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...)
Entries here consist of
Good and
Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
Image 1
Gonu near peak intensity on June 4
Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that became the strongest cyclone on record in the
Arabian Sea. The second named tropical cyclone of the
2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gonu developed from a persistent area of
convection in the eastern Arabian Sea on June 1, 2007. With a favorable upper-level environment and warm
sea surface temperatures, it
rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) on June 4, according to the
India Meteorological Department. Gonu weakened after encountering dry air and cooler waters, and early on June 6, it made
landfall on the easternmost tip of
Oman, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the
Arabian Peninsula. It then turned northward into the
Gulf of Oman, and dissipated on June 7, after making landfall in southern
Iran, the first landfall in the country since 1898.
Intense tropical cyclones like Gonu are extremely rare in the Arabian Sea, and most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly. The cyclone caused 50 deaths and about $4.2 billion in damage (2007 USD) in Oman, where the cyclone was considered the nation's worst natural disaster. Gonu dropped heavy rainfall near the eastern coastline, reaching up to 610 mm (24 inches), which caused flooding and heavy damage. In Iran, the cyclone caused 28 deaths and $216 million in damage (2007 USD). (Full article...)
Image 2
The 1930 Salmas earthquake occurred on May 7 at 01:34:26 IRST in
West Azerbaijan Province,
Iran. The
earthquake, which was among Iran's largest, measured 7.1 on the
moment magnitude scale and had a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). A damaging
foreshock occurred fifteen hours prior to the main event and served as a warning to the people that felt it strongly. Reports from seismologists and seismological organizations indicate that up to 3,000 fatalities may have occurred in northwest Iran and southeast
Turkey.
Sixty villages (including the large settlement of Dilman, which was relocated and rebuilt as
Salmas) were destroyed in the Salmas Plain and in the surrounding mountainous regions. A destructive
aftershock sequence affected many villages, and in some cases, damage was inflicted on some that had escaped devastation during the mainshock. An inspection of the region was undertaken, but not until decades later, at which time substantial surface
faulting and other ground effects were documented. (Full article...)
The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the
Achaemenid Empire and
Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the Greeks and the enormous empire of the Persians began when
Cyrus the Great conquered the Greek-inhabited region of
Ionia in 547 BC. Struggling to control the independent-minded cities of Ionia, the Persians appointed
tyrants to rule each of them. This would prove to be the source of much trouble for the Greeks and Persians alike.
In 499 BC, the tyrant of
Miletus,
Aristagoras, embarked on an
expedition to conquer the island of
Naxos, with Persian support; however, the expedition was a debacle and, preempting his dismissal, Aristagoras incited all of Hellenic
Asia Minor into rebellion against the Persians. This was the beginning of the
Ionian Revolt, which would last until 493 BC, progressively drawing more regions of Asia Minor into the conflict. Aristagoras secured military support from
Athens and
Eretria, and in 498 BC these forces helped to capture and burn the Persian regional capital of
Sardis. The Persian king
Darius the Great vowed to have revenge on Athens and Eretria for this act. The revolt continued, with the two sides effectively stalemated throughout 497–495 BC. In 494 BC, the Persians regrouped and attacked the epicenter of the revolt in Miletus. At the
Battle of Lade, the Ionians suffered a decisive defeat, and the rebellion collapsed, with the final embers being stamped out the following year. (Full article...)
As governor, Ali Mirza restored
Shah Cheragh. He opened the tombs of the
Achaemenid kings 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 of
Hajji Mohammad Hossein Isfahani, rented
Bushehr ports to the
British and stopped paying taxes after 1828, thus going 200,000
tomans in tax arrears to the crown. (Full article...)
Image 5
Iskandar-i Shaykhi (
Persian: اسکندر شیخی), was an
Iranianispahbad from the
Afrasiyab dynasty, who ruled
Amul as a
Timurid vassal from 1393 to 1403. He was the youngest son of
Kiya Afrasiyab, who had initially established his rule in eastern
Mazandaran from 1349 to 1359, but was defeated and killed by the local
shaykh (religious scholar)
Mir-i Buzurg, who established his own dynasty—the
Mar'ashis—in the region. Together with some supporters and two nephews of his father, Iskandar initially took refuge in
Larijan, but later left for
Herat, where entered into the service of the
Kartid ruler Ghiyath al-Din II (
r. 1370–1389).
