Iran has one of the oldest histories in the world, extending more than 5000 years, and throughout history, Iran has been of
geostrategic importance because of its central location in
Eurasia and Western Asia. Iran is a founding member of the
UN,
NAM,
OIC,
OPEC, and
ECO. Iran as a major
regional power occupies an important position in the world economy due to its substantial reserves of
petroleum and
natural gas, and has considerable regional influence in Western Asia. The name Iran is a
cognate of Aryan and literally means "Land of the
Aryans." (Full article...)
Gubazes II (
Georgian: გუბაზ II,
Greek: Γουβάζης) was king of
Lazica (modern western
Georgia) from circa 541 until his assassination in 555. He was one of the central personalities of the
Lazic War (541–562). He originally ascended the throne as a
vassal of the
Byzantine Empire, but the heavy-handed actions of the Byzantine authorities led him to seek the assistance of Byzantium's main rival,
Sassanid Persia. The Byzantines were evicted from Lazica with the aid of a Persian army in 541, but the Persian occupation of the country turned out to be worse, and by 548, Gubazes was requesting assistance from Byzantium. Gubazes remained a Byzantine ally during the next few years, as the two empires fought for control of Lazica, with the fortress of
Petra as the focal point of the struggle. Gubazes eventually quarrelled with the Byzantine generals over the fruitless continuation of the war, and was assassinated by them. (Full article...)
Image 3
Phraates III's portrait on the obverse of a coin, showing him with a beard and a
diadem on his head. Minted at
Ecbatana in
c. 62
At Phraates III's accession, his empire could no longer be considered the supreme power in the
Near East, because of the ascendancy of
Armenia under
Tigranes the Great (
r. 95–55 BC) and
Pontus under his ally
Mithridates VI Eupator (
r. 120–63 BC). Phraates III's reign was thus marked by his efforts to restore his empire to its former position. To the west of his empire, war had engulfed the area. Tigranes and Mithridates VI urged him to join their war against the
Roman Republic, while the Romans tried in turn to convince Phraates III to join them. Phraates III seemingly made promises to both parties but remained passive. He awaited the outcome of the war to take advantage of it at the right moment for the Parthians. (Full article...)
Image 4
The Qayen earthquake, also known as the Ardekul or Qaen earthquake, struck northern
Iran's
Khorasan Province in the vicinity of
Qaen on May 10, 1997 at 07:57
UTC (12:57 local time). The largest in the area since 1990, the earthquake registered 7.3 on the
moment magnitude scale and was centered approximately 270 kilometers (170 mi) south of
Mashhad on the village of Ardekul. The third earthquake that year to cause severe damage, it devastated the Birjand–
Qayen region, killing 1,567 and injuring more than 2,300. The earthquake—which left 50,000 homeless and damaged or destroyed over 15,000 homes—was described as the deadliest of 1997 by the
United States Geological Survey. Some 155
aftershocks caused further destruction and drove away survivors. The earthquake was later discovered to have been caused by a rupture along a
fault that runs underneath the Iran–
Afghanistan border.
Damage was eventually estimated at $100 million, and many countries
responded to the emergency with donations of blankets, tents, clothing, and food. Rescue teams were also dispatched to assist local volunteers in
finding survivors trapped under the debris. The destruction around the earthquake's
epicenter was, in places, almost total; this has been attributed to poor construction practices in rural areas, and imparted momentum to a growing movement for changes in
building codes for
earthquake-safe buildings. With 1 in 3,000 deaths in Iran attributable to earthquakes, a US
geophysicist has suggested that a country-wide rebuilding program would be needed to address the ongoing public safety concerns. (Full article...)
Image 5
King of the Four Corners of the World (
Sumerian: lugal-an-ub-da-limmu-ba,
Akkadian: šarru kibrat arbaim, šar kibrāti arbaʾi, or šar kibrāt erbetti), alternatively translated as King of the Four Quarters of the World, King of the Heaven's Four Corners or King of the Four Corners of the Universe and often shortened to simply King of the Four Corners, was a title of great prestige claimed by powerful monarchs in
ancient Mesopotamia. Though the term "four corners of the world" does refer to specific geographical places within and near Mesopotamia itself, these places were (at the time the title was first used) thought to represent locations near the actual edges of the world and as such, the title should be interpreted as
something equivalent to "King of all the known world", a claim to universal rule over the entire world and everything within it.
