Iran has one of the oldest histories in the world, extending more than 5000 years, and throughout history, Iran has been ofgeostrategic importance because of its central location inEurasia and Western Asia. Iran is a founding member of theUN,NAM,OIC,OPEC, andECO. Iran as a majorregional power occupies an important position in the world economy due to its substantial reserves ofpetroleum andnatural gas, and has considerable regional influence in Western Asia. The name Iran is acognate of Aryan and literally means "Land of theAryans."(Full article...)
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Orodes II's portrait on the obverse of atetradrachm, showing him wearing a beard and adiadem on his head,Mithradatkert mint
Orodes II (also spelledUrud II;Parthian:𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃Wērōd), wasKing of Kings of theParthian Empire from 57 BC to 37 BC. He was a son ofPhraates III, whom he murdered in 57 BC, assisted by his elder brotherMithridates IV. The two brothers quickly fell out and entered into a dynastic struggle, in which Orodes was triumphant.
Meanwhile, theRoman general andtriumvirMarcus Licinius Crassus had made an attempt to expand his share of Roman territory by eastward conquest. This attempt proved disastrous, with Crassus meeting his end in 53 BC, at theBattle of Carrhae, by Orodes' generalSurena. Orodes himself had invadedArmenia and forced kingArtavasdes II (r. 55–34 BC) to submit and abandon his alliance with the Romans. The victory at Carrhae secured for the Parthians the lands east of theEuphrates. Then, the next year they invadedSyria, but with little success. Surena, whose achievements had made him too dangerous, was killed by Orodes, andPacorus I, the son and heir of the king was defeated byCassius in 51 BC. (Full article...)
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Detail of Barbad playing thebarbat forKhosrow II. Imaginary painting by Muhammad-Mukim, 1664
Despite scarce biographical information, Barbad'shistoricity is generally secure. He was highly regarded in the court of Khosrow, and interacted with other musicians, such asSarkash. Although he is traditionally credited with numerous innovations in Persian music theory and practice, the attributions remain tentative since they are ascribed centuries after his death. Practically all Barbad's music or poetry is lost, except a single poem fragment and the titles of a few compositions. (Full article...)
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Map of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 824 BC (dark green) and in its apex in 671 BC (light green), under KingEsarhaddon
TheBaháʼí Faith is a religion established byBaháʼu'lláh in the 19th century that teaches theessential worth of all religions andthe unity of all people. It initially developed in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has facedongoing persecution since its inception. The religion has 7–8 million adherents known asBaháʼís who are spread throughout most of the world's countries and territories.
The Baháʼí Faith has three central figures: theBáb (1819–1850), executed for heresy, who taught that a prophet similar toJesus andMuhammad would soon appear;Baháʼu'lláh (1817–1892), who claimed to be said prophet in 1863 and who had to endure both exile and imprisonment; and his son,ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (1844–1921), who made teaching trips to Europe and the United States after his release from confinement in 1908. After ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's death in 1921, the leadership of the religion fell to his grandsonShoghi Effendi (1897–1957). Baháʼís annually elect local, regional, and nationalSpiritual Assemblies that govern the religion's affairs, and every five years an election is held for theUniversal House of Justice, the nine-member governing institution of the worldwide Baháʼí community that is located inHaifa, Israel, near theShrine of the Báb. (Full article...)
The largely uneventful reign of Yazdegerd I is seen in Sasanian history as a period of renewal, although he was periodically known as "the Sinner" in native sources, Yazdegerd was more competent than his immediate predecessors. He enjoyed cordial relations with theEastern Roman Empire and was entrusted byArcadius with the guardianship of his sonTheodosius. Yazdegerd I is known for his friendly relations with theJews as well as theChristians of theChurch of the East, which he acknowledged in 410. As a result, he was compared by the Jews and Christians toCyrus the Great, theAchaemenid emperor who liberated the Jews from captivity inBabylon. (Full article...)
As governor, Ali Mirza restoredShah Cheragh, following its devastation in a 1795 earthquake. He opened the tombs of theAchaemenid shahs to obtain gold, but found them empty. During his rule, the city of Shiraz was subjected to high taxation and low security. Ali Mirza gained independence from the government ofHajji Mohammad Hossein Isfahani, rentedBushehr ports to theBritish and stopped paying taxes after 1828, thus going 200,000tomans in tax arrears to the crown. (Full article...)
