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Welcome to Iran's Portal
به درگاه سرزمین ایران خوش آمدید
Iran, (Persian: ايران, Īrān; pronunciation: [iːˈɾɒn]), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ايران, transliteration: Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Īrān), formerly known internationally as Persia, is a country in Western Asia. The 18th largest country in the world, Iran is approximately the size of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Germany combined and has a population of over 75 million people. Iran borders Armenia, Azerbaijan, to the north-west, Russia and Kazakhstan through the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the north-east, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, and Turkey and Iraq to the west. In addition, it borders the Persian Gulf, an important oil-producing area, and the Caspian sea. Shi'a Islam is the official state religion and Persian the official language. The political system of Iran comprises several intricately connected governing bodies and is based on the 1979 Constitution. The highest state authority is the Supreme Leader, currently served by Ali Khamenei.
Iran has one of the oldest histories in the world, extending more than 5000 years, and throughout history, Iran has been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia and Western Asia. Iran is a founding member of the UN, NAM, OIC, OPEC, and ECO. Iran as a major regional power occupies an important position in the world economy due to its substantial reserves of petroleum and natural gas, and has considerable regional influence in Western Asia. The name Iran is a cognate of Aryan and literally means "Land of the Aryans."
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The Byzantine–Seljuq Wars were a series of decisive battles that shifted the balance of power in Asia Minor and Syria from the Byzantine Empire to the Seljuq Turks. Riding from the steppes of Central Asia, the Seljuq Turks replicated tactics practiced by the Huns hundreds of years earlier against a similar Roman opponent but now combining it with new-found Islamic zeal; in many ways, the Seljuq Turks resumed the conquests of the Muslims in the Byzantine–Arab Wars initiated by the Rashidun, Umayyad and Abassid Caliphate in the Levant, North Africa and Asia Minor. Today, the Battle of Manzikert is widely seen as the moment when the Byzantines lost the war against the Turks; however the Byzantine military was of questionable quality before 1071 with regular Turkish incursions overrunning the failing theme system. Even after Manzikert, Byzantine rule over Asia Minor did not end immediately, nor were any heavy concessions levied by the Turks on their opponents — it took another 20 years before the Turks were in control of the entire Anatolian peninsula and not for long either. During the course of the war, the Seljuq Turks and their allies attacked the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt, capturing Jerusalem and catalyzing the call for the First Crusade. Crusader assistance to the Byzantine Empire was mixed with treachery and looting, although substantial gains were made in the First Crusade. Within a hundred years of Manzikert, the Byzantines had (with Crusader assistance) successfully driven back the Turks from the coasts of Asia Minor and extended their influence right down to Palestine and even Egypt. Later, the Byzantines were unable to extract any more assistance, and the Fourth Crusade even led to the sack of Constantinople. Before the conflict petered out, the Seljuqs managed to take more territory from the weakened Empire of Nicaea until the Sultanate itself was taken over by the Mongols, leading to the rise of the ghazis and the conclusive Byzantine–Ottoman wars.
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Darius I (
Persian:
داريوش بزرگ ,
Old Persian:
Dārayava(h)uš; 550–486 BCE) was the third king of the
Achaemenid Empire. Also called
Darius the Great, he ruled the empire at its peak, when it included much of
West Asia, the
Caucasus,
Central Asia, parts of the
Balkans (
Bulgaria-
Romania-
Panonia), portions of north and northeast Africa including
Egypt (Mudrâya), eastern
Libya, coastal
Sudan,
Eritrea, as well as most of
Pakistan, the
Aegean Islands and northern
Greece/
Thrace-
Macedonia. Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing the alleged
magus usurper of
Bardiya with the assistance of six other Persian noble families; Darius was
crowned the following morning. The new king met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time. A major event in Darius's life was his expedition to punish
Athens and
Eretria for their aid in the
Ionian Revolt and subjugate
Greece. Darius expanded his empire by conquering
Thrace and
Macedon and invading
Scythia, home of the Scythians, nomadic tribes who invaded
Media and had previously killed
Cyrus the Great. Darius organized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing
satraps to govern it. He organized a new uniform monetary system, along with making
Aramaic the official language of the empire. Darius also worked on construction projects throughout the empire, focusing on
Susa,
Pasargadae,
Persepolis,
Babylon and
Egypt. Darius devised a codification of laws for
Egypt. He also had the cliff-face
Behistun Inscription carved, an autobiography of great modern
linguistic significance. Darius also started many massive
architectural projects, including magnificent palaces in
Persepolis and
Susa.
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