Iran, known as Persia until 1935, became the Islamic Republic of Iran on April 1, 1979. Formerly known as Keshvare Shahinshahye Iran - Imperial Kingdom of Iran.

The Blue-Diamond Mosque, Iran's most famous mosque, in Isfahan with its many parks and palaces, reflects the charm and glamour of this ancient city and its important role in biblical times. Isfahan was the capital of the Persian Empire in the 1600's. Much later Damascus and Baghdad ruled Iran and developed world-famous centers of culture and learning. Its cities have become known for their beautiful mosques and palaces. Iranian poets such as Omar Khayyam beautifully wrote of the glamour and the mystery of the land.

Facts in Brief

Capital: Teheran 

Official Language: Persian

Official Name: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran) 

Former: Persia  

Form of Government: Theocratic Republic

Form of Economic System: Islamic Economics

Country Area: 1,636,000 sq. km. - slightly larger than Alaska or 2 and 1/2 times larger than Texas

Middle East Bordering: Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea between Iraq and Pakistan

Mountains: Zagros Mountains stretch south and west from Turkey and Russia to the Persian Gulf forming a wall between Iran and Iraq and Elburz Mountains  

Elevation: Highest point Mount Kuh-e Damavand 18,386 feet

Desert: Dasht-i-Lut and Dash-i-Kavir (covered in salt instead of sand as most lakes) over 38,000 square miles in central Iran

Population: est. 2005 - 68,017,860

National Anthem: "Soroude Melli"

Race: Persian

Religion: Islam

Major Rivers: Karun River, Shatt al Arab River, Sefid River, Atrek River and Lake Urmia (2,300 square miles)

Money: Rial (IRR)

2500-644 B.C.: Elamite Empire

1200-640 B.C.: Elamite kingdom first ruled Iran. The peoples of Iran came from Russia and central Asia. One group settled in northern Iran as the Medes and founded the kingdom of Media. Another group settled in southern Iran as the Persis and became the Persians.

728-550 B.C.: Median Empire. Ecbatana becomes the capital and Rhagae becomes the religious center.

550 B.C.: Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty united the Medes and Persis as the Persian Empire. Persepolis near Shiraz flourished as the ceremonial capital and Susa became the government center. Political strategy to divide and conquer out of self-preservation.  

Zoroastrian was the chief religion until the Arabs converted the people to Islam after conquering Persia.     

550-330 B.C.: The Persian Empire ruled most of southwestern Asia, all of eastern and most all of Europe, and most of north Africa.

539 B.C. First Charter of the Rights of Nations.

550 B.C.: Persians conquered Iraq and it became part of Iran.

525 B.C. Persia conquered Egypt.

330's B.C.: Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire.

306-247 B.C.: Seleucid Empire.

260 B.C.: Persia defeated Rome's invasion.   

250-225 B.C.: Parthians ruled until the Persians under the Sassanid dynasty conquered and took Persia back.

247 B.C.-224: Parthian Empire

224-642: Sassanid Empire

641: Muslim Arabs conquered Iran bringing a new religion. This was the rise of Islam. The Caliphs, religious leaders, ruled the next 200 years. Iran became the a world center of art, literature and science.

819-962: Saffarid dynasty

962-1186: Ghaznavid dynasty

1037: The Seljuk Turks conquered Persia and ruled until 1221.   

1221: Mongols under Genghis Khan conquered Persia and ruled until 1400's.

1502-1736: Safavid Empire. Shah, meaning heredity leader, Abbas I, greatest of the Safavid Kings, united Iran. It was under the Safavids that the Shiah sect of Islam became Iran's chief religion.

1736-1757: Afsharid dynasty. Nadir Shah united Iran for the Persians again by conquering the Afghans all the way to Delhi in India.

1757-1794: Zand dynasty

1794-1925: Qajar dynasty

1788: Teheran became the capital.  

1800's-1900's: Iran came under British influence to help protect India from France and Napoleon I.

1826: Russia invaded Iran to get a warm water port.

1827: Iran signed the Treaty of Turkmanchai giving the land north of the Aras River to Russia.

1856: Iran marched on Afghanistan and took Herat to return this area back to what was Iran. The same claim that China makes on Taiwan.   

1906: Shah Muzaffar al-Din gave Iran its first constitution.

1908: Oil was discovered in southwestern Iran.

1920's-2000: Iran's greatest transition took place. 

1925-1979: Pahlavi dynasty. A major modernization took place as Reza Khan Pahlavi, the first ruler of the Pahlavi dynasty, becomes shah.

1935: Persia changes its name to Iran.

1936: Women of Iran stop wearing veils around the Shah and becomes widely adopted by other women of Iran.

1943: Iran declares war on Germany and joins the Allies.

1945: Iran becomes a charter member of the United Nations.

1947: United States and Iran joint cooperation in developing Iran's oil industry.

1949: Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy. 

1949-1951: Nationalization of oil industry. Iran's petroleum industry became nationalized. 

1955: Iran signed the Baghdad Pact, now called the Central Treaty Organization.

1959: Defense agreement with the United States.

1962-1966: Large estates are divided into smaller farms and given to 4 million families. Many of the estates had been religious endowment, waqf, but met with fierce protest from religious leaders.

1971: Iran occupies some of Iraq's islands in the Persian Gulf, so Iraq breaks all diplomatic relations with Iran.

1975: Dispute over land between Iran and Iraq is settled in an agreement so that Iran keeps the occupied islands.

1978: Iran experiences Shi'i strong opposition to the Shah and the country goes to civil war lead by the opposition leader Ayatollah Khomeini, who is living in exile in France, but operating in Iran. 

1979: January 16 the Shah leaves Iran. February 1 Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran and Islam dress for women is reinstated.

April 1 Iran becomes Islamic Republic of Iran.

November 4 the United States Embassy was seized.

1980-1988: Iran-Iraq War

1980: Abolhassan Beni Sadr is elected President of Iran. Iraq invades Iran seeking territories lost to Iran in 1971.

1981: June Abolhassan Beni Sadr is removed from power by Ayatollah Khomeini.

July Abolhassan Beni Sadr escapes to France to establish the National Council of Resistance in cooperation with Mujahidin-e-Khalq.

1982: Iraqi forces are driven out of Iran.

1988: August 20 a cease fire is signed between Iran and Iraq. 

1989: July Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is elected President.

1995: United States imposes a total ban on trade with Iran due to Iran's sponsorship of terrorism for its activities in the United States, Lebanon and elsewhere in the world .

2005: June 24 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is elected President of Iran.

 

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