Abū Saʿīd al-Muhallab ibn Abī Ṣufra al-Azdī (
Arabic: أَبْو سَعِيْد ٱلْمُهَلَّب ابْن أَبِي صُفْرَة ٱلْأَزْدِي;
c. 632 – 702) was an
Arab general from the
Azd tribe who fought in the service of the
Rashidun,
Umayyad and
Zubayrid caliphs between the mid-640s and his death. He served successive terms as the governor of
Fars (685–686),
Mosul,
Arminiya and
Adharbayjan (687–688) and
Khurasan (698–702). Al-Muhallab's descendants, known as the
Muhallabids, became a highly influential family, many of whose members held high office under various Umayyad and
Abbasid caliphs, or became well-known scholars.
Throughout his early military career, he participated in the Arab campaigns against the
Persians in Fars,
Ahwaz,
Sistan and Khurasan during the successive reigns of caliphs
Umar (
r. 634–644),
Uthman (
r. 644–656),
Ali (
r. 656–661) and
Mu'awiya I (
r. 661–680). By 680, his tribe, the Azd of
Oman, had become a major army faction in the Arabs'
Basra garrison, the launchpad for the
Persian conquest. Following the collapse of Umayyad rule in
Iraq and Khurasan in 683–684, during the
Second Muslim Civil War, al-Muhallab was pressed by the Basran troops to lead the campaign against the
Azariqa, a
Kharijite faction which had taken over Ahwaz and threatened Basra. Al-Muhallab landed them a severe blow and drove them into Fars in 685. He was rewarded with the governorship of that province by the anti-Umayyad caliph
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (
r. 683–692), whose suzerainty had been recognized in Basra in the wake of the Umayyads' ouster. Al-Muhallab later held a command role in the successful Zubayrid campaign to eliminate the
Kufa-based ruler
al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi in 686/87. After this victory, he was transferred to the governorship of Mosul, where he was charged with protecting Iraq from a potential invasion from Umayyad-controlled
Syria. (Full article...)
Heraclius's reign was marked by several military campaigns. The year Heraclius came to power, the empire was threatened on multiple frontiers. Heraclius immediately took charge of the
Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628. The first battles of the campaign ended in defeat for the Byzantines; the Persian army fought their way to the
Bosphorus but
Constantinople was protected by
impenetrable walls and a strong navy, and Heraclius was able to avoid total defeat. Soon after, he initiated reforms to rebuild and strengthen the military. Heraclius drove the Persians out of
Asia Minor and pushed deep into their territory, defeating them decisively in 627 at the
Battle of Nineveh. The Persian Shah
Khosrow II was overthrown and executed by his son
Kavad II, who soon sued for a peace treaty, agreeing to withdraw from all occupied territory. This way peaceful relations were restored to the two deeply strained empires. (Full article...)
Musa (also spelled Mousa), also known as Thea Musa, was a ruling queen of the
Parthian Empire from 2 BC to 4 AD. Originally an Italian slave-girl, she was given as a gift to the Parthian monarch
Phraates IV (
r. 37 BC – 2 BC) by the
Roman Emperor
Augustus (
r. 27 BC – 14 AD). She quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces (
Phraates V). In 2 BC, she had Phraates IV poisoned and made herself, along with Phraates V, the co-rulers of the empire. Their reign was short-lived; they were forced to flee to
Rome after being deposed by the Parthian nobility, who crowned
Orodes III as king.
Musa is the first of only three women to rule as
monarchs in
Iranian history, the others being the two 7th-century
Sasanian sisters
Boran (
r. 630–630, 631–632) and
Azarmidokht (
r. 630–631). Additional women,
Rinnu,
Ifra Hormizd and
Denag, ruled only as regents of their sons and not as full monarchs in their own name. (Full article...)
