Examine individual changes

'{{About|Persians|the usage of Persian people as a pan-ethnic group designating the people of modern [[Iran]] (Persia)|Iran}} {{pp-semi-sock|small=yes}} {{Infobox ethnic group |group = Persians <br/> <small>{{lang|fa|پارسیان}}</small> <br/> <small>Pārsiān</small> STUPID AFGHANIS ARE NOT PERSIANS. IDIOT AFGHOONIS STOP ARTICLES FOR US IRANIANS. YOU INERIORITY COMPLEXED BASTARDS |rawimage = &#32; {{(!}} border="0" align="center" style="text-align: center;" {{!}}- {{!}} [[File:Olympic Park Cyrus-2.png|60x70px]] {{!}} [[File:Kermanshah-bisotoun inscription.jpg|60x70px]] {{!}} [[File:Ardashir I's Coin.png|60x70px]] {{!}} [[File:Shapur I.JPG|60x70px]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[Cyrus the Great]] {{!}} [[Darius I]] {{!}} [[Ardashir I]] {{!}} [[Shapur I]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[File:Persian Khwarazmi ir.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Al-RaziInGerardusCremonensis1250.JPG|60x65px]] STUPID AFGHANIS ARE NOT PERSIANS. WANNABE IRAN OBSESSED BASTARDS {{!}} [[File:Statue of Ferdowsi in Rome.JPG|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Biruni-russian.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī|Al-Khwarizmi]] {{!}} [[Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi|Rhazes]] {{!}} [[Ferdowsi]] {{!}} [[Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī|Biruni]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[File:Avicenna TajikistanP17-20Somoni-1999 (cropped).png|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Omar Khayyam Profile.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Al Ghazzali illustration.gif|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Nizami Rug Crop.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[Avicenna]] {{!}} [[Omar Khayyám|Khayyam]] {{!}} [[Al-Ghazali]] {{!}} [[Nizami Ganjavi]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[File:Al-Tusi Nasir.jpeg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Molana.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Sadi in a Rose garden.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Mohammad Shams al-Din Hafez.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}}- {{!}} <small>[[Nasir al-Din al-Tusi|Nasir ud-Din Tusi]]</small> {{!}} [[Rumi]] {{!}} [[Saadi Shirazi|Saadi]] {{!}} [[Hafez]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[File:Kiarostami-1940.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Mohamdreza Shajarian.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Attar's statue - Nishapur 02 - 2012-02-25.JPG|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:AnoushehAnsari.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[Abbas Kiarostami]] {{!}} [[Mohammad-Reza Shajarian]] {{!}} [[Attar of Nishapur]] {{!}} [[Anousheh Ansari]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[File:Pomidyarji.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Leila Hatami Cannes 2013.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Nazanin Afshin-Jam - TEDx Vancouver 2010 - West Vancouver, BC4.jpg|60x65px]] {{!}} [[File:Aravane Rezai 2010 (cropped).jpg|60x65px]] {{!}}- {{!}} [[Pierre Omidyar]] {{!}} [[Leila Hatami]] {{!}} [[Nazanin Afshin-Jam]] {{!}} [[Aravane Rezaï]] {{!)}} |population = [[Circa|ca.]] 90 million |region1 = {{flagcountry|Iran}} |pop1 = 49,312,834 (61–65% of total population) |ref1 =<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Fact Book – Iran|author=United States Central Intelligence Agency(CIA)|publisher=CIA|accessdate=May 15, 2011|date=April 28, 2011|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html}}</ref><ref>Library of Congress, Library of Congress – Federal Research Division. "Ethnic Groups and Languages of Iran". http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Iran.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-02.</ref> |region2 = {{flagcountry|Afghanistan}} |pop2 = 8,592,168<small> |ref2 = <ref name=CIA-af>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html|title= Afghanistan| accessdate = 2011-07-23|date= July 2011|publisher= United States Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref> |region4 = {{flagcountry|Tajikistan}} |pop4 = 6,360,694<small> |ref4 = <ref name="CIA-tj">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ti.html#People |title= Tajikistan| accessdate = 2007-12-26|date= December 13, 2007|publisher= United States Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref> |region5 = {{flagcountry|Uzbekistan}} |pop5 = 1,406,430-3,000,000 |ref5 = <ref name="CIA-uz">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uz.html#People |title= Uzbekistan| accessdate = 2007-12-26|date= December 13, 2007|publisher= United States Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref><ref name=Foltz>[[Richard Foltz]], "The Tajiks of Uzbekistan", ''Central Asian Survey'', 15(2), 213–216 (1996).