Iran
Persian:ایران
The word used to be eran meaning "Land of free people"
Habitation in
Iran dates back to 100,000 years but recorded history began with the Elamites 3000 B.C. The
Medes flourished from 728 B.C but were overthrown by the Persians around 550 B.C, who were in turn conquered by Macedonians in the 4th century B.C. The Parthians created an empire that lasted from 247 B.C to AD 226, when control passed to the
Sassanid dynasty. Various
Muslim dynasties ruled from the 7th century. In 1502 the
Safavid dynasty was established and lasted until 1736. The
Qajar dynasty ruled from 1779, but in the 19th century the country was economically controlled by
Russian and British empires.
Reza Khan seized power in a coup in 1921. His son
Mohammad Reza Shah
Pahlavi was overthrown in 1979; Shiitte cleric Ruhollah
Khomeini then set up an
Islamic republic.