Image 9
Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath (
Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن الأشعث,
romanized: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ashʿath; died 704), commonly known as Ibn al-Ash'athafter his
grandfather, was a prominent Arab nobleman and military commander during the
Umayyad Caliphate, most notable for leading a failed rebellion against the Umayyad viceroy of the east,
al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, in 700–703.
Ibn al-Ash'ath was a scion of a noble family of the
Kinda tribe that had settled in the Arab
garrison town of
Kufa in
Iraq. He played a minor role in the
Second Fitna (680–692) and then served as governor of
Rayy. After the appointment of al-Hajjaj as
governor of Iraq and the eastern provinces of the Caliphate in 694, relations between al-Hajjaj and the Iraqi tribal nobility quickly became strained, as the policies of the
Syria-based Umayyad regime aimed to reduce the Iraqis' privileges and status. Nevertheless, in 699, al-Hajjaj appointed Ibn al-Ash'ath as commander of a huge Iraqi army, the so-called "Peacock Army", to subdue the troublesome principality of
Zabulistan, whose ruler, the
Zunbil, vigorously resisted
Arab expansion. In 700, al-Hajjaj's overbearing behaviour caused Ibn al-Ash'ath and the army to revolt. After patching up an agreement with the Zunbil, the army marched back to Iraq. On the way, the mutiny against al-Hajjaj developed into a full-fledged anti-Umayyad rebellion and acquired religious overtones. (Full article...)
Image 10
A map depicting the major areas of conflict during the Battle of Salamis
To block the Persian advance, a small force of Greeks blocked the pass of
Thermopylae, while an Athenian-dominated allied navy engaged the Persian fleet in the nearby straits of
Artemisium. In the resulting
Battle of Thermopylae, the rearguard of the Greek force was annihilated, while in the
Battle of Artemisium the Greeks suffered heavy losses and retreated after the loss at Thermopylae. This allowed the Persians to conquer
Phocis,
Boeotia,
Attica and
Euboea. The allies prepared to defend the
Isthmus of Corinth while the fleet was withdrawn to nearby Salamis Island. (Full article...)
...that during the Shiraz blood libel, the first to start the
pogrom of the
Jewish quarter were the soldiers sent to protect the Jews against mob violence?
...that the Iran-Pakistan barrier is currently being constructed by
Iran along its border with
Pakistan to stop illegal migration and thwart terror attacks?
Iranian Armed Forces are the largest in the
Middle East in terms of active troops. Iran's military forces are made up of approximately 610,000
active-duty personnel plus 350,000
reserve 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 include
Law Enforcement Command or
Basij. (Full article...)
From the
Achaemenid Empire of 550 BC–330 BC for most of the time a large Iranian-speaking state has ruled over areas similar to the modern boundaries of
Iran, and often much wider areas, sometimes called
Greater Iran, where a process of cultural
Persianization left enduring results even when rulership separated. The courts of successive dynasties have generally led the style of Persian art, and court-sponsored art has left many of the most impressive survivals. (Full article...)
Image 3
The
economy of Iran includes a lot of
subsidies. Food items, such as flour and cooking oil, are subsidized, along with fuels such as gasoline. However cutting subsidies can cause civil unrest.
Reza Shah Pahlavi (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was an Iranian military officer and the founder of the
Pahlavi dynasty. As a politician, he previously served as
minister of war and
prime minister of
Qajar Iran and subsequently reigned as
Shah of
Pahlavi Iran from 1925 until he was forced to abdicate after the
Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941. He was succeeded by his eldest son,
Mohammad Reza Shah. A modernizer, Reza Shah clashed with the
Shia clergy, but also introduced many social, economic, and political reforms during his reign, ultimately laying the foundation of the
modern Iranian State. Therefore, he is regarded by many as the founder of modern Iran.
At the age of 14 he joined the
Persian Cossack Brigade, and also served in the army. In 1911, he was promoted to first lieutenant, by 1912 he was elevated to the rank of captain and by 1915 he became a colonel. In February 1921, as leader of the entire Cossack Brigade based in
Qazvin province, he marched towards
Tehran and
seized the capital. He forced the dissolution of the government and installed
Zia ol Din Tabatabaee as the new prime minister. Reza Khan's first role in the new government was commander-in-chief of the army and the minister of war. (Full article...)