After Herat was captured by the
Turco-Mongol ruler
Timur (
r. 1370–1405) in 1381, Iskandar joined the latter, whom he encouraged and accompanied in the conquest of Mazandaran in 1392–1393. After the Mar'ashis were dislodged, Timur assigned the governorship of Amul to Iskandar, but he soon staged a rebellion. Defeated, he was either killed by a Timurid army in 1403/4 at Shir-rud-duhazar, or committed suicide in the
Alburz castle of
Firuzkuh to avoid capture. One of his sons,
Kiya Husayn I, was pardoned by Timur, who allowed him to retain control over Firuzkuh. (Full article...)
Athura (
Old Persian: 𐎠𐎰𐎢𐎼𐎠AθurāPersian pronunciation:[aθuɾaː]), also called Assyria, was a geographical area within the
Achaemenid Empire in
Upper Mesopotamia from 539 to 330 BC as a military protectorate state. Although sometimes regarded as a
satrapy,
Achaemenid royal inscriptions list it as a dahyu (plural dahyāva), a concept generally interpreted as meaning either a group of people or both a country and its people, without any administrative implication.
It mostly incorporated the territories of
Neo-Assyrian Empire corresponding to what is now northern
Iraq in the upper
Tigris, the middle and upper
Euphrates, parts of modern-day northwestern
Iran, modern-day northeastern
Syria (
Eber-Nari) and part of southeast
Anatolia (now
Turkey). However,
Egypt and the
Sinai Peninsula were separate Achaemenid territories. The Neo-Assyrian Empire collapsed after a period of violent civil wars, followed by an invasion by a coalition of some of its former subject peoples, the
Iranian peoples (
Medes,
Persians and
Scythians),
Babylonians and
Cimmerians in the late seventh century BC, culminating in the
Battle of Nineveh, and Assyria had fallen completely by 609 BC. (Full article...)
Image 7
1979 Revolution: Black Friday is an
adventureinteractive drama video game developed and published by iNK Stories, with assistance from by N-Fusion Interactive. It was released for
OS X,
Windows, and
Android and
iOS devices in 2016, and for the
Nintendo Switch,
PlayStation 4, and
Xbox One in 2018. The player controls Reza Shirazi, an aspiring photojournalist, who returns to
Iran amidst the
Iranian Revolution. As he becomes more involved in the events of the Revolution, Reza is forced to make decisions in order to survive. The player make timed responses throughout the game, determining the outcome of the plot. They are tasked with taking in-game photographs of their surroundings, and given historical background of the events.
The game was in development for four years and was created to combine elements from video games and documentaries with an engaging narrative. Game director
Navid Khonsari, who was a child in Iran at the time of the Revolution, developed the game with the intention of making the player understand the moral ambiguity of the situation. The development team conducted extensive research, interviewing historical scholars and Iranians who lived in
Tehran during the Revolution and gathering numerous archival photos and historical speeches. Cast performances were recorded using
motion capture and each character was developed with ambiguous attitudes and morals. (Full article...)
During the age of
Classical Greece,
Perdiccas II of Macedon (
r. 454 – 413 BC) became directly involved in the
Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) between
Classical Athens and
Sparta, shifting his alliance from one city-state to another while attempting to retain Macedonian control over the
Chalcidice peninsula. His reign was also marked by conflict and temporary alliances with the
Thracian ruler
Sitalces of the
Odrysian Kingdom. He eventually made peace with Athens, thus forming an alliance between the two that carried over into the reign of
Archelaus I of Macedon (
r. 413 – 399 BC). His reign brought peace, stability, and financial security to the
Macedonian realm, yet his little-understood assassination (perhaps by a
royal page) left the kingdom in peril and conflict. The turbulent reign of
Amyntas III of Macedon (
r. 393 – 370 BC) witnessed devastating invasions by both the
Illyrian ruler
Bardylis of the
Dardani and the Chalcidian city-state of
Olynthos, both of which were defeated with the aid of foreign powers, the city-states of
Thessaly and Sparta, respectively.
