modern iran. The subtitle empire of the mind denotes some emphasis on cultural aspects of iran, as well as the history of the country and the various dynasties who have ruled the area that was once referred to as persia. Riots erupted in iran, ignited by various real or manufactured pretexts.
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