</ref> |region6 = {{flagcountry|Turkey}} |pop6 = 618,000 |ref6= <ref>{{cite web|title=Persian in Turkey|url=http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14371/TU|publisher=[[Joshua Project]]|accessdate=26 August 2014}}</ref> |region7 = {{flagcountry|Iraq}} |pop7 = 405,000<!-- A significant part of the population of Karbala, Najaf, Baghdad, and other Iraqi cities are of Persian ancestry. The figure could be much higher. --> |ref7= <ref>{{cite web|title=Iraq – People Groups|url=http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php?rog3=IZ|publisher=[[Joshua Project]]|accessdate=21 September 2011}}</ref> |region8 = {{flagcountry|USA}} |pop8 = 331,000 |ref8 = <ref name="farsinet"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranian.com/Diaspora/2004/January/USA/index.html |title=Iranian-American stats, Phyllis McIntosh |publisher=The Iranian |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref><ref>This figure only includes Tajiks from Afghanistan. The population of people from Afghanistan in the United States is estimated as 80,414 (2005), Of which 65% are estimated to be Tajiks. {{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-reg=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201:501;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR:501;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T:501;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR:501&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-TABLE_NAMEX=&-ci_type=A&-redoLog=true&-charIterations=045&-geo_id=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en|author=United States Census Bureau|title=US demographic census|accessdate=2008-01-23}} [http://www.cal.org/co/afghan/apeop.html Robson, Barbara and Lipson, Juliene (2002) "Chapter 5(B)- The People: The Tajiks and Other Dari-Speaking Groups"] ''The Afghans – their history and culture'' Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C., [http://worldcat.org/oclc/56081073 OCLC 56081073].</ref> |region9 = {{flagcountry|Israel}} |pop9 = 250,000 |ref9 = <ref name="Iranian Israelis">{{cite web|author=|url=http://www.jpost.com/Iranian-Threat/News/Why-are-people-going-to-Iran|title=Why are people going to Iran?|publisher=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|accessdate=2013-08-19}}</ref> |region10 = {{flagcountry|United Arab Emirates}} |pop10 = 238,250 |ref10 = <ref name="Pashto in UAE">{{cite web |author=|url=http://www.britannica.com/new-multimedia/pdf/wordat207.pdf|title=United Arab Emirates: Demography|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online|work=Encyclopædia Britannica World Data|accessdate=2008-03-15}}</ref> |region11 = {{flagcountry|Germany}} |pop11 = 200,000 |ref11 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.persianwo.org/Disporia.htm |title=Persian World Outreach – '&#39;Persian-speaking people outside of Iran'&#39; |publisher=Persianwo.org |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref><ref name=TZ>[http://www2.gtz.de/migration-and-development/konferenz-2/english/afghans.htm GTZ: Migration and development – Afghans in Germany]: estimate for Tajiks based on total of 100,000 Afghans in Germany.</ref> |region12 = {{flagcountry|Canada}} |pop12 = 173,760 |ref12 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=92333&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=801&Temporal=2006&Theme=80&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF |title='&#39;2006 Canadian Census'&#39; |publisher=2.statcan.ca |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref><ref>This figure only includes Tajiks from Afghanistan. The population of people with descent from Afghanistan in Canada is 48,090 according to Canada's 2006 Census. Tajiks make up an estimated 33% of the population of Afghanistan. The Tajik population in Canada is estimated from these two figures. [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000 Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada].</ref> |region13 = {{flagcountry|Bahrain}} |pop13 = 172,000 |ref13 = <ref>{{cite web|title=Bahrain – People Groups|url=http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php?rog3=BA|publisher=[[Joshua Project]]|accessdate=21 September 2011}}</ref> |region14 = {{flagcountry|Russia}} |pop14 = 172,303 |ref14 =<ref name="farsinet">{{cite web|url=http://www.farsinet.com/pwo/diaspora.html |title=The Persian Diaspora, List of Persians and Persian Speaking Peoples living outside of Iran, Worldwide Outreach to Persians, Outreach to Muslims around the Globe |publisher=Farsinet.com |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref><ref name=census2002>{{cite web|url=http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/html/TOM_14_24.htm |title=2002 Russian census |publisher=Perepis2002.ru |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref> |region15 = {{flagcountry|Qatar}} |pop15 = 160,000 |ref15 = <ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pes |title=Ethnologue report for language code:pes |publisher=Ethnologue.com |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref> |languages = [[Persian language|Persian]] {{smaller|''(varieties of [[Dari language|Dari]], [[Hazaragi]], [[Tajik language|Tajiki]], [[Tat language (Caucasus)|Caucasian Tat]], and [[Judeo-Tat]])''}}, [[Luri]] |religions = Primarily [[Shiite Muslim]], also [[Sunni Muslims]], [[Sufi Muslim]]<br /> [[Irreligion]], [[Christianity]], [[Bahá'í]], [[Judaism]], [[Zorastrianism]] | related = [[Iranian peoples]] }} The '''Persian people'''<ref name="Congress">{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Iran.pdf |title=Ethnic Groups and Languages of Iran |first=Library of Congress – Federal Research Division |last=Library of Congress|accessdate=2009-12-02}}</ref> ([[Persian language|Persian]]: پارسیان) are an [[Iranian peoples|Iranian people]] who speak the modern [[Persian language]]<ref>R. N. Fyre, "IRAN v. PEOPLES OF IRAN" in Encycloapedia Iranica, "The largest group of people in present-day Iran are Persians (*q.v.) who speak dialects of the language called Fārsi in Persian, since it was primarily the tongue of the people of Fārs."</ref> and closely related Iranian dialects and languages.<ref name="EIS">C.S. Coon, "Iran:Demography and Ethnography" in Encycloapedia of Islam, Volme IV, E.J. Brill, pp 10,8. Excerpt: "The Lurs speak an aberrant form of Archaic Persian" See maps also on page 10 for distribution of Persian languages and dialect</ref><ref name="Coughlin">Kathryn M. Coughlin, "Muslim cultures today: a reference guide," Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. pg 89: "...Iranians speak Persian or a Persian dialect such as Gilaki or Mazandarani"</ref> The term Persian translates to "from [[Persis]]" which is a region north of the [[Persian Gulf]] located in [[Fars Province|Pars]], Iran. It was from this region that [[Cyrus the Great]], the founder of the [[Achaemenid empire]], united all other Iranian empires (such as the [[Medes]]), and expanded the Persian cultural and social influences by incorporating the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylonian empire]], and the [[Lydian empire]]. Although not the first Iranian empire, the Achaemenid empire is the first Persian empire well recognized by Greek and Persian historians for its massive cultural, military and social influences going as far as Athens, Egypt, and Libya.<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Persians|author=Edward Farr|publisher=Robert Carter|year=1850|pages=124–7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ghwPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA124&dq=persian+persia&hl=en&ei=Ucr1TYrnO_Gn0AHhvJDtDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=persian%20persia&f=false}}</ref> Persians have generally been a pan-national group often comprising regional people who often refer to themselves as "Persians" and have also often used the term "Iranian" (in the ethnic-cultural sense){{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}. Some scholars, mechanically identifying the speakers of Persian as a distinct ethnic unit (the ‘Persians’), exclude those Iranians who speak dialects of Persian. However, this approach can be misleading, as historically all ethnic groups in Iran were collectively referred to as Iranians or Persians until 1935, when [[Rezā Shāh#Replacement of Persia with Iran|Rezā Shāh]] formally required foreign countries to call Persia by its native name, Iran.