Simon I the Great (
Georgian: სიმონ I დიდი, romanized:simon I didi), also known as Svimon (
Georgian: სვიმონი, romanized:svimoni;
c. 1537 – 1611), of the
Bagrationi dynasty, was a
Georgian king of
Kartli from 1556 to 1569 and again from 1578 to 1599. His first tenure was marked by war against the
Persian domination of Georgia. In 1569 he was captured by the Persians, and spent nine years in captivity. In 1578 he was released and reinstalled in Kartli. During this period (i.e. his second tenure), he fought as a Persian subject against the
Ottoman domination of Georgia. In 1599 Simon I was captured by the Ottomans and died in captivity. During 1557 to 1569 he was known as Mahmud Khan (
Persian: محمود خان,
romanized: Mahmūd Khān) and from 1578 to 1599 as Shahnavaz Khan (
Persian: شاهنواز خان,
romanized: Shāhnavāz Khān). He was also referred to as Simon the Mad (
Turkish: Deli Simon) by the Ottomans. (Full article...)
The president is required to gain the Supreme Leader's official approval before being sworn in by the
Parliament and the Supreme Leader has the power to dismiss the elected president if he has either been impeached by Parliament or found guilty of a constitutional violation by the Supreme Court. The president carries out the decrees, and answers to the Supreme Leader, who functions as the country's
head of state. Unlike the executive in other countries, the president of Iran does not have full control over the government, which is ultimately under the direct control of the Supreme Leader. Before
elections, the nominees must be approved by the
guardian council to become a president candidate. Members of the
guardian council are chosen by the supreme leader. The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term by
direct vote and is not permitted to run for more than two consecutive terms. (Full article...)
The supreme leader of Iran (
Persian: رهبر معظم ایران,
romanized: Rahbar-e Moazam-e Irân ), also referred to as supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution (رهبر معظم انقلاب اسلامی, Rahbar-e Moazam-e Enqelâb-e Eslâmi), but officially called the Supreme Leadership Authority (مقام معظم رهبری, Maqâm Moazam Rahbari), is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of the
Islamic Republic of Iran (above the
President). The
armed forces,
judiciary,
state television, and other key government organizations such as the
Guardian Council and
Expediency 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 the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive branches (article 57). The current lifetime officeholder, Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khameneh known as
Ali Khamenei, has issued decrees and made the final decisions on the
economy, the environment,
foreign policy,
education, national planning, and other aspects of governance in
Iran. Khamenei also makes the final decisions on the amount of transparency in
elections, and has dismissed and reinstated
presidential cabinet appointees. The Supreme Leader is legally considered "inviolable", with Iranians being routinely punished severely for questioning or insulting him.
The office was established by the
Constitution of Iran in 1979, pursuant to Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini's concept of the
Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist, and is a lifetime appointment. Originally the constitution required the Supreme Leader to be Marja'-e taqlid, the highest-ranking cleric in the religious laws of
UsuliTwelverShia Islam. In 1989, however, the constitution was
amended 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), the
Assembly 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 chosen by bodies (the
Guardian 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...)
Image 9
The relations between
Iran and
Israel are divided into four major phases: the ambivalent period from 1947 to 1953, the friendly period during the era of the
Pahlavi dynasty from 1953 to 1979, the worsening period following the
Iranian Revolution from 1979 to 1990, and the ongoing period of open hostility since the end of the
Gulf War in 1991. In 1947, Iran was among 13 countries that voted against the
United Nations Partition Plan for the
British Mandate of Palestine. Two years later, Iran also voted against Israel's admission to the
United Nations.
Foreign travellers in Iran, not only recently but in previous generations, have observed that some of our citizens habitually lie ... In our culture, steeped in history as we are, some liars actually try to explain and justify their behaviour by referring back to past national catastrophes. For example, they will tell you, when Mongol hordes overran the country, lying was the price to pay for personal survival ; and that gave us the habit of mendacity. Whatever its merits as an historical explanation, this point of view certainly offers a pitifully weak justification for today's liars.
