Mud brick at the ancient Elamite complex of Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat – Khuzestan Province, Iran
Photo by alexreynolds / ShutterStock

By the historic Iran, we mean the time about a century and a half before the Old Persian language was decoded. The decipherment of cuneiform and its alphabet has made a major revolution in reading the ancient inscriptions and scriptures. This helped archeologists understand that the official Iranian history dates back to 2500 years ago which is around the beginning of the Achaemenid era (550-330 B.C.). Before this era, the history of Iran is limited to the civilization of Elam (Elamite: 2700-539 B.C.) and Medes (678-549 B.C.). and their roles in the formation of the first great empire of the world i.e. Achaemenid Empire.

The history and culture of Iran has been always important in the course of world history, mainly because of the country’s geographical location. Each dynasty in Iran has had a great impact on religion, writing, architecture, culture, and the civilization of the ancient world.

The important issue in Iranian history is the relation of nomadic tribes and residents and their effects on the designation and dethronement of rulers. In general, it can be noted that the establishment of new Iranian dynasties happened either by conflicts between indigenous people or by the invasion of foreign tribes/nations. The entry of these tribes into Iran was always accompanied by conflict, war, and bloodshed with the locals. However, they brought their own culture and art to Iran and combined them with the local culture and art as well. The result of this combination was the emergence of a more powerful and advanced government. It should be mentioned that the study of culture and politics in Iran is not possible unless we get to know

Elam

In order to understand historic Iran, we have to start with Elamites, the indigenous people of the Iran plateau. Elamites included large powers in the Middle East such as Babylon, Sumer, and Assyria. The Assyrian inscriptions show the power of Elam and present Iran as a country that has had civilization since 3500 B.C.

Elamites chose Susa as their capital and ruled over the regions of Khuzestan, Lorestan, and Bakhtiari mountains but were overthrown by the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal in 645 B.C. The folk of Aryan was divided into several tribes once they immigrated to Iran Plateau and each of them scattered in different parts of the Plateau. The most important Aryan tribes were Medes, Persis, and Parthia.

Medes Dynasty

At the beginning of the 7th century B.C., Diocese initiated the Medes Dynasty with Ecbatana as the capital, inhabited in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan. Several years later, they managed to eliminate the great Mesopotamian power i.e. Assyrians, but they were eventually dethroned by the tribe of Persis.

Achaemenid Dynasty

The Persis people established the great Achaemenid Empire ruled first by Cyrus the Great in 550 B.C. During this period, Iran reached its political power peak and its greatest geographical territory. The ruling kings managed to eliminate Babylon and had numerous wars with the Greeks.

At the time of Darius and Xerxes, the Achaemenid Empire was stabilized and reached its climax. However, like any other dynasties, they suffered from internal disputes and decay of power. Eventually, they were dethroned by the Greek army ruled by the Great Alexander in 330 B.C.

Clay impression of Seleucid – National Museum of Iran
Photo by Ibrahim Khadem Bayyat / Publisher: ICHTO

Seleucid Dynasty

After the death of Alexander, his territory was divided among his commanders and Iran fell into the hands of Seleucus and his successors for 73 years. Some historians prefer to call this period the Interval Era because of the introduction of the philhellenic culture (Greek culture) to Iran and its impacts on Iranian art and civilization.

Parthian Dynasty

The Parthian managed gradually to remove some areas from the domination of the Seleucids and eventually, in 247 B.C., Arsaces I founded the Parthian dynasty lasting its power until 224 A.D. i.e. for 471 years. The Parthian government was the only Iranian power that had a Feudal system of governing.

The most salient features of this era were freedom of speech and religious tolerance. The Parthians are also known for their numerous attrition battles against Romans; the wars that were mostly fruitless and did nothing but to weaken the country. The Parthian governance which is known as the longest dynasty in Iran was finally destroyed by Ardashir Babakan– the founder of the Sassanid Empire- after about five centuries of the ruling.

Silver coins of Parthain and Sasanian
Photo by Ibrahim Khadem Bayyat / Publisher: ICHTO

Sassanid Dynasty

Sassanid, as the last pre-Islamic dynasty in Iran, came to the throne in the city of Persis whose inhabitants called it Iranshahr and considered themselves the descendants of the Achaemenid. The Sassanid dynasty began its governance around 224 A.D. by Ardashir Babakan but unlike Parthians, it was ruled through a central government.