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During theclassical period, theRoman Empire controlled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. TheRomans conquered most of these territories in the time of theRepublic, and it was ruled by emperors followingOctavian's assumption of power in 27 BC. Over the 4th century AD, the empire split into western and eastern halves. Thewestern empirecollapsed in 476 AD, while theeastern empire endured until thefall of Constantinople in 1453.
Abu Ahmad Ṭalḥa ibnJaʿfar ibnMuḥammad ibnHārūn al-Muwaffaq bi'Llah (Arabic:أبو أحمد طلحة بن جعفر; 29 November 843 – 2 June 891), better known by hislaqab asAl-Muwaffaq Billah (Arabic:الموفق بالله,lit. 'Blessed of God'), was anAbbasid prince and military leader, who acted as thede facto regent of theAbbasid Caliphate for most of the reign of his brother,Caliphal-Mu'tamid. His stabilization of the internal political scene after the decade-long "Anarchy at Samarra", his successful defence ofIraq against theSaffarids and the suppression of theZanj Rebellion restored a measure of the Caliphate's former power and began a period of recovery, which culminated in the reign of al-Muwaffaq's own son, the Caliphal-Mu'tadid. (Full article...)
His reign was marked by wars against theEastern Roman Empire in the west and theKidarites in the east, as well as by his efforts and attempts to strengthen royal centralisation in the bureaucracy by imposingZoroastrianism on the non-Zoroastrians within the country, namely theChristians. This backfired inArmenia, culminating in a large-scale rebellion led by the military leaderVardan Mamikonian, who was ultimately defeated and killed at theBattle of Avarayr in 451. Nevertheless, religious freedom was subsequently allowed in the country. (Full article...)
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Plate of a Sasanian king hunting lions, most likely Hormizd III
Thesupreme leader of Iran, also referred to as thesupreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called thesupreme leadership authority, is thehead of state and the highest political and religious authority ofIran (above thepresident). Thearmed forces,judiciary,state radio and television, and other key government organizations such as theGuardian Council andExpediency Discernment Council are subject to the supreme leader. According to the constitution, the supreme leader delineates the general policies of the Islamic Republic (article 110), supervising thelegislature, thejudiciary, and theexecutive branches (article 57). The current lifetime officeholder,Ali Khamenei, has issueddecrees and made the final decisions on theeconomy, theenvironment,foreign policy,education, national planning, and other aspects of governance inIran. Khamenei also makes the final decisions on the amount of transparency inelections, and has dismissed and reinstatedpresidential cabinet appointees. The office was established by theConstitution of Iran in 1979, pursuant to AyatollahRuhollah Khomeini's concept of theGuardianship of the Islamic Jurist, and is a lifetime appointment. Originally the constitution required the supreme leader to beMarja'-e taqlid, the highest-ranking cleric in the religious laws ofUsuliTwelverShia Islam. In 1989, however, the constitution wasamended and simply asked for Islamic "scholarship" to allow the supreme leader to be a lower-ranking cleric. As the Guardian Jurist (Vali-ye faqih), the supreme leader guides the country, protecting it from heresy and imperialist predations, and ensuring the laws of Islam are followed. The style "Supreme Leader" (Persian:رهبر معظم,romanized: rahbar-e mo'azzam) is commonly used as a sign of respect although the Constitution designates them simply as "Leader" (رهبر,rahbar). According to the constitution (Article 111), theAssembly of Experts is tasked with electing (following Ayatollah Khomeini), supervising, and dismissing the supreme leader. In practice, the Assembly has never been known to challenge or otherwise publicly oversee any of the supreme leader's decisions (all of its meetings and notes are strictly confidential). Members of the Assembly are elected by people in elections, and are approved by bodies (theGuardian Council) whose members are appointed by the supreme leader or appointed by an individual (Chief Justice of Iran) appointed by the supreme leader. (Full article...)
Historically, discrimination and prejudice against Iranians (and againstPersians in particular) has been a recurring theme in theArab world, particularly since theArab conquest of Iran in the 7th century. (Full article...)
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ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, c. 1912
ʻAbdu'l-BaháKBE (/əbˈdʊlbəˈhɑː/;Persian:عبد البهاء,IPA:[ʔæbdolbæhɒːʔ];, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), bornʻAbbás (Persian:عباس,IPA:[ʔæbːɒːs]), was the eldest son ofBaháʼu'lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, who designated him to be his successor and head of theBaháʼí Faith from 1892 until 1921. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was later cited as the last of three "central figures" of the religion, along with Baháʼu'lláh and theBáb, and his writings and authenticated talks are regarded as sources of Baháʼí sacred literature.