<ref name="Amanolahi"/> ==Terminology== The term Persia was adopted by all western languages through the Greeks and was used as an official name for Iran by the West until 1935. Due to that label, all Iranians were considered Persian. People who embraced the Persian language and culture are also often referred as Persian (as a part of the Persian civilization culturally and/or linguistically). ===Ancient history and origin=== {{main|Ancient Iranian peoples|Indo-Iranians|Proto–Indo-Europeans|Medes|Avesta|Achaemenid Empire|Parthian Empire|Sassanian Empire|Zoroastrianism}} [[File:Ancient Persian costumes.jpg|thumb|left|Costumes of an ancient Persian noblemen and soldiers.]] [[File:Moderniranianlanguagesmap.jpg|300px|thumb|right|350px|Geographic distribution of modern Iranian languages: Modern Persian (green) and other related Persian (some descendant of Middle Persian like Luri<ref>Don Stillo, "Isfahan-Provincial Dialetcs" in Encyclopedia Iranica, Excerpt: "While the modern SWI languages, for instance, Persian, Lori-Baḵtiāri and others, are derived directly from Old Persian through Middle Persian/Pahlavi"</ref> in Red) also shown in the map]] The origin of the ethnic Persian peoples are traced to the [[Ancient Iranian peoples]], who were part of the ancient [[Indo-Iranians]] and themselves part of the greater [[Indo-European]] language family. The [[Ancient Iranian peoples]] emerged in parts of the [[Iranian plateau]] circa 1000 BCE.<ref>a b Mallory 1989</ref> Important [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] tribes such as the Old Persians, [[Medes]], [[Parthians]], [[Sarmatians]], [[Alans]], [[Bactrians]], [[Scythians]], and the Avesta people used the name ''Arya'' (Iranian), which was a collective definition, denoting peoples who were aware of belonging to a generally common ethnic stock, speaking very closely related languages, and mainly sharing a religious tradition that centered on the worship of [[Ahura Mazda]].<ref name="Gnoli">GHERARDO GNOLI, "IRANIAN IDENTITY" in Encyclopaedia Iranica". Excerpt 1: " All this evidence shows that the name arya '''Iranian''' was a collective definition, denoting peoples (Geiger, pp. 167 f.; Schmitt, 1978, p. 31) who were aware of belonging to the one ethnic stock, speaking a common language, and having a religious tradition that centered on the cult of Ahura Mazdā.". Excerpt 2: "The inscriptions of Darius I (see DARIUS iii) and Xerxes, in which the different provinces of the empire are listed, make it clear that, between the end of the 6th century and the middle of the 5th century B.C.E., the Persians were already aware of belonging to the ariya “Iranian” nation (see ARYA and ARYANS). Darius and Xerxes boast of belonging to a stock which they call “Iranian”: they proclaim themselves “Iranian” and “of Iranian stock,” ariya and ariya čiça respectively, in inscriptions in which the Iranian countries come first in a list that is arranged in a new hierarchical and ethno-geographical order, compared for instance with the list of countries in Darius’s inscription at Behistun" Excerpt 3: "Although, up until the end of the Parthian period, Iranian identity had an ethnic, linguistic, and religious value, it did not yet have a political import. The idea of an “Iranian” empire or kingdom is a purely Sasanian one". Excerpt 4:"It was in the Sasanian period, then, that the pre-Islamic Iranian identity reached the height of its fulfilment in every aspect: political, religious, cultural, and linguistic (with the growing diffusion of Middle Persian). Its main ingredients were the appeal to a heroic past that was identified or confused with little-known Achaemenid origins (Yarshater, 1971; Daryaee, 1995), and the religious tradition, for which the Avesta was the chief source.". Also accessed online at: [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/iranian-identity-ii-pre-islamic-period] in May, 2011</ref> The Old Persians, who were one of these ethnic Iranian groups, were originally [[nomad]]ic, pastoral people in the western Iranian plateau and by 850 BCE were calling themselves the ''Parsa'' and their constantly shifting territory ''Parsua'' for the most part localized around [[Persis]] (Pars), bounded on the west by [[Tigris river]] and on the south by the [[Persian Gulf]].<ref name=book>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the ancient Greek world|author= David Sacks, Oswyn Murray, Lisa R. Brody|year=2005|publisher=Infobase Publishing|pages=256 (at the right portion of the page)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yyrao0dadqAC&pg=PA256&dq=perseus+father+of+persian&hl=en&ei=AQsyTYKdBIP98AbihayNCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=perseus%20father%20of%20persian&f=false}}</ref> The first known written record of the term ''Persian'' is from [[Assyria]]n inscriptions of the 9th century BCE, which mention both ''Parsuash'' and ''[[Parsua]]'' .