The official religion in this period was Zoroastrianism that was not separate from the ruling system, leading to high power for the Magus and the Zoroastrian priests. The Sasanians reigned over Iran for 427 years with its Kings interested in luxurious and aristocratic life and as a result, the social gap between commoners and courtiers increased.

Besides, dissatisfaction was appeared among people due to religious rigors of Zoroastrian priests. Finally, the Sassanid government started its period of decline and was finally heavily defeated by the Arabs. With the destruction of Sassanid rule, the Islamic time in Iran began.

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The 4000- year-old skeleton of a woman with her embryo in Pahneh Museum – Semnan
Photo by Hessam Mirrahimi

Culture is an indispensable part of tourism and somehow it is the reason for embarking on a journey. In the past, people used to travel with the purpose of doing business but in recent centuries, other notions attract people from across the world. These belongings were objects and historical pieces in the first steps but later on, other things such as handicrafts, regional rituals, costumes and languages along with natural attractions took the central stage in drawing visitors which led to the formation of specialized branches of tourism.

Those countries which had a rich culture and history were the pioneers of the trend. Iran was one of them. Iran had a special position in the Middle East that linked the east of the ancient continent of Asia to its west and hosted the Silk Road. The very same characteristic made Iran a desirable target for different governments. Local states and invasive tribes came to Iran; each held power for a long time and of course left lots of relics behind. Iran’s strategic position and its rich resources attracted colonizers to Iran too.

Pre-historic Iran

The region of Iran was created about three million years ago, during the Paleolithic era. Iran has experienced different ages such as the Paleolithic, the Mesolithic, the Neolithic, the Chalcolithic, the Bronze, the Iron and the urban. The oldest human tool of Iran was excavated in Kashafrood of Khorasan that dates back to 800 thousands years ago. People in that era learned to farm and make tools. They began to settle in areas, bury their dead in a graveyard and create pottery wheels. Primitive cities were established and social ranks were created. Businesses and jobs were set up. Bronze and iron tools were used and glassware came into existence.

Historic Iran

It is about one century and a half that Iran’s history has been recorded following the discovery of cuneiform and its decipherment. Historic Iran begins with the Elamite Civilization. These people lived inside Iranian Plateau. Their residing area falls on today’s Khuzestan, Lorestan and Bakhtiari mountains. They fell to Assyrians, who had been living in an area called Mesopotamia. The Aryan tribe then migrated to Iranian Plateau. They were divided into three tribes; the most important ones were the Medes, the Persians and the Parthians. They founded the most significant powers before the advent of Islam, namely the Achaemenid, the Parthian and the Sassanid empires.

Iran was at its highest point of political power and geographical vastness during the Achaemenid era. The Parthian had the longest dynasty in Iran. Under their systems, people experienced freedom of religions and co-existence. Zoroastrianism became Iran’s official religion by Sassanian kings. They believed that religion was the pillar of their power. Sassanian kings loved luxury and money. This led to a widening gap between ordinary people and the court. Magi had their own religious dictations and all that led to the decay and collapse of the Sassanid Empire. They were heavily defeated by the Arabs and were eventually toppled.

Iran in the Islamic Era

Muslim Arabs invaded Iran from 635 to 641 AD and were victorious after numerous wars. Their advancement in Iran was mostly peaceful and the reason was Iran’s internal situation and the way the nation treated Muslims. The advent of Islam meaningfully affected the structures of Iranians’ lives that could be traced until today. As time went by, some features of the lives of Iranians mingled with those of Arabs and a culture called Iranian-Islamic came into existence.

One of the most important effects of the Arab migration was the expansion of urbanization. The trend started in the Sassanid era but expanded during the presence of Arabs and hit its best point. Lack of independent political ruling, the gradual change of religion and the multiplicity of political movements mark the first two centuries of Iran after the advent of Arabs. The Tahirid took power in east of Iran in the ninth century AD forming the first semi-independent government after two centuries.

After them, fifteen dynasties took control of Iran until today and each affected the country in a certain way. Some of them such as the Samanid and the Timurid brought art and culture to their best. Shia Islam was established as Iran’s official religion in the Safavid era. Iranians had their first encounters with modernity during the Qajar dynasty. Iran underwent major upheavals such as the Constitutional Revolution which was inspired by European revolutions. Developing roads and modernity were at their best during the Pahlavi dynasty. In 1979 the Islamic Revolution brought the Islamic Republic of Iran into existence.

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