User:Auhsoj/Persia

Imperial State of Persia کشور شاهنشاهی ایران (Persian) Keshvar-e Shāhanshāhi-ye Irân
Flag of Auhsoj/Persia Flag Emblem of Auhsoj/Persia Emblem
Anthem:  Ey Iran ای ایران "O Persia"
Capital and largest city	Soltaniyeh
Official languages	Persian
Recognised regional languages	Afshar Aghul Arabic Armenian Avar Assyrian Azerbaijani Baloch Chaldean Chechen Dargwa Dzungar Georgian Gilaki Kumyk Kurdish Lak Lezgian Lurish Mandaic Mazandarani Pashto Qashqai Rutul Semnani Tabasaran Talysh Tati Turkmen Udi
Religion	Islam (Twelver Shia)
Demonym(s)	Persians
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Shah	Haydar
• Chancellor	Mehdi Hashemi
Establishment
• Achaemenid dynasty (first dynasty)	550 bc
• Afsharid dynasty (current dynasty)	1736
Population
• 2018 estimate	148,588,224 (TBD)
• 2015 census	141,791,800 (TBD)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$3.868 trillion (TBD)
• Per capita	$26,032 (TBD)
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$1.880 trillion (TBD)
• Per capita	$12,658 (TBD)
Gini (2019)	35.3 medium
HDI (2019)	0.813 very high
Currency	Persian rial (﷼) (PER)
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (Persian Standard Time)
Date format	yyyy/mm/dd (SH)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+98
ISO 3166 code	IR
Internet TLD	.ir ایران.

Persia (Persian: ایران, translit. Irân), officially known as the Persian Empire (Persian: کشور شاهنشاهی ایران‎, translit. Keshvar-e Shāhanshāhi-ye Irân), is a sovereign state in Western Asia. It is the nth-most populous country with a population of over 145 million people. By area, it is the nth-largest country, spanning tbd square kilometers (tbd square miles). Persia is bordered to the northwest by Turkey and Georgia; to the north by Russia, the Caspian Sea, and Kazakhstan; to the northeast by Uzbekistan; to the east by Afghanistan; to the southeast by Pakistan; to the south by the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf; to the southwest by Saudi Arabia; and to the west by Syria. The country's central location in Eurasia and its close proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, gives it vast geostrategic importance. Persia's capital, Soltaniyeh is the largest city in Western Asia; other major urban centers include Baghdad, Isfahan, Mashhad, Kuwait, and Tabriz.

The region between the Tigris and the Euphrates, historically known as Mesopotamia, has been home to successive civilizations since the sixth millennium BCE and is often referred to as the cradle of civilization. It was there that mankind first began to read, write, create laws, and live in cities under an organized government. The area has also been home to various early empires, such as those of the Akkadians, Sumerians, Elamites, Assyrians, and Babylonians. Persia was first unified in the sixth century BCE by Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Stretching from the Bosporus to the Indus, it became the largest state to ever exist in the world at that time. The empire eventually fell to Alexander the Great, but reemerged shortly after as the Parthian Empire, followed by the Sasanian Empire in the third century, which became a leading world power for the next four hundred years.

Exhausted by continuous war and civil strife, Persia was subjugated by the Rashidun Caliphate, leading to the gradual replacement of Zoroastrianism with Islam. Persia contributed greatly to the Islamic Golden Age, producing many influential figures in art, science, and philosophy. Following the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate, Persia was ruled by various native dynasties, such as the Samanids and Buyids, prompting a revival in Persian culture and tradition. However, the region was conquered by the Seljuk Turks in the eleventh century, and soon after by the Mongols.

In the dawn of the sixteenth century, the rise of the Safavids led to the reestablishment of a unified Persian state and national identity. The country's conversion to Shia Islam occurred during this period, marking a significant turning point in both Persian and Islamic history. During the reign of Nader Shah, Persia attained its greatest extent since the Sassanian Empire, reasserting the country as an influential power in the region. Nader's descendants, the Afsharids, still rule Persia as the current dynasty; the second-longest in Persian history.

Etymology

The name Persia is derived from the writings of Greek historians, who referred to the entire country as Persis, though it originally denoted what is today defined as Fars. As the most significant power at the time was the Achaemenid Empire, the term persisted, even long after the conclusion of the Greco-Persian Wars. Persians refer to their own country as Irân (ایران), which derives directly from Middle Persian Ērān (𐭠𐭩𐭥𐭠𐭭), meaning "of the Iranians". This term is ultimately a derivative of Proto-Indo-Iranian *áryas, meaning "Aryan", the self-designation of the Indo-Iranians.

History

Prehistory

Across the Zagros Mountains, findings at Shanidar Cave and Warwasi, reveal a Neanderthal presence dating to the Middle Paleolithic. Humans have inhabited the region since the Lower Paleolithic, evidenced by artifacts unearthed at sites such as Kashafrud and Ganj Par in northern Persia. By the tenth millennium BC, primitive agricultural communities began flourishing in the western Zagros, including Choga Golan, Choga Bonut, and Choga Mish. In the following millennia, surrounding areas were dominated by a series of material cultures, each of which showed an ever-increasing advancement in agriculture, architecture, and tool-making. Eridu was the first city of its kind in the region, requiring complex irrigation methods. The founding of Uruk and gradual development of Cuneiform in the fourth milennium marks the emergence of Sumer as one of the earliest civilizations in the world.

Ancient

Main articles: Akkadian Empire, Neo-Assyrian Empire, Neo-Babylonian Empire, Achaemenid Empire, Seleucid Empire, Parthian Empire, and Sasanian Empire

Postclassical

Main articles: Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Saffarids, Samanids, Buyids, Seljuk Empire, Khwarezmid Empire, Ilkhanate, Timurid Empire, and Aq Qoyunlu

Modern

Shah Ismail I, founder of modern Persia. Portrait by Cristofano dell'Altissimo kept at the Uffizi.

Demographics

Education

Main article: Education in Persia