Alexander II (
r. 370 – 368 BC) invaded Thessaly but failed to hold Larissa, which was captured by
Pelopidas of
Thebes, who made peace with Macedonia on condition that they surrender noble hostages, including the future king
Philip II of Macedon (
r. 359 – 336 BC). (Full article...)
Orodes I (also spelled Urud I;
Parthian: 𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃Wērōd/Urūd), was king of the
Parthian Empire from 80 to 75 BC. He was the son and heir of
Gotarzes I (
r. 91–87/80 BC). His reign is relatively obscure. His throne may have been usurped in 87–80 BC by his supposed uncle
Mithridates III, however, this has found little support in scholarship. Of his military activities, it is known that Orodes I re-established Parthian rule in
Elymais in 78 BC, which had been independent since 81/80 BC. Orodes I later lost the throne to the aged Parthian prince
Sinatruces, who belonged to a different branch of the royal Arsacid family. (Full article...)
Ariarathes was eventually captured and executed in 322 BC by the Macedonian
Perdiccas. His territory was seized, whereafter it was contested between several of Alexander's
successors and former generals. However, Ariarathes's dynastic successors regained control over Cappadocia in 301 BC and ruled over the kingdom until 96 BC when they were deposed by the
Roman Republic. (Full article...)
The Azadi Tower (
Persian: برج آزادی, Borj-e Āzādi;
translated: Freedom Tower), previously known as the Shahyād Āryāmehr (
Persian: شهیاد آریامهر; English: King Memorial Tower), is the symbol of
Tehran, the
capital of
Iran, and marks the entrance to the city.
...that the nearly completed Sivand Dam project in
Fars Province,
Iran will flood 130 archaeological sites and hasten the destruction of the ancient
Persian city of
Pasargadae?
...that the Iran-Pakistan barrier is currently being constructed by
Iran along its border with
Pakistan to stop illegal migration and thwart terror attacks?
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.
The Assembly of Experts (
Persian: مجلس خبرگان رهبری,
romanized: majles-e khobregân-e rahbari), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the
Supreme Leader of Iran. All directly elected members must first be vetted by the
Guardian Council.
All candidates to the Assembly of Experts must be approved by the Guardian Council whose members are, in turn, appointed either directly or indirectly by the Supreme Leader. The Assembly consists of 88
Mujtahids that are elected from lists of thoroughly vetted candidates (in 2016 166 candidates were approved by the Guardians out of 801 who applied to run for the office), by direct public vote for eight-year terms. The number of members has ranged from 82 elected in 1982 to 88 elected in 2016. Current laws require the assembly to meet at least twice every six months. (Full article...)
Image 3
Interior of the Cinema Rex building after the fire
The governing dynasty initially blamed "
Islamic Marxists" for the fire and later reported that Islamic militants started the fire, while anti-Pahlavi protesters falsely blamed
SAVAK, the Iranian secret police, for setting the fire. Even though Islamic extremists were responsible for the attack, the Islamic opposition benefited greatly from the disaster in terms of propaganda because of the general atmosphere of mistrust and wrath. Many Iranians accepted the
disinformation, which fueled growing anti-Shah fervor. (Full article...)
The Second Herat War (late March 1856–26 October 1856) was the invasion of the surrounding realm of
Herat and the successful siege of its citadel by the Qajar army led by
Hesam o-Saltaneh, Soltan Morad Mirza. The 1856 siege was part of the concerted Qajar effort to compensate the recent territorial losses in the Russo-Persian Wars of
1804–1813 and
1826–1828 by reconquering western Afghanistan, which had historically been a part of Persia's domain. The conflict was also a part of the broader
Great Game between the
British Empire and the
Russian Empire.