<ref>Abdolhossein Zarinkoob "''Ruzgaran : tarikh-e Iran az aghaz ta soqut-e saltnat-e Pahlevi''" pp. 37</ref><ref>Bahman Firuzmandi "''Mad, Hakhamaneshi, Ashkani, Sasani''" pp. 155</ref> The [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] Persians and [[Medes]] were initially dominated by the [[Assyrian Empire]] for much of the first three centuries after arriving in the region. However, the Medes and Persians played a major role in the downfall of [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyria]], after it had been riven by internal civil war.<ref>F Leo Oppenheim – Ancient Mesopotamia</ref> These cognate words were taken from old Iranian ''Parsava'' and presumably meant ''border, borderland'' and were geographical designations for Iranian populations (who referred to themselves as Aryans as an ethnic designation or showing the nobility). Nonetheless, Parsua and Parsuash were two different geographical locations, the latter referring to southwestern Iran, known in [[Old Persian language|Old Persian]] as ''Pârsa'' (Modern Fars). The [[Greek people|Greeks]] (who tended earlier to use names related to "Median") began in the 5th century to use adjectives such as ''Perses'', ''Persica'' or ''Persis'' for [[Cyrus the Great]]'s empire,<ref>Liddell and Scott, Lexicon of the Greek Language, Oxford, 1882, p 1205</ref> which is where the word ''Persian '' in English comes from. In the later parts of the [[Bible]], where this kingdom is frequently mentioned (Books of [[Esther]], [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]], [[Ezra]] and [[Nehemya]]), it is called "Paras" (Hebrew פרס), or sometimes "Paras ve Madai" (פרס ומדי) i.e. "Persia and [[Medes|Media]]". As the Old Persians gained power, they developed the infrastructure to support their growing influence, including creation of a capital named [[Pasargadae]], and an opulent city named [[Persepolis]].<ref name=gov>{{cite book|title=Ancient cities: the archaeology of urban life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome|author=Charles Gates|publisher=Psychology Press|year=2003|page=186|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8aLb5pnm1j4C&pg=PA186&dq=persepolis+Cyrus+the+Great&hl=en&ei=1Bs0TeqkBMPflgeqp7CmCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=persepolis%20Cyrus%20the%20Great&f=false}}</ref> Starting around 550 BCE, from the region of [[Persis]] in southern [[Iran]], encompassing the present [[Fars Province|Fars province]], the [[Achaemenid Empire|ancient Persians]] spread their [[Old Persian language|language]] and culture to other parts of the [[Iranian plateau]] and assimilated and intermingled with local [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] and '[[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] non-Iranian' groups including the [[Elam]]ites, [[Gutians]] and [[Manneans]] over time.<ref name="Iran in Iranica">[http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v13f2/v13f2024i.html Lands of Iran] Encyclopedia Iranica (July 25, 2005) (retrieved 3 March 2008)</ref> Persians also interacted with other ancient civilizations in Europe and Africa. The first Persian empire extended as far as the limits of the Greek city states in modern-day mainland [[Greece]], where Persians and Athenians influenced each other in what is essentially a reciprocal cultural exchange.<ref>{{cite book|title=Athens and Persia in the Fifth Century BC: A Study in Cultural Receptivity|author=Margaret Christina Miller|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2004|page=243|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oGXMMD5rXBQC&pg=PA243&dq=importance+of+Achaemenid+in+Iranian+culture&hl=en&ei=Pd0cTbbbK4H_8Abg0rSpDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> At the same time, the Old Persians were part of the wider Ariya (Iranian nation);<ref name="Gnoli"/> Darius and Xerxes boast of belonging to a stock which they call “Iranian”: they proclaim themselves "Iranian" and "of Iranian stock," ariya and ariya čiça respectively, in inscriptions in which the Iranian countries come first in a list that is arranged in a new hierarchical and ethno-geographical order.<ref name="Gnoli"/> Until the Parthian era, Iranian identity had an ethnic, linguistic, and religious value, however it did not yet have a political import.<ref name="Gnoli"/> The [[Parthian language]], an important Iranian language, was spoken by the [[Parthians]] and is mutually intelligble with the Middle Persian language<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica: ""Middle Persian [Sassanian Pahlava] and Parthian were doubtlessly similar enough to be mutually intelligible." (Enc.Brit.vol.22,2003, p.627) [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbo=1&tbs=bks%3A1&q=Middle+Persianand+Parthian+were+doubtlessly+similar+enough+to+be+mutually+intelligible&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=]</ref> became an official language of the [[Parthian empire]]. The [[Parthian language]] had an important influence in the modern Persian language<ref name="Ammon"/> as well as other Iranian languages,<ref>Windfuhr, G. (1989), “New West Iranian,” R. Schmitt (ed.), Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum, Wiesbaden: 251-62.