This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by
JL-Bot (
talk·contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is
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Iran has one of the oldest histories in the world, extending more than 5000 years, and throughout history, Iran has been of
geostrategic importance because of its central location in
Eurasia and Western Asia. Iran is a founding member of the
UN,
NAM,
OIC,
OPEC, and
ECO. Iran as a major
regional power occupies an important position in the world economy due to its substantial reserves of
petroleum and
natural gas, and has considerable regional influence in Western Asia. The name Iran is a
cognate of Aryan and literally means "Land of the
Aryans." (Full article...)
Gubazes II (
Georgian: გუბაზ II,
Greek: Γουβάζης) was king of
Lazica (modern western
Georgia) from circa 541 until his assassination in 555. He was one of the central personalities of the
Lazic War (541–562). He originally ascended the throne as a
vassal of the
Byzantine Empire, but the heavy-handed actions of the Byzantine authorities led him to seek the assistance of Byzantium's main rival,
Sassanid Persia. The Byzantines were evicted from Lazica with the aid of a Persian army in 541, but the Persian occupation of the country turned out to be worse, and by 548, Gubazes was requesting assistance from Byzantium. Gubazes remained a Byzantine ally during the next few years, as the two empires fought for control of Lazica, with the fortress of
Petra as the focal point of the struggle. Gubazes eventually quarrelled with the Byzantine generals over the fruitless continuation of the war, and was assassinated by them. (Full article...)
Image 3
Phraates III's portrait on the obverse of a coin, showing him with a beard and a
diadem on his head. Minted at
Ecbatana in
c. 62
At Phraates III's accession, his empire could no longer be considered the supreme power in the
Near East, because of the ascendancy of
Armenia under
Tigranes the Great (
r. 95–55 BC) and
Pontus under his ally
Mithridates VI Eupator (
r. 120–63 BC). Phraates III's reign was thus marked by his efforts to restore his empire to its former position. To the west of his empire, war had engulfed the area. Tigranes and Mithridates VI urged him to join their war against the
Roman Republic, while the Romans tried in turn to convince Phraates III to join them. Phraates III seemingly made promises to both parties but remained passive. He awaited the outcome of the war to take advantage of it at the right moment for the Parthians. (Full article...)
Image 4
The Qayen earthquake, also known as the Ardekul or Qaen earthquake, struck northern
Iran's
Khorasan Province in the vicinity of
Qaen on May 10, 1997 at 07:57
UTC (12:57 local time). The largest in the area since 1990, the earthquake registered 7.3 on the
moment magnitude scale and was centered approximately 270 kilometers (170 mi) south of
Mashhad on the village of Ardekul. The third earthquake that year to cause severe damage, it devastated the Birjand–
Qayen region, killing 1,567 and injuring more than 2,300. The earthquake—which left 50,000 homeless and damaged or destroyed over 15,000 homes—was described as the deadliest of 1997 by the
United States Geological Survey. Some 155
aftershocks caused further destruction and drove away survivors. The earthquake was later discovered to have been caused by a rupture along a
fault that runs underneath the Iran–
Afghanistan border.
Damage was eventually estimated at $100 million, and many countries
responded to the emergency with donations of blankets, tents, clothing, and food. Rescue teams were also dispatched to assist local volunteers in
finding survivors trapped under the debris. The destruction around the earthquake's
epicenter was, in places, almost total; this has been attributed to poor construction practices in rural areas, and imparted momentum to a growing movement for changes in
building codes for
earthquake-safe buildings. With 1 in 3,000 deaths in Iran attributable to earthquakes, a US
geophysicist has suggested that a country-wide rebuilding program would be needed to address the ongoing public safety concerns. (Full article...)
Image 5
King of the Four Corners of the World (
Sumerian: lugal-an-ub-da-limmu-ba,
Akkadian: šarru kibrat arbaim, šar kibrāti arbaʾi, or šar kibrāt erbetti), alternatively translated as King of the Four Quarters of the World, King of the Heaven's Four Corners or King of the Four Corners of the Universe and often shortened to simply King of the Four Corners, was a title of great prestige claimed by powerful monarchs in
ancient Mesopotamia. Though the term "four corners of the world" does refer to specific geographical places within and near Mesopotamia itself, these places were (at the time the title was first used) thought to represent locations near the actual edges of the world and as such, the title should be interpreted as
something equivalent to "King of all the known world", a claim to universal rule over the entire world and everything within it.
