Encyclopaedia of Persia

Both Persia and Iran are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, Iran is the name used officially in political contexts. The name Iran is a cognate of Aryan, and means “Land of the Aryans. Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations. The first Iranian dynasty formed during the Elamite kingdom in 2800 BC. The Iranian Medes unified Iran into an empire in 625 BC. They were succeeded by the Iranian Achaemenid Empire, the Hellenic Seleucid Empire and two subsequent Iranian empires, the Parthians and the Sassanids, before the Muslim conquest in 651 AD. Iranian post-Islamic dynasties and empires expanded the Persian language and culture throughout the Iranian plateau. Early Iranian dynasties which re-asserted Iranian independence included the Tahirids, Saffarids, Samanids and Buyids. The blossoming of Persian Literature, Philosophy, Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics and Art became major elements of Muslim civilization. Iranian identity continued despite foreign rule in the ensuing centuries and the rich and vibrant Persian culture was adopted also by the Ghaznavids, Seljuq, Ilkhanid and Timurid rulers. The Encyclopaedia of Persia is a contribution towards the better knowledge of the TOPOGRAPHY, ETHNOLOGY, RESOURCES, and HISTORY OF PERSIA.