First, the good news for english speakers is that the book is. The writers of the four books of shia were iranian, as well as many other great shia scholars. A chronology of key events in irans history, from the first persian empire to the present. Powerful dynasties have ruled persia, beginning with the achaemenid 559330. Like the epic poetry of greece and scandinavia, the text explores creation myths, tragic love stories, and great wars.
A history of iran, one of several recent books that aim to draw back the gloomy curtain of recent events, aims to increase the general readers awareness of the richness and uniqueness of the iranian heritage. In addition to the analysis provided by each months feature, origins will also include images, maps, graphs and other material to complement the essay. Iran in turn warns that it will begin increasing its. Yet to the average american the name iran probably conjures up an image of a remote and upstart country inhabited by a people whose religious fanaticism is matched only by the intensity of their disdain for the united states and its values, who speak an obscure tongue called farsi. Early history to the zand dynasty iran has a long and rich history. You may search or browse a small part of inventory of persian and english language books about iran. We have been selling persian and english books about iran since 1979. A masterfully researched and compelling history of iran from 1501 to 2009 this history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. This period was followed by the conquest of alexander the great from greece and the. The medes unified iran as a nation and empire in 625 bc.
It is situated at a strategic juncture in the middle east region of south west asia. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Iran is home to one of the worlds oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 bc. This final volume of the cambridge history of iran covers the period from 1722 to 1979. Negotiations with iran, especially, will not be easy under any circumstances, but i suspect that they might be somewhat less difficult if the nuclearweapon states could show that their requests are part of a broader effort to lead the world, including themselves, toward nuclear disarmament. Michael axworthy, a former british foreign service officer and a lecturer in arabic and islamic studies at the university of exeter.
For a detailed description of the persian empire, see persia. After the successful launch of the irgcs first military satellite, the isa irans civilian space agency has announced the start of construction on payam 2, the. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of y. This history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the islamic republic. It unquestionably is a distinguished reference for those looking for a beautifully written narrative of contemporary history of iran. The range of mages publications on persian history is also long and goes from an sixteenpage fold out that covers the landmarks of persian history from ancient times to the arrival of the islamic republic of iran. Beginning in the reign of nadir shah, it traces the establishment of the qajar dynasty and the rise and fall of the pahlavi autocracy. A decade of diplomatic activity and intermittent iranian engagement with the. With iran again the focus of the worlds attention, a history of iran is an essential guide to understanding this volatile nation. However, because i couldnt flag it for the reasons allowed, i just wanted to leave a couple of comments hoping that the copy would be fixed. In revolutionary iran, michael axworthy guides us through recent iranian history from shortly before the 1979 islamic revolution through the summer of 2009, when iranians poured into the streets of tehran by the hundreds of thousands, demanding free, democratic government.
Here is the best place for presenting rare, old, new and precious titles to buy them through the earth biggest persian online bookstore. His approach is sensitive and generally evenhanded, reflecting an interest in iran that in places borders on reverence. What you see on our site is only a fraction of the books we have available. This book is a major contribution to the scholarship on the fortyfiveyear history of the sarbadar dynasty. With almost three thousand years of history, iran is home to one of the worlds richest and most complex cultures. He spoke to penn today about the countries historical relationship and what led to the current situation. Empire of the mind covers 3,000 years of iranian history in less than 300 pages. By 5000 bce, persia hosted sophisticated agriculture and early cities. Iran, a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of southwestern asia. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Ancient history persian empire documentary youtube. A history of modern iran in a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discoveryofoil,imperialinterventions,theruleofthepahlavis,and,in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. They cost a lot though in both ebook and hardcopy formats.