Abū Saʿīd al-Muhallab ibn Abī Ṣufra al-Azdī (
Arabic: أَبْو سَعِيْد ٱلْمُهَلَّب ابْن أَبِي صُفْرَة ٱلْأَزْدِي;
c. 632 – 702) was an
Arab general from the
Azd tribe who fought in the service of the
Rashidun,
Umayyad and
Zubayrid caliphs between the mid-640s and his death. He served successive terms as the governor of
Fars (685–686),
Mosul,
Arminiya and
Adharbayjan (687–688) and
Khurasan (698–702). Al-Muhallab's descendants, known as the
Muhallabids, became a highly influential family, many of whose members held high office under various Umayyad and
Abbasid caliphs, or became well-known scholars.
Throughout his early military career, he participated in the Arab campaigns against the
Persians in Fars,
Ahwaz,
Sistan and Khurasan during the successive reigns of caliphs
Umar (
r. 634–644),
Uthman (
r. 644–656),
Ali (
r. 656–661) and
Mu'awiya I (
r. 661–680). By 680, his tribe, the Azd of
Oman, had become a major army faction in the Arabs'
Basra garrison, the launchpad for the
Persian conquest. Following the collapse of Umayyad rule in
Iraq and Khurasan in 683–684, during the
Second Muslim Civil War, al-Muhallab was pressed by the Basran troops to lead the campaign against the
Azariqa, a
Kharijite faction which had taken over Ahwaz and threatened Basra. Al-Muhallab landed them a severe blow and drove them into Fars in 685. He was rewarded with the governorship of that province by the anti-Umayyad caliph
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (
r. 683–692), whose suzerainty had been recognized in Basra in the wake of the Umayyads' ouster. Al-Muhallab later held a command role in the successful Zubayrid campaign to eliminate the
Kufa-based ruler
al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi in 686/87. After this victory, he was transferred to the governorship of Mosul, where he was charged with protecting Iraq from a potential invasion from Umayyad-controlled
Syria. (Full article...)
Heraclius's reign was marked by several military campaigns. The year Heraclius came to power, the empire was threatened on multiple frontiers. Heraclius immediately took charge of the
Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628. The first battles of the campaign ended in defeat for the Byzantines; the Persian army fought their way to the
Bosphorus but
Constantinople was protected by
impenetrable walls and a strong navy, and Heraclius was able to avoid total defeat. Soon after, he initiated reforms to rebuild and strengthen the military. Heraclius drove the Persians out of
Asia Minor and pushed deep into their territory, defeating them decisively in 627 at the
Battle of Nineveh. The Persian Shah
Khosrow II was overthrown and executed by his son
Kavad II, who soon sued for a peace treaty, agreeing to withdraw from all occupied territory. This way peaceful relations were restored to the two deeply strained empires. (Full article...)
Musa (also spelled Mousa), also known as Thea Musa, was a ruling queen of the
Parthian Empire from 2 BC to 4 AD. Originally an Italian slave-girl, she was given as a gift to the Parthian monarch
Phraates IV (
r. 37 BC – 2 BC) by the
Roman Emperor
Augustus (
r. 27 BC – 14 AD). She quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces (
Phraates V). In 2 BC, she had Phraates IV poisoned and made herself, along with Phraates V, the co-rulers of the empire. Their reign was short-lived; they were forced to flee to
Rome after being deposed by the Parthian nobility, who crowned
Orodes III as king.
Musa is the first of only three women to rule as
monarchs in
Iranian history, the others being the two 7th-century
Sasanian sisters
Boran (
r. 630–630, 631–632) and
Azarmidokht (
r. 630–631). Additional women,
Rinnu,
Ifra Hormizd and
Denag, ruled only as regents of their sons and not as full monarchs in their own name. (Full article...)
