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IRAN ii(2), continued THE SALJUQIDS (1040-1194) The plains of Central Asia, northwestern China, and western Siberia were breeding grounds for nomadic people, who kept multiplying and searching for new pastures. Both Iranian lands and China were the targets of their periodic inroads. When the waves of Saka andHephtalite invasions subsided,…

IRAN ii(2), continued THE SAFAVIDS (1501-1722) The advent of the Safavids constitutes one of the major turning points in Persian history, and this for two reasons: one was the enforcement of the Shiʿite branch of Islam on the country, the other was the unification of the country under a single…

IRAN ii(2), continued THE QAJAR DYNASTY (1779-1924) The Qajar were a Turkmen tribe who first settled during the Mongol period in the vicinity of Armenia and were among the seven Qezelbāš tribes that supported the Safavids. Shah Abbās I resettled them in different parts of Persia for defensive purposes. The…

IRAN ii(2), concluded MOḤAMMAD REZA SHAH (1941-79) Iran and World War II. The long history of Russian and British interventions in Persian affairs had fostered widespread resentment against the two great powers. As a result Germany, which did not have a history of dealing with Persia and stood against both…

IRAN: A Chronological Table of Events This chronological table of events records major happenings of Iranian pre-history and history from the most ancient times to 2005. Included are political figures as well as figures who have contributed to Persian culture such as poets, writers, and artists, with the mention of…

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES THAT OCCUR IN THE CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE Abaev, Vasiliĭ Ivanovich 2001 Abaqa, the Ilkhan 1265 ʿAbbās I (the Great) 1588-1629 ʿAbbās II 1642-49 ʿAbbās III 1732 ʿAbbās Mirzā 1810-33 ʿAbd-al-Bahāʾ 1892 Abu Bakr 622-34 Abu Moslem 747-55 Abu Naṣr Manṣur 1036 Abu Said 1316 Achaemenes c. 705…

IRAN iii. THE TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF PERSIA The history of the Iranian lands, as known today and insofar as pre-Islamic Persia is concerned, is based on research initiated and largely carried out by Western scholars. The results of European research began to be available to Persians from about the mid-nineteenth…

IRAN iv. MYTHS AND LEGENDS Introduction. In popular usage “myth” is equated with something being false or illusory. In the study of religion, in contrast, myths are seen as narratives whichencapsulate fundamental truths about the nature of existence, God(s), the universe. They explain the origin of the world or of…

IRAN ix. RELIGIONS IN IRAN Religions in Iran will be divided into the following two sub-entries: 1. Iranian religions of the pre-Islamic period. (1.1) An overview. (1.2) Manicheism. 2. Islam in Iran. (2.1) The advent of Islam in Iran. (2.2) The Mongol and Timurid periods. (2.3) Shiʿism in Iran since…

IRAN ix, continued ix(1.2). Manicheism Called after the founding prophet Mani (216-74 or 277; q.v. at iranica.com), Manicheism was a syncretistic religion that, combining elements of the various religions current in Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau at the time, claimed to be the ultimate religion. Mani intended to secure the…

IRAN ix, continued (2) Islam in Iran The coming of Islam to the Iranian plateau and the westerly regions of Central Asia wrought a permanent and profound transformation in the religious, cultural, and social life of the Iranian world. Pre-Islamic Iran had been marked by a great profusion of religions,…

IRAN ix, continued (2.2) The Mongol and Timurid Periods The cataclysm of the Mongol invasion resulted not only in Persia coming under non-Muslim rule for the first time since the Arab conquest; it also caused vast devastation and demographic dislocation. Its consequences for the religious configuration of the Perso-Islamic world…

IRAN ix, continued ix (2.3). Shiʿism in Iran Since the Safavids THE SAFAVID PERIOD The Safavids originated as a hereditary lineage of Sufi shaikhs centered on Ardabil, Shafeʿite in school and probably Kurdish in origin. Their immediate following was concentrated in Azerbaijan and Gilan, although they enjoyed broad prestige over…

IRAN LEAGUE, an organization established on 10 September 1922 by prominent Parsis with the aim of reviving and strengthening cultural and other ties between the Parsis of India and Iran. A meeting was held to frame and adopt the constitution, and Sir Hormasji C. D. Adenwala was elected its first…

IRAN NAMEH, the oldest post-Islamic Revolution scholarly journal published by the Iranian Diaspora. It is, as the cover of every issue proclaims, a “Persian Journal of Iranian Studies,” published quarterly by the Foundation for Iranian Studies. The Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1981 by an endowment created by…