The Persian expedition into Herat was contrary to an agreement with the
United Kingdom signed by
Naser al-Din Shah in January 1853. According to this agreement, the Persian Government would refrain from sending troops to or interfering in the internal affairs of Herat. The siege was a major point of contention in the breakdown of Anglo-Persian relations and eventually became the catalyst for the
Anglo-Persian War. After successfully capturing Herat, British agents were either expelled from Persia or left on their own accord. Despite dispatching
Farrokh Khan Ghaffari to negotiate a diplomatic solution, the British were already preparing military action against Persia by July 1856. The British would inevitably issue a declaration of war on Persia from
Calcutta on 1 November 1856. The Persian army would continue to occupy Herat and would only leave in compliance with the
Treaty of Paris that ended the Anglo-Persian War. However, the Persian government managed to install
Sultan Ahmad Khan as the puppet ruler of Herat prior to the ratification of the peace treaty with Britain. (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...)
An
earthquake struck the
Kerman province of southeastern Iran at 01:56
UTC (5:26 am
Iran Standard Time) on December 26, 2003. The shock had a
moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The earthquake was particularly destructive in
Bam, with the death toll amounting to at least 34,000 people and injuring up to 200,000. The effects of the earthquake were exacerbated by the use of mud brick as the standard construction medium; many of the area's structures did not comply with earthquake regulations set in 1989.
Following the earthquake the U.S. offered direct humanitarian assistance to Iran and in return the state promised to comply with an agreement with the
International Atomic Energy Agency which supports greater monitoring of its nuclear interests. In total a reported 44 countries sent in personnel to assist in relief operations and 60 countries offered assistance. (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 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...)
April 24–
April 25,
1980 –
Operation Eagle Claw, a commando mission in
Iran to rescue American embassy hostages, is aborted after mechanical problems ground the rescue helicopters. Eight
United States troops are killed in a mid-air collision during the failed operation.
There are approximately 100,000 clerics in Iran and over 60,000 of them are in Qom. Most of them are theology students who have been studying there for many years, between 10-25 years on average.... Every student has to study a minimum of 25 years before he can attain the status of ‘ayatollah’, however most students spend 10 years studying in the hawza.
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
tagged (e.g. {{
WikiProject Iran}}) or
categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See
WP:RECOG for configuration options.
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...)
Entries here consist of
Good and
Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
Image 1
Gonu near peak intensity on June 4
Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that became the strongest cyclone on record in the
Arabian Sea. The second named tropical cyclone of the
2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gonu developed from a persistent area of
convection in the eastern Arabian Sea on June 1, 2007. With a favorable upper-level environment and warm
sea surface temperatures, it
rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) on June 4, according to the
India Meteorological Department. Gonu weakened after encountering dry air and cooler waters, and early on June 6, it made
landfall on the easternmost tip of
Oman, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the
Arabian Peninsula. It then turned northward into the
Gulf of Oman, and dissipated on June 7, after making landfall in southern
Iran, the first landfall in the country since 1898.
Intense tropical cyclones like Gonu are extremely rare in the Arabian Sea, and most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly. The cyclone caused 50 deaths and about $4.2 billion in damage (2007 USD) in Oman, where the cyclone was considered the nation's worst natural disaster. Gonu dropped heavy rainfall near the eastern coastline, reaching up to 610 mm (24 inches), which caused flooding and heavy damage. In Iran, the cyclone caused 28 deaths and $216 million in damage (2007 USD). (Full article...)
Image 2
The 1930 Salmas earthquake occurred on May 7 at 01:34:26 IRST in
West Azerbaijan Province,
Iran. The
earthquake, which was among Iran's largest, measured 7.1 on the
moment magnitude scale and had a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). A damaging
foreshock occurred fifteen hours prior to the main event and served as a warning to the people that felt it strongly. Reports from seismologists and seismological organizations indicate that up to 3,000 fatalities may have occurred in northwest Iran and southeast
Turkey.
Sixty villages (including the large settlement of Dilman, which was relocated and rebuilt as
Salmas) were destroyed in the Salmas Plain and in the surrounding mountainous regions. A destructive
aftershock sequence affected many villages, and in some cases, damage was inflicted on some that had escaped devastation during the mainshock. An inspection of the region was undertaken, but not until decades later, at which time substantial surface
faulting and other ground effects were documented. (Full article...)