Image 9
Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath (
Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن الأشعث,
romanized: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ashʿath; died 704), commonly known as Ibn al-Ash'athafter his
grandfather, was a prominent Arab nobleman and military commander during the
Umayyad Caliphate, most notable for leading a failed rebellion against the Umayyad viceroy of the east,
al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, in 700–703.
Ibn al-Ash'ath was a scion of a noble family of the
Kinda tribe that had settled in the Arab
garrison town of
Kufa in
Iraq. He played a minor role in the
Second Fitna (680–692) and then served as governor of
Rayy. After the appointment of al-Hajjaj as
governor of Iraq and the eastern provinces of the Caliphate in 694, relations between al-Hajjaj and the Iraqi tribal nobility quickly became strained, as the policies of the
Syria-based Umayyad regime aimed to reduce the Iraqis' privileges and status. Nevertheless, in 699, al-Hajjaj appointed Ibn al-Ash'ath as commander of a huge Iraqi army, the so-called "Peacock Army", to subdue the troublesome principality of
Zabulistan, whose ruler, the
Zunbil, vigorously resisted
Arab expansion. In 700, al-Hajjaj's overbearing behaviour caused Ibn al-Ash'ath and the army to revolt. After patching up an agreement with the Zunbil, the army marched back to Iraq. On the way, the mutiny against al-Hajjaj developed into a full-fledged anti-Umayyad rebellion and acquired religious overtones. (Full article...)
Image 10
A map depicting the major areas of conflict during the Battle of Salamis
To block the Persian advance, a small force of Greeks blocked the pass of
Thermopylae, while an Athenian-dominated allied navy engaged the Persian fleet in the nearby straits of
Artemisium. In the resulting
Battle of Thermopylae, the rearguard of the Greek force was annihilated, while in the
Battle of Artemisium the Greeks suffered heavy losses and retreated after the loss at Thermopylae. This allowed the Persians to conquer
Phocis,
Boeotia,
Attica and
Euboea. The allies prepared to defend the
Isthmus of Corinth while the fleet was withdrawn to nearby Salamis Island. (Full article...)
...that during the Shiraz blood libel, the first to start the
pogrom of the
Jewish quarter were the soldiers sent to protect the Jews against mob violence?
...that the Iran-Pakistan barrier is currently being constructed by
Iran along its border with
Pakistan to stop illegal migration and thwart terror attacks?
Iranian Armed Forces are the largest in the
Middle East in terms of active troops. Iran's military forces are made up of approximately 610,000
active-duty personnel plus 350,000
reserve 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 include
Law Enforcement Command or
Basij. (Full article...)
From the
Achaemenid Empire of 550 BC–330 BC for most of the time a large Iranian-speaking state has ruled over areas similar to the modern boundaries of
Iran, and often much wider areas, sometimes called
Greater Iran, where a process of cultural
Persianization left enduring results even when rulership separated. The courts of successive dynasties have generally led the style of Persian art, and court-sponsored art has left many of the most impressive survivals. (Full article...)
Image 3
The
economy of Iran includes a lot of
subsidies. Food items, such as flour and cooking oil, are subsidized, along with fuels such as gasoline. However cutting subsidies can cause civil unrest.
Reza Shah Pahlavi (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was an Iranian military officer and the founder of the
Pahlavi dynasty. As a politician, he previously served as
minister of war and
prime minister of
Qajar Iran and subsequently reigned as
Shah of
Pahlavi Iran from 1925 until he was forced to abdicate after the
Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941. He was succeeded by his eldest son,
Mohammad Reza Shah. A modernizer, Reza Shah clashed with the
Shia clergy, but also introduced many social, economic, and political reforms during his reign, ultimately laying the foundation of the
modern Iranian State. Therefore, he is regarded by many as the founder of modern Iran.
At the age of 14 he joined the
Persian Cossack Brigade, and also served in the army. In 1911, he was promoted to first lieutenant, by 1912 he was elevated to the rank of captain and by 1915 he became a colonel. In February 1921, as leader of the entire Cossack Brigade based in
Qazvin province, he marched towards
Tehran and
seized the capital. He forced the dissolution of the government and installed
Zia ol Din Tabatabaee as the new prime minister. Reza Khan's first role in the new government was commander-in-chief of the army and the minister of war. (Full article...)
