Early History

Iran's history dates from more than 2,500 years ago in the days of the Persian Empire, which included parts of what are now Iran and Afghanistan. However, early people in the regions did not call themselves Persians, which came from the Greek word for the region. Rather, these people called themselves Aryans, from which the word "Iran" is derived. They were nomads who

Moved into the area that is now Iran in 900 b. c.e., coming from what is now Russia. They created an empire that lasted over two hundred years. Among their accomplishments were a "pony express" system of mail delivery, an irrigation system, and the first wide use of coins for money.

Around 500 b. c.e. Persia became the nucleus of the Achaeme-nid Empire. In 331 b. c.e. Alexander the Great, the Greek leader, conquered Persia, making it part of his empire. In 641 c. e. the region that is now Persia was conquered by the Arabs, who brought the new Muslim faith, which had been founded in Arabia. After 641 the Islamic religion spread rapidly across Persia. The Arab caliphs ruled Persia, which became a cultural center for literature, art, and science for two hundred years. In the ninth century the Arab Empire crumbled, and Persia was broken

Up into territories ruled by various Persian monarchs.

In 1037 the Seljuck Turks conquered and ruled most of Persia until 1221, when Genghis Khan and the Mongols overtook the region. In the fifteenth century the Mongols lost control of Persia after they started fighting among themselves. In the sixteenth century the Safavid Dynasty gained power in Persia. Their greatest ruler was Shah Abbas I, who ruled from Isfahan, now Iran's second-largest city. Under the Safavids the Shiites became the dominant religious group.

In 1722 Afghanistan captured Isfahan, but it was recaptured by Nadir Shah in 1736. Nadir Shah conquered Afghanistan and took his armies all the way to New Delhi, India, plundering along the way. Upon Nadir Shah's death civil war broke out in Persia. Eventually the war was won by the Qajar Dynasty, but Persia was left very poor. In 1788 the Qajars made Tehran the capital of Persia. More than two hundred years later it remained the capital of Iran.

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Iranian politics were greatly influenced by Great Britain and Russia. In 1906 Shah Muzaffar al-Din had to yield to the will of the people and allow Iran to have its first constitution as well as its first Majlis, or parliament. In 1907 the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, later known as the National Iranian Oil Company, began to develop Iranian petroleum deposits.