The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the
Achaemenid Empire and
Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the Greeks and the enormous empire of the Persians began when
Cyrus the Great conquered the Greek-inhabited region of
Ionia in 547 BC. Struggling to control the independent-minded cities of Ionia, the Persians appointed
tyrants to rule each of them. This would prove to be the source of much trouble for the Greeks and Persians alike.
In 499 BC, the tyrant of
Miletus,
Aristagoras, embarked on an
expedition to conquer the island of
Naxos, with Persian support; however, the expedition was a debacle and, preempting his dismissal, Aristagoras incited all of Hellenic
Asia Minor into rebellion against the Persians. This was the beginning of the
Ionian Revolt, which would last until 493 BC, progressively drawing more regions of Asia Minor into the conflict. Aristagoras secured military support from
Athens and
Eretria, and in 498 BC these forces helped to capture and burn the Persian regional capital of
Sardis. The Persian king
Darius the Great vowed to have revenge on Athens and Eretria for this act. The revolt continued, with the two sides effectively stalemated throughout 497–495 BC. In 494 BC, the Persians regrouped and attacked the epicenter of the revolt in Miletus. At the
Battle of Lade, the Ionians suffered a decisive defeat, and the rebellion collapsed, with the final embers being stamped out the following year. (Full article...)
As governor, Ali Mirza restored
Shah Cheragh. He opened the tombs of the
Achaemenid kings 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 of
Hajji Mohammad Hossein Isfahani, rented
Bushehr ports to the
British and stopped paying taxes after 1828, thus going 200,000
tomans in tax arrears to the crown. (Full article...)
Image 5
Iskandar-i Shaykhi (
Persian: اسکندر شیخی), was an
Iranianispahbad from the
Afrasiyab dynasty, who ruled
Amul as a
Timurid vassal from 1393 to 1403. He was the youngest son of
Kiya Afrasiyab, who had initially established his rule in eastern
Mazandaran from 1349 to 1359, but was defeated and killed by the local
shaykh (religious scholar)
Mir-i Buzurg, who established his own dynasty—the
Mar'ashis—in the region. Together with some supporters and two nephews of his father, Iskandar initially took refuge in
Larijan, but later left for
Herat, where entered into the service of the
Kartid ruler Ghiyath al-Din II (
r. 1370–1389).
After Herat was captured by the
Turco-Mongol ruler
Timur (
r. 1370–1405) in 1381, Iskandar joined the latter, whom he encouraged and accompanied in the conquest of Mazandaran in 1392–1393. After the Mar'ashis were dislodged, Timur assigned the governorship of Amul to Iskandar, but he soon staged a rebellion. Defeated, he was either killed by a Timurid army in 1403/4 at Shir-rud-duhazar, or committed suicide in the
Alburz castle of
Firuzkuh to avoid capture. One of his sons,
Kiya Husayn I, was pardoned by Timur, who allowed him to retain control over Firuzkuh. (Full article...)
Athura (
Old Persian: 𐎠𐎰𐎢𐎼𐎠AθurāPersian pronunciation:[aθuɾaː]), also called Assyria, was a geographical area within the
Achaemenid Empire in
Upper Mesopotamia from 539 to 330 BC as a military protectorate state. Although sometimes regarded as a
satrapy,
Achaemenid royal inscriptions list it as a dahyu (plural dahyāva), a concept generally interpreted as meaning either a group of people or both a country and its people, without any administrative implication.
It mostly incorporated the territories of
Neo-Assyrian Empire corresponding to what is now northern
Iraq in the upper
Tigris, the middle and upper
Euphrates, parts of modern-day northwestern
Iran, modern-day northeastern
Syria (
Eber-Nari) and part of southeast
Anatolia (now
Turkey). However,
Egypt and the
Sinai Peninsula were separate Achaemenid territories. The Neo-Assyrian Empire collapsed after a period of violent civil wars, followed by an invasion by a coalition of some of its former subject peoples, the
Iranian peoples (
Medes,
Persians and
Scythians),
Babylonians and
Cimmerians in the late seventh century BC, culminating in the
Battle of Nineveh, and Assyria had fallen completely by 609 BC. (Full article...)