</ref><ref>• Asatrian, G. (1995), “Dimli”, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition.</ref> as well as a major influence on neighbouring [[Armenian language|Armenian]]. In the 1st century BCE, [[Strabo]] (''c.'' 64 BCE–24 CE) would note a relationship between the various Iranian peoples and their languages: "[From] beyond the [[Indus]] [...] [[Greater Iran|Ariana]] is extended so as to include some part of [[Fārs Province|Persia]], [[Medes|Media]], and the north of [[Bactria]] and [[Sogdiana]]; for these nations speak nearly the same language." (''[[Geographica (Strabo)|Geography]]'', 15.2.1–15.2.8<ref>{{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=H. C. & W. Falconer|title=The Geography of Strabo. Literally translated, with notes|volume=3|year=1903|location=London|publisher=George Bell & Sons}} p. 125. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0239:book=15:chapter=2:section=1 (''Geography'' 15.2)]</ref>) He mentions the [[Cyrtians]], the plausible ancestors of the modern [[Kurdish people|Kurds]] as one of the Persian tribes. [[Cyrtians]], the generally accepted progenitors of the [[Kurds]] and [[Lurs]] might already have been significantly scattered in the [[Zagros]] from Persis into Media.<ref>{{cite web | first= C. J. | last= BRUNNER | title= IRAN, v(2). Pre-Islamic Period | url= http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v13f3/v13f3004b.html | work= Center for Iranian Studies, Encyclopædia Iranica | publisher= Columbia University | location= New York |date=May 2006 | accessdate= 2009-05-09}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first= Rüdiger | last= Schmitt | title= CYRTIANS | url= http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v6f5/v6f5a025.html | work= Center for Iranian Studies, Encyclopædia Iranica | publisher= Columbia University | location= New York | accessdate= 2009-05-09 }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> During [[Sassanian Empire|Sassanian Iran]], a national culture, fully aware of being "Iranian" took shape and was partially motivated by the restoration and the revival of the wisdom of the “sages of old,” dānāgān pēšēnīgān.<ref name="Gnoli"/> Other aspects of this national culture included the glorification of a great heroic past and an archaizing spirit.<ref name="Gnoli"/> Throughout the period, the [[pre-Islamic Iran]]ian identity reached its height in every aspect: political, religious, cultural and even linguistic.<ref name="Gnoli"/> In terms of linguistic, [[Middle Persian]], which is the immediate ancestor of Modern Persian<ref name="Ammon">Ulrich Ammon, Norbert Dittmar, Klaus J. Mattheier, Peter Trudgill, "Sociolinguistics Hsk 3/3 Series Volume 3 of Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society", Walter de Gruyter, 2006. 2nd edition. pg 1912. Excerpt: "Middle Persian, also called Pahlavi is a direct continuation of old Persian, and was used as the written official language of the country." "However, after the Moslem conquest and the collapse of the Sassanids, Arabic became the dominant language of the country and Pahlavi lost its importance, and was gradually replaced by Dari, a variety of Middle Persian, with considerable loan elements from Arabic and Parthian."</ref><ref>Skjærvø, Prods Oktor (2006). Encyclopedia Iranica,"Iran, vi. Iranian languages and scripts, "new Persian, is "the descendant of Middle Persian" and has been "official language of Iranian states for centuries", whereas for other non-Persian Iranian languages "close genetic relationships are difficult to establish" between their different (Middle and Modern) stages. Modern Yaḡnōbi belongs to the same dialect group as Sogdian, but is not a direct descendant; Bactrian may be closely related to modern Yidḡa and Munji (Munjāni); and Wakhi (Wāḵi) belongs with Khotanese."