Simon I the Great (
Georgian: სიმონ I დიდი, romanized:simon I didi), also known as Svimon (
Georgian: სვიმონი, romanized:svimoni;
c. 1537 – 1611), of the
Bagrationi dynasty, was a
Georgian king of
Kartli from 1556 to 1569 and again from 1578 to 1599. His first tenure was marked by war against the
Persian domination of Georgia. In 1569 he was captured by the Persians, and spent nine years in captivity. In 1578 he was released and reinstalled in Kartli. During this period (i.e. his second tenure), he fought as a Persian subject against the
Ottoman domination of Georgia. In 1599 Simon I was captured by the Ottomans and died in captivity. During 1557 to 1569 he was known as Mahmud Khan (
Persian: محمود خان,
romanized: Mahmūd Khān) and from 1578 to 1599 as Shahnavaz Khan (
Persian: شاهنواز خان,
romanized: Shāhnavāz Khān). He was also referred to as Simon the Mad (
Turkish: Deli Simon) by the Ottomans. (Full article...)
The president is required to gain the Supreme Leader's official approval before being sworn in by the
Parliament and the Supreme Leader has the power to dismiss the elected president if he has either been impeached by Parliament or found guilty of a constitutional violation by the Supreme Court. The president carries out the decrees, and answers to the Supreme Leader, who functions as the country's
head of state. Unlike the executive in other countries, the president of Iran does not have full control over the government, which is ultimately under the direct control of the Supreme Leader. Before
elections, the nominees must be approved by the
guardian council to become a president candidate. Members of the
guardian council are chosen by the supreme leader. The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term by
direct vote and is not permitted to run for more than two consecutive terms. (Full article...)
The supreme leader of Iran (
Persian: رهبر معظم ایران,
romanized: Rahbar-e Moazam-e Irân ), also referred to as supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution (رهبر معظم انقلاب اسلامی, Rahbar-e Moazam-e Enqelâb-e Eslâmi), but officially called the Supreme Leadership Authority (مقام معظم رهبری, Maqâm Moazam Rahbari), is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of the
Islamic Republic of Iran (above the
President). The
armed forces,
judiciary,
state television, and other key government organizations such as the
Guardian Council and
Expediency 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 the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive branches (article 57). The current lifetime officeholder, Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khameneh known as
Ali Khamenei, has issued decrees and made the final decisions on the
economy, the environment,
foreign policy,
education, national planning, and other aspects of governance in
Iran. Khamenei also makes the final decisions on the amount of transparency in
elections, and has dismissed and reinstated
presidential cabinet appointees. The Supreme Leader is legally considered "inviolable", with Iranians being routinely punished severely for questioning or insulting him.
The office was established by the
Constitution of Iran in 1979, pursuant to Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini's concept of the
Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist, and is a lifetime appointment. Originally the constitution required the Supreme Leader to be Marja'-e taqlid, the highest-ranking cleric in the religious laws of
UsuliTwelverShia Islam. In 1989, however, the constitution was
amended 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), the
Assembly 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 chosen by bodies (the
Guardian 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...)
Image 9
The relations between
Iran and
Israel are divided into four major phases: the ambivalent period from 1947 to 1953, the friendly period during the era of the
Pahlavi dynasty from 1953 to 1979, the worsening period following the
Iranian Revolution from 1979 to 1990, and the ongoing period of open hostility since the end of the
Gulf War in 1991. In 1947, Iran was among 13 countries that voted against the
United Nations Partition Plan for the
British Mandate of Palestine. Two years later, Iran also voted against Israel's admission to the
United Nations.
Foreign travellers in Iran, not only recently but in previous generations, have observed that some of our citizens habitually lie ... In our culture, steeped in history as we are, some liars actually try to explain and justify their behaviour by referring back to past national catastrophes. For example, they will tell you, when Mongol hordes overran the country, lying was the price to pay for personal survival ; and that gave us the habit of mendacity. Whatever its merits as an historical explanation, this point of view certainly offers a pitifully weak justification for today's liars.
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