Image 7
1979 Revolution: Black Friday is an
adventureinteractive drama video game developed and published by iNK Stories, with assistance from by N-Fusion Interactive. It was released for
OS X,
Windows, and
Android and
iOS devices in 2016, and for the
Nintendo Switch,
PlayStation 4, and
Xbox One in 2018. The player controls Reza Shirazi, an aspiring photojournalist, who returns to
Iran amidst the
Iranian Revolution. As he becomes more involved in the events of the Revolution, Reza is forced to make decisions in order to survive. The player make timed responses throughout the game, determining the outcome of the plot. They are tasked with taking in-game photographs of their surroundings, and given historical background of the events.
The game was in development for four years and was created to combine elements from video games and documentaries with an engaging narrative. Game director
Navid Khonsari, who was a child in Iran at the time of the Revolution, developed the game with the intention of making the player understand the moral ambiguity of the situation. The development team conducted extensive research, interviewing historical scholars and Iranians who lived in
Tehran during the Revolution and gathering numerous archival photos and historical speeches. Cast performances were recorded using
motion capture and each character was developed with ambiguous attitudes and morals. (Full article...)
During the age of
Classical Greece,
Perdiccas II of Macedon (
r. 454 – 413 BC) became directly involved in the
Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) between
Classical Athens and
Sparta, shifting his alliance from one city-state to another while attempting to retain Macedonian control over the
Chalcidice peninsula. His reign was also marked by conflict and temporary alliances with the
Thracian ruler
Sitalces of the
Odrysian Kingdom. He eventually made peace with Athens, thus forming an alliance between the two that carried over into the reign of
Archelaus I of Macedon (
r. 413 – 399 BC). His reign brought peace, stability, and financial security to the
Macedonian realm, yet his little-understood assassination (perhaps by a
royal page) left the kingdom in peril and conflict. The turbulent reign of
Amyntas III of Macedon (
r. 393 – 370 BC) witnessed devastating invasions by both the
Illyrian ruler
Bardylis of the
Dardani and the Chalcidian city-state of
Olynthos, both of which were defeated with the aid of foreign powers, the city-states of
Thessaly and Sparta, respectively.
Alexander II (
r. 370 – 368 BC) invaded Thessaly but failed to hold Larissa, which was captured by
Pelopidas of
Thebes, who made peace with Macedonia on condition that they surrender noble hostages, including the future king
Philip II of Macedon (
r. 359 – 336 BC). (Full article...)
Orodes I (also spelled Urud I;
Parthian: 𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃Wērōd/Urūd), was king of the
Parthian Empire from 80 to 75 BC. He was the son and heir of
Gotarzes I (
r. 91–87/80 BC). His reign is relatively obscure. His throne may have been usurped in 87–80 BC by his supposed uncle
Mithridates III, however, this has found little support in scholarship. Of his military activities, it is known that Orodes I re-established Parthian rule in
Elymais in 78 BC, which had been independent since 81/80 BC. Orodes I later lost the throne to the aged Parthian prince
Sinatruces, who belonged to a different branch of the royal Arsacid family. (Full article...)
Ariarathes was eventually captured and executed in 322 BC by the Macedonian
Perdiccas. His territory was seized, whereafter it was contested between several of Alexander's
successors and former generals. However, Ariarathes's dynastic successors regained control over Cappadocia in 301 BC and ruled over the kingdom until 96 BC when they were deposed by the
Roman Republic. (Full article...)
The Azadi Tower (
Persian: برج آزادی, Borj-e Āzādi;
translated: Freedom Tower), previously known as the Shahyād Āryāmehr (
Persian: شهیاد آریامهر; English: King Memorial Tower), is the symbol of
Tehran, the
capital of
Iran, and marks the entrance to the city.
...that the nearly completed Sivand Dam project in
Fars Province,
Iran will flood 130 archaeological sites and hasten the destruction of the ancient
Persian city of
Pasargadae?
...that the Iran-Pakistan barrier is currently being constructed by
Iran along its border with
Pakistan to stop illegal migration and thwart terror attacks?
