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In the years before AD, Iran already had a long history of warfare. The first was the Predynastic Era in which the Agricultural Revolution occured. Then was the Achaemenian Dynasty, in which Cyrus the Great established the Persian Empire. Darius the Great also ruled during this time and the Persian Empire was the dominant world power for two centuries. Alexander invaded and killed many Persians. After his death was the Parthian Dynasty. This Dynasty brought Iran into the AD era.
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The Sasanian Dynasty began and was started by Ardeshir I. During this Dynasty, Iran had much educational and religious growth.
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The Prophet Mohammad was born. In 622 AD he migrated from Mecca to Medina in fear of prosecution. This marks the birth of Islamic Civilization and the start of all Islamic calenders. Mohammad died in 632 AD and his texts were gathered to create the Islamic holy book - The Koran.
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The Arab Caliphate began after the Persians defeated their long time enemies, the Roman/Byzantine Empires. Persians quickly began to follow the Islamic faith because of its new ideas of equality and unity.
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Imam Ali, the fourth and the last of Prophet Mohhamed's descendants was assinated. This started the tension between the Sunni and Shi'ite sects within Islam.
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Arabic became the official language if the Islamic world.
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The Abbasid Caliphate began in 750 AD. This Caliphate featured the development of a significant government that featured many aspects of Persian history. The government had a vizier (minister) and a divan (similar to a treasury). The Caliphate ended in 1258 AD and was the pinnacle of Islamic power and glory.
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In 820 AD the Arab rule began to slowly diminish and in their place Persian goverments began to form. Persia became a world center for art, literature, and science. Many great Persian poets, scientists, and mathematicians made advances in their fields.
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In 1220 AD Gengkis Khan invaded the Persian Empire with sever brutality. Khan and his Mongolian farms ruined cities, destroyed libraries, and burned down hospitals. The death toll from the invasion was in the millions.
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In 1227 AD Gengkis Khen died. The area that he had conquered was divided up among his sons. This was the beginning of the Mongol Empire in Persia.
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Rumi the most influential and famous Persian poet helped spread Sufism. Sufism is a sect of Islam that fouses more on mystical aspects. Rumi's followers created the famous Whirling Dervish mystic order.
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The first of the Mongolian rulers of Persia named Ghazan Khan converted to Islam. Khan became "persianized". Throughout histroy the invaders of Persia often did become "persianized". This brought a period of peace and prosperity to Persia.
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Timur conquered all of Persia and some of the surrounding areas. Like the Mongol invasion, Timur's had much cruelty and murder. Timur was also a patron of the arts though, and helped to support Persia's artists.
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Shah Ismail I, an Iranian, became the leader of the empire, and began the Safavid dynasty. This was the first time in nine centuries that Iran was not under the reign of foriegn or fragmented leadership. Shah Ismail I was a Shi'ite and he declared that everyone under his rule was also a Shi'ite converting many people from Sunnism to Shi'ism. This set Persia apart from many of the surrounding Islamic nations.
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Mahmoud Khan an Afghan chieftan and a follower of the Safavids attacked the capital of Persia. There was little resistence, and the event ended the Safavid dynasty.
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Nader Shah, who was a follower of the Safavids, expelled the Afghan leader. He reunited Persia with brilliant military strategy. In one of his conquests he captured the the Sea of Light and the Mountain of Light, which are the worlds two greatest diamonds.
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The Qajar dynasty was again reunited Iran. The ruler within this dynasty were often weak and corrupt. During this time the West was undergoing an industrial revolution, and Iran fell behind in both their economy and their military.
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The beginning of Imperialism brought many invasions of Iran. Russia and Great Britain were the primary invaders. First the Qajars lost Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to Russia in unfair treaties. Then they were forced to have a "Capitulation" law, which basically said that foriegners within Iran do not have to be subject to any of their laws. Then the Qajars lost their central Asian areas to Russia. They also lost Afghanistan to Brtiain. The British and Russians controlled the politics of Iran.
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The people's discontent with the Qajar caused the Constitutional Revolution, in which they created a parliament. The parliament never really came into effect though. Instead, Iran was divided and the North was controlled by the Russians, and the East and West by the British.
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In 1921 Reza Khan staged a coup. The coup was successful. At first Reza was the minister of war, then he made himself the Prime Minister, and then he made himself a Shah. Reza wanted to become the leader of a republic, but the clergy convinced him to become a Shah because they feared the people would become less religious.
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In 1941 the Allies invaded Iran to build a railway to supply the Soviet Union with supplies. The Shah was forced to step down and went to South Africa. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, became the Shah.
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Dr. Mossadeq tried to nationalize Iran's oil from British control. The British responded by staging a trade embargo on Iran, which crippled Iran's economy. Then, the British Intelligence and the CIA sponsored a coup to take down the Prime Minister Dr. Mossadeq, with the reason being a "communist takeover". The Shah was then reinstated.
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The Shah introduced his White Revolution. The Revolution had many reforms like women and worker rights. His plans were poorly executed though. Then, in a series of public speeches, Ayatollah Khomeini attacked the reforms. He was arrested and then exiled.
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The Shah's determination to modernize Iran led to cultural shock, inflation, and corruption. By the late 1970s, the Shah's opponents, of all political affiliations, united behind Ayatollah Khomeini. The Shah was overthrown in 1979 by the Islamic Revolution and died in Egypt a year later.
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In 1980 the Iran-Iraq War started and lasted for eight years. During the war in 1985 the Iran-Contra Affair occured, in which Ragan sold arms to Iran, which was then the subject of an arms embargo.
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On June 3, 1989 Ayatollah Khomeini died. On 4 June, President Khamene'i was appointed as the new supreme leader.
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The US imposed oil and trade sanctions over Iran's alleged sponsorship of "terrorism". They were seeking to acquire nuclear arms. Iran denied the charges.
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In 2000, liberals and supporters of Khatami got control of parliament from conservatives for the first time. Khatami became the leader of Iran. This followed student protests.
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President George Bush describes Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an "axis of evil", and warns of long-range missiles being developed in these countries. The speech causes outrage in Iran and is condemned by reformists and conservatives alike.
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Conservatives regained control of parliament in elections. Thousands of reformist candidates were disqualified by the hardline Council of Guardians before the polls. The Council is composed of six Islamic Jurists who are tasked with the job of making sure Islamic values are maintained in government.
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Iran resumed uranium conversion at its Isfahan plant and insisted that the program was for peaceful purposes. IAEA finds Iran in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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President Ahmadinejad made an unprecedented official visit to Iraq, where he called on foreign troops to leave. He also showed the Iran government's desire to help rebuild Iraq and signs a number of cooperation agreements. After this the US tightened their economic sanctions on Iran.
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President Ahmadinejad declared that Obama is following the same mis-guided path in the Middle East the Bush followed. SInce then, both internal and external pressures have increased.
