Knowledge Base

Modern nation-state and continuous civilization on the Iranian plateau; called 'Persia' in the West until 1935.

Ceremonial capital of the Achaemenids, founded by Darius I in 518 BCE; UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1979.

Safavid capital from 1598; home to Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the second-largest historic public square on Earth.

Chahar bagh — fourfold paradise garden — the prototype that influenced Mughal, Andalusian and Mediterranean garden design. 9 inscribed by UNESCO.

27 World Heritage Sites as of 2023 — 10th-most of any country — including Persepolis, Isfahan, Pasargadae, Bam and the Persian Qanat.

First multi-ethnic world empire (550–330 BCE), founded by Cyrus the Great, ended by Alexander of Macedon.

Last pre-Islamic Iranian empire (224–651 CE); rival of Rome and Byzantium, custodian of Zoroastrianism and Pahlavi script.

Iranian New Year on the spring equinox; UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, celebrated by ~300 million people across the Iranian cultural sphere.

Founder of the Achaemenid Empire (r. 559–530 BCE); author of the Cyrus Cylinder, often cited as the first charter of human rights.

10th-century poet, author of the Shahnameh — the 50,000-couplet national epic of Iran.

14th-century lyric poet from Shiraz; the Divan of Hafez is consulted for divination in Iranian households.

13th-century Sufi poet; the Masnavi is one of the most read works of Persian literature worldwide.

11th-century polymath: poet of the Rubaiyat, astronomer of the Jalali calendar (more accurate than the Gregorian), and algebraist.

9th-century Persian mathematician whose name gave us 'algorithm' and whose book gave us 'algebra' (al-jabr).

Persian physician–philosopher (980–1037); the Canon of Medicine was a standard European medical text into the 17th century.

Persian physician (854–925); discovered alcohol and sulfuric acid, first clinical account of smallpox vs measles.

Iranian mathematician (1977–2017), first woman and first Iranian to win the Fields Medal (2014).

Indo-European language spoken by ~110 million across Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan; a continuous literary tradition for 1,200 years.

Pre-Islamic Iranian religion founded by Zarathustra; state religion under the Achaemenids and Sasanians; surviving communities in Yazd and Mumbai (Parsis).

Clay cylinder (539 BCE) recording Cyrus's decree on Babylon — religious tolerance and the return of displaced peoples. Replica at UN HQ.

Hand-knotted woollen and silk rugs; the Ardabil Carpet (1539–40) is among the world's most famous textiles.

Underground aqueduct invented in Iran ~3,000 years ago, exported across the Islamic world to Spain and onward to the Americas.

Contemporary Iran — cinema (Kiarostami, Farhadi), Fields Medal (Mirzakhani), Nobel Peace Prize (Ebadi), and a young, highly literate population.

Global Iranian community of ~5 million; major centres in Los Angeles ('Tehrangeles'), Toronto, London, Berlin and the Gulf.