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.
The Assembly of Experts (
Persian: مجلس خبرگان رهبری,
romanized: majles-e khobregân-e rahbari), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the
Supreme Leader of Iran. All directly elected members must first be vetted by the
Guardian Council.
All candidates to the Assembly of Experts must be approved by the Guardian Council whose members are, in turn, appointed either directly or indirectly by the Supreme Leader. The Assembly consists of 88
Mujtahids that are elected from lists of thoroughly vetted candidates (in 2016 166 candidates were approved by the Guardians out of 801 who applied to run for the office), by direct public vote for eight-year terms. The number of members has ranged from 82 elected in 1982 to 88 elected in 2016. Current laws require the assembly to meet at least twice every six months. (Full article...)
Image 3
Interior of the Cinema Rex building after the fire
The governing dynasty initially blamed "
Islamic Marxists" for the fire and later reported that Islamic militants started the fire, while anti-Pahlavi protesters falsely blamed
SAVAK, the Iranian secret police, for setting the fire. Even though Islamic extremists were responsible for the attack, the Islamic opposition benefited greatly from the disaster in terms of propaganda because of the general atmosphere of mistrust and wrath. Many Iranians accepted the
disinformation, which fueled growing anti-Shah fervor. (Full article...)
The Second Herat War (late March 1856–26 October 1856) was the invasion of the surrounding realm of
Herat and the successful siege of its citadel by the Qajar army led by
Hesam o-Saltaneh, Soltan Morad Mirza. The 1856 siege was part of the concerted Qajar effort to compensate the recent territorial losses in the Russo-Persian Wars of
1804–1813 and
1826–1828 by reconquering western Afghanistan, which had historically been a part of Persia's domain. The conflict was also a part of the broader
Great Game between the
British Empire and the
Russian Empire.
The Persian expedition into Herat was contrary to an agreement with the
United Kingdom signed by
Naser al-Din Shah in January 1853. According to this agreement, the Persian Government would refrain from sending troops to or interfering in the internal affairs of Herat. The siege was a major point of contention in the breakdown of Anglo-Persian relations and eventually became the catalyst for the
Anglo-Persian War. After successfully capturing Herat, British agents were either expelled from Persia or left on their own accord. Despite dispatching
Farrokh Khan Ghaffari to negotiate a diplomatic solution, the British were already preparing military action against Persia by July 1856. The British would inevitably issue a declaration of war on Persia from
Calcutta on 1 November 1856. The Persian army would continue to occupy Herat and would only leave in compliance with the
Treaty of Paris that ended the Anglo-Persian War. However, the Persian government managed to install
Sultan Ahmad Khan as the puppet ruler of Herat prior to the ratification of the peace treaty with Britain. (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...)
An
earthquake struck the
Kerman province of southeastern Iran at 01:56
UTC (5:26 am
Iran Standard Time) on December 26, 2003. The shock had a
moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The earthquake was particularly destructive in
Bam, with the death toll amounting to at least 34,000 people and injuring up to 200,000. The effects of the earthquake were exacerbated by the use of mud brick as the standard construction medium; many of the area's structures did not comply with earthquake regulations set in 1989.
Following the earthquake the U.S. offered direct humanitarian assistance to Iran and in return the state promised to comply with an agreement with the
International Atomic Energy Agency which supports greater monitoring of its nuclear interests. In total a reported 44 countries sent in personnel to assist in relief operations and 60 countries offered assistance. (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 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...)
April 24–
April 25,
1980 –
Operation Eagle Claw, a commando mission in
Iran to rescue American embassy hostages, is aborted after mechanical problems ground the rescue helicopters. Eight
United States troops are killed in a mid-air collision during the failed operation.
There are approximately 100,000 clerics in Iran and over 60,000 of them are in Qom. Most of them are theology students who have been studying there for many years, between 10-25 years on average.... Every student has to study a minimum of 25 years before he can attain the status of ‘ayatollah’, however most students spend 10 years studying in the hawza.
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
tagged (e.g. {{
WikiProject Iran}}) or
categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See
WP:RECOG for configuration options.