Like any history that tries to pack so much time into so few pages, eotm suffers from being too brisk and therefore a little confusing at times. The history of iran presented in her book is not exactly objective but no matter, these books are funny and moving. Michael axworthys excellent 2008 a history of iran. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. A history of iran eotm by michael axworthy was a comprehensive history of iran right from around 2000 bce to the present. A history of modern iran goes through the modern history of iran in very clear, very understandable language without, unlike most books about the topic, having to rely on hearsay, unverified accounts or personal or politically motivated interpretations of event. He always writes very interesting things about the social and political history of the country and this book is actually a collection of essays that he has written on the islamic revolution and its aftermath. John ghazvinian, interim director of the middle east center and an expert on iranu. Brief overview of the history of iran throughout much of early history, the land known today as iran was known as the persian empire. Kamin mohammadis top 10 iranian books books the guardian. Behind them are portraits of khomeini and khamenei.
A modern history by abbas amanat, paperback barnes. List of books and articles about iranian history online. The domination of the sunni creed during the first nine islamic centuries characterized the religious history of iran during this period. Finally, the rivers of iran, racing swiftly through. The books greatest achievement is that it helps the reader to straightforwardly navigate historical events since late nineteenth century that have shaped todays iran. Molavi has a keen and nuanced view of iran, and his book introduces the general reader not only to irans contemporary history and the struggles of its people, but to the texture of the culture. Some of the worlds most ancient settlements have been excavated in the caspian region and on the iranian plateau. Drawing on historical and archaeological evidence, this fascinating documentary by dr. Farzin rezaeian reconstructs 7,000 years of iranian history. From them also, thrust up in the wake of the volcanic activity of late pliocene times, came diorite and obsidian, both highly prized in antiquity. Your first book is khomeinism by ervand abrahamian yes, abrahamian is one of the leading historians of modern iran. I ranib ook is the first and best iranian online bookshop, supply, and great source of persian farsi books. The us accuses iran of a clandestine nuclear weapons programme, which iran denies.
The first great dynasty in iran was the achaemenid which ruled from 550 to 330 bc. The dynasty came to power in fourteenthcentury khurasan when the ilkhanid government of northeastern iran, after the death of abu said, had disintegrated into several local domains. The clergys revenge a modern history of iran books. In his new book he presents the past five centuries of irans history. The best books on iranian history five books expert. I second quora users opinion and highly recommend the cambridge history of iran series. The iranian revolution past, present and future chapter 1 the historical background iran is one of the worlds oldest countries. Iranian children at the celebration of the islamic revolution. The history of iran starts with the achaemenid empire, which began in the 6th century bce c. Iran history, middle eastern history, books barnes.
Abbas amanat is an authority on iranian culture and political history. During the eight years between iraqs formal declaration of war on september 22, 1980, and irans acceptance of a ceasefire with effect on july 20, 1988, at the very least half a million and. Currently subject to an islamic republican system, iran is characterized by many distinct historical stages and fluctuations. But iran, or persia, as it was called until 1935, was once the secondlargest empire on earth, and it has played an important role in the world since ancient times.
It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped. In each issue of origins, an academic expert will analyze a particular current issue political, cultural, or social in a larger, deeper context. The earliest archaeological findings from persia date to the paleolithic era, 100,000 years ago. Axworthy explains how that outpouring of support for an end to tyranny in iran paused and then moved on to other areas in. Shahnameh tells the legendary stories of preislamic iran. A captivating guide to the persian empire and history of iran, starting from the achaemenid empire, through the parthian, sasanian and safavid empire to the afsharid and qajar dynasty. The islamic conquest of persia 633656 and the end of the sassanid empire was a. Abbas amanat combines chronological and thematic approaches, exploring events with lasting implications for modern iran and the world. History and literature sociology novel psychology women glossary publications policy. The history of iran as laid on the table by axworthy was a fun and engaging read, from the times of cyrus all the way to the modern islamic republic, this book is an excellent introduction into the basics of iran and what makes the country what it is. History of iran simple english wikipedia, the free. The heart of the persian empire of antiquity, iran has long played an important role in the region as an imperial power and as a factor in superpower rivalries. A history of modern iran cambridge university press.