He was born inTehran to anaristocratic family. At the age of eight, his father was imprisoned during a government crackdown on theBábí Faith and the family's possessions were looted, leaving them in virtual poverty. His father was exiled from their native Iran, and the family established their residence inBaghdad inIraq, where they stayed for ten years. They were later called by theOttoman state toIstanbul before entering another period of confinement inEdirne and finally the prison-city ofʻAkká (Acre). ʻAbdu'l-Bahá remained a prisoner there until theYoung Turk Revolution freed him in 1908 at the age of 64. He then made severaljourneys to the West to spread the Baháʼí message beyond its middle-eastern roots, but the onset ofWorld War I left him largely confined toHaifa from 1914 to 1918. Following the war, the openly hostile Ottoman authorities were replaced by theBritish Mandate over Palestine, during which time he was appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his help in averting famine following the war. (Full article...)
Inclassical antiquity, part of the territory of present-day Tehran was controlled byRhages/Rey/Ray). Modern Ray was absorbed into the metropolitan area of Greater Tehran. Tehran was 1st chosen as the capital of Iran in 1786 byAgha Mohammad Khan of theQajar dynasty, because of its proximity to Iran's territories in theCaucasus—which were contested in theRusso-Iranian Wars—and to avoid the vying factions of prior ruling Iranian dynasties; thecapital of Iran had been moved several times throughout its long history, with Tehran becoming the 32nd. Under (1848-1896), Tehran witnessed Iran's firstinstitute of higher learning,bank,railway line, and museum. Large-scale construction works began in the 1920s, and Tehran became a destination for mass migrations from all over Iran especially in the 20th century. (Full article...)
Iranian Armed Forces are the largest in theMiddle East in terms of active troops. Iran's military forces are made up of approximately 610,000active-duty personnel plus 350,000reserve and trained personnel that can be mobilized when needed, bringing the country's military manpower to about 960,000 total personnel. These numbers do not includeLaw Enforcement Command orBasij. (Full article...)
It is defined by having long been ruled by the dynasties of variousIranian empires, under whom the local populaces gradually incorporated some degree of Iranian influence into their cultural and/or linguistic traditions; or alternatively as where a considerable number of Iranians settled to still maintain communities who patronize their respective cultures, geographically corresponding to the areas surrounding theIranian plateau. It is referred to as the "Iranian Cultural Continent" byEncyclopædia Iranica. (Full article...)
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TheRoman–Parthian War of 58–63 or theWar of the Armenian Succession was fought between theRoman Empire and theParthian Empire over control ofArmenia, a vitalbuffer state between the two realms. Armenia had been a Roman client state since the days of EmperorAugustus, but in 52/53, the Parthians succeeded in installing their own candidate,Tiridates, on the Armenian throne.
These events coincided with the accession ofNero to the imperial throne in Rome, and the young emperor decided to react vigorously. The war, which was the only major foreign campaign of his reign, began with rapid success for the Roman forces, led by the able generalGnaeus Domitius Corbulo. They overcame the forces loyal to Tiridates, installed their own candidate,Tigranes VI, on the Armenian throne, and left the country. The Romans were aided by the fact that the Parthian kingVologases was embroiled in the suppression of aseries of revolts in his own country. As soon as these had been dealt with, however, the Parthians turned their attention to Armenia, and after a couple of years of inconclusive campaigning, inflicted a heavy defeat on the Romans in theBattle of Rhandeia. (Full article...)
Some historians take the view that its role in massive display of seemingly unlimited royal wealth contributed to the Iranian populace's growing frustration with the Pahlavi dynasty, while others argue that the extravagance of the proceedings was exaggerated during theIslamic Revolution to discredit the Shah's regime. As a result, some accounts have overstated the event's costs and luxuries. (Full article...)
By the 7th century BC, the region ofPersis, located in the southwestern part of the Iranian plateau, had been settled byPersians. From Persis, Cyrus rose and defeatedMedia,Lydia, and theNeo-Babylonian Empire, thus marking the establishment of a new imperial polity in theancient Near East. While its conquests were largely successful in most regions, the Achaemenid Empire's attempts to expand intoGreece proved extremely difficult over the course ofdecades of wars and multiple kings, ultimately resulting in its defeat in theGreek mainland. (Full article...)
Before the revolution I thought there are appropriate individuals who would do the job according to Islam, therefore I repeatedly said that clerics would go after their own job. Then I saw that most of them were inappropriate individuals and I found out that what I said was not true, so I came and clearly announced that I was wrong.
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