History of Iran
Iran is a country that is filled with the cultures and traditions of centuries past. With a rich history, Iran has archeological findings that indicate settlements dating back during the middle Paleolithic era about 100,000 years ago.
It has, over the centuries, been invaded by Arabs, Seljuk Turks, Mongols and others and has been caught up in the affairs of larger powers, always reasserting its national identity and developing as a distinct political and cultural entity in its own right.
Many dynasties have ruled Iran, beginning with the Achaemenid during 559 to 330 B.C. the Achaemenid Dynasty was founded by Cyrus the Great. After the conquest by Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic period from 300 to 250 B.C., the Parthian Dynasty from 250 B.C. and then the Sassanian Dynasty from 226 to 651 followed.
During the 7th century, the Arab-Muslim conquest was followed by invasions by the Seljuk Turks and the Mongols. Iran underwent a revival under the Safavid Dynasty during 1502 to 1736, when Shah Abbas expelled the Uzbeks and Ottomans from Persia. The Zand Dynasty followed along with the Qajar Dynasty during 1795 to 1925 and the Pahlavi Dynasties from 1925 to 1979.
The more modern Iranian history began with the nationalist uprising against the Shah in 1905. Following this uprising was an establishment of limited constitutional monarchy in 1906. The discovery of oil in Iran in 1908 has become a key economic and developmental factor.
In 1921 an Iranian officer of the Persian Cossack Brigade, Reza Khan, seized control of the Iranian government. Having ousted the Qajar Dynasty in 1925, he made himself Shah of Iran and then established the Pahlavi Dynasty. He ruled as Reza Shah for nearly 16 years and during his reign Iran began to become more modern and secular. The central government reasserted its authority over the various tribes and provinces.
During World War II, in 1941, Reza Shah was forced to abdicate following the occupation of the western region of Iran by the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, his son, then became Shah of Iran and ruled the country until 1979.
In 1978, turmoil swept through Iran as a direct result of religious and political opposition to the Shah’s rule. Abuses committed by the secret police and hatred for the internal security and intelligence service fueled a revolution against the Shah and his control.
The Shah left Iran in January 1979 after a tumultuous turn of events that left several hundred Iranians dead. He died abroad a few years after his exile. On February 1, 1979 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who had previously been exiled by the Shah, returned to Iran and established himself as Supreme Leader of the new Islamic Republic.
After his death on June 3, 1989, the Assembly of Experts chose his successor to be Ali Khomeini.