</ref><ref>[[Gilbert Lazard]]: The language known as New Persian, which usually is called at this period (early Islamic times) by the name of Dari or Farsi-Dari, can be classified linguistically as a continuation of Middle Persian, the official religious and literary language of Sassanian Iran, itself a continuation of Old Persian, the language of the Achaemenids. Unlike the other languages and dialects, ancient and modern, of the Iranian group such as Avestan, Parthian, Soghdian, Kurdish, Balochi, Pashto, etc., Old Middle and New Persian represent one and the same language at three states of its history. It had its origin in Fars (the true Persian country from the historical point of view) and is differentiated by dialectical features, still easily recognizable from the dialect prevailing in north-western and eastern Iran. In Lazard, Gilbert 1975, "The Rise of the New Persian Language" in Frye, R. N., The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 4, pp. 595–632, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> and variety of other Iranian dialects, became the official language of the empire<ref name="Fortson">Benjamin W. Fortson, "Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction", John Wiley and Sons, 2009. pg 242: " Middle Persian was the official language of the Sassanian dynasty"</ref> and was greatly diffused amongst Iranians.<ref name="Gnoli"/> The intermingling of Persians, Medes, Parthians, [[Bactrians]] and indigenous people of Iran, including the [[Elam]]ites gained more ground and a homogeneous Iranian identity was created to the extent that all were just called Iranians/Persians irrespective of clannish affiliations and regional linguistic or dialectical alterities. The Elamite language may have survived as late as the early Islamic period. [[Ibn al-Nadim]] among other [[Origin of the name Khuzestan#Supporting documentation|medieval historians]], for instance, wrote that "The Iranian languages are Fahlavi (Pahlavi), Dari, Khuzi, Persian and Suryani", and [[Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa|Ibn Moqaffa]] noted that ''Khuzi'' was the unofficial language of the royalty of Persia, "Khuz" being the corrupted name for Elam. However the Elamite identity might have vanished already. Furthermore, the process of incomers' assimilation which had been started with the [[Alexander the Great|Greeks]], continued in the face of [[Islamic conquest of Persia|Arab]], [[Ilkhanate|Mongol]] and [[Ghaznavid Empire|Turkic]] invasions and proceeded right up to [[Islamization in Iran|Islamic times]].<ref name="Iran in Iranica" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranologie.com/history/history9.html |title=History of Iran |publisher=Iranologie.com |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref> ===Islamic era=== The term Persian continued to refer to various [[Ancient Iranian peoples|Iranian]] people including speakers of [[Khwarezmian language|Chorasmian Language]],<ref>For example, Abu Rayhan [[Biruni]], a native speaker of the Eastern Iranian language Khwarezmian mentions in his ''Āthār al-bāqiyah ʻan al-qurūn al-xāliyah'' that: "the people of [[Khwarizm]], they are a branch of the Persian tree." See: Abu Rahyan Biruni, ''"Athar al-Baqqiya 'an al-Qurun al-Xaliyyah"'' ("Vestiges of the past: chronology of ancient nations"), [[Tehran]], Miras-e-Maktub, 2001. Original Arabic of the quote: "و أما أهل خوارزم، و إن کانوا غصنا ً من دوحة الفُرس"(pg 56)</ref> old [[Tabari language]],<ref>The language used in the ancient [[Marzbānnāma]] was, in the words of the 13th-century historian [[Sa'ad ad-Din Warawini]], “ the language of Ṭabaristan and old, original Persian (''fārsī-yi ḳadīm-i bāstān'')”See: Kramers, J.H. "Marzban-nāma." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2007. Brill Online. 18 November 2007 <http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_SIM-4990></ref> [[Old Azari language]] ,<ref>The language of [[Tabriz]], being an Iranian language during the time of [[Qatran Tabrizi]], was not the standard Khurasani Parsi-ye Dari. Qatran Tabrizi(11th century) has an interesting [[couplet]] mentioning this fact: Mohammad-Amin Riahi. “Molehaazi darbaareyeh Zabaan-I Kohan Azerbaijan”(Some comments on the ancient language of Azerbaijan), ‘Itilia’at Siyasi Magazine, volume 181–182. Also available at: [http://www.azargoshnasp.net/languages/Azari/26.pdf] <br> بلبل به سان مطرب بیدل فراز گل <br> گه پارسی نوازد، گاهی زند دری <br> Translation:<br> The nightingale is on top of the flower like a minstrel who has lost her heart It bemoans sometimes in Parsi (Persian) and sometimes in Dari (Khurasani Persian)</ref> [[Laki language|Laki]] and [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] speakers.<ref>[[Mary Shiel|Lady (Mary) Shiel]] in her observation of Persia during the Qajar describes the Persian tribes and Koords/Laks identified themselves and were identified commonly as Old Persians. See: Shiel, Lady (Mary). Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia. London: John Murray, 1856. See:[http://bahai-library.com/shiel_glimpses_life_persia], excerpt:<br> The PERSIAN TRIBES. The tribes are divided into three races-Toorks, Leks, first are the invaders from Toorkistan, who, from time 'immemorial, have established themselves in Persia, and who still preserve their language. The Leks form the clans of genuine Persian blood, such as the Loors, BekhtiaTees, &c. To them might be added the Koords, as members of the Persian family; but their numbers in the dominions of the Shah are comparatively few, the greater part of that widely-spread people being attached to Turkey. Collectively the Koords are so numerous that they might be regarded as a nation divided into distinct tribes. Who are the Leks, and who are the Koords? This in- quiry I cannot solve. I never met any one in Persia, either eel or moolla, who could give the least elucidation of this question. All they could say was, that both these races were Foors e kadeem,-old Persians. They both speak dialects the greater part of which is Persian, bearing a strong resemblance to the colloquial language of the present day, divested of its large Arabic mixture. These dialects are not perfectly alike, though it is said that Leks and Koords are able to comprehend each other. One would be disposed to consider them as belonging to the same stock,. did they not both disavow the connection. A Lek will- admit that a Koord, like himself, is an 11 old Persian," but he denies that the families are identical, and a Koord views the question in the same light.</ref> The [[Iraqi people|Iraqi]] [[historian]] [[Al-Masudi|Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn Al-Masudi]] (896–956) also refers to various Persian dialects and the speakers of these various Persian dialects as Persian. While considering modern Persian (Dari) to be one of these dialects, he also mentions [[Pahlavi scripts|Pahlavi]] and Old Azari, as well as other Persian languages. Al-Masudi states:<ref>(Al Mas'udi, Kitab al-Tanbih wa-l-Ishraf, De Goeje, M.J. (ed.), Leiden, Brill, 1894, pp. 77–8). Original Arabic from www.alwaraq.net: فالفرس أمة حد بلادها الجبال من الماهات وغيرها وآذربيجان إلى ما يلي بلاد أرمينية وأران والبيلقان إلى دربند وهو الباب والأبواب والري وطبرستن والمسقط والشابران وجرجان وابرشهر، وهي نيسابور، وهراة ومرو وغير ذلك من بلاد خراسان وسجستان وكرمان وفارس والأهواز، وما اتصل بذلك من أرض الأعاجم في هذا الوقت وكل هذه البلاد كانت مملكة واحدة ملكها ملك واحد ولسانها واحد، إلا أنهم كانوا يتباينون في شيء يسير من اللغات وذلك أن اللغة إنما تكون واحدة بأن تكون حروفها التي تكتب واحدة وتأليف حروفها تأليف واحد، وإن اختلفت بعد ذلك في سائر الأشياء الأخر كالفهلوية والدرية والآذرية وغيرها من لغات الفرس.''</ref> {{quote box|The Persians are a people whose borders are the [[Medes|Mahat]] Mountains and [[Iranian Azerbaijan|Azarbaijan]] up to [[Armenia]] and [[Arran (Caucasus)|Arran]], and [[Beylagan Rayon|Bayleqan]] and [[Derbent|Darband]], and [[Rey, Iran|Ray]] and [[Mazandaran|Tabaristan]] and [[Caucasus|Masqat and Shabaran]] and [[Gorgan|Jorjan]] and Abarshahr, and that is [[Nishapur|Nishabur]], and [[Herat]] and [[Merv|Marv]] and other places in land of [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]], and [[Sistan|Sejistan]] and [[Kerman Province|Kerman]] and [[Fars Province|Fars]] and [[Khuzestan Province|Ahvaz]]... All these lands were once one kingdom with one sovereign and one language...although the language differed slightly. The language, however, is one, in that its letters are written the same way and used the same way in composition. There are, then, different languages such as [[Middle Persian|Pahlavi]], [[Persian language|Dari]], [[Old Azeri language|Azari]], as well as other Persian languages.<ref>{{cite book|author=Al Mas'udi|year=1894|title=Kitab al-Tanbih wa-l-Ishraf|editor=De Goeje, M.J.|publisher=Brill|pages=77–78|language=Arabic}}</ref>}} ===Modern era=== {| class="wikitable" style="border:1px #000; float:right;" |- ! Major Ethnic Groups of Iran |- |{{Iran Ethnic Groups Labelled Map|float=right}} |} The name "Persia" was the "official" name of Iran in the Western world before 1935, but Persian people inside their country since the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid]] period (226–651 CE) have called it "Iran".{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} Accordingly, the term "Persian" was used in the Western world as the people inhabiting Iran; for instance, [[Ramsay MacDonald]] (1866–1937), the [[Prime-Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]], and the British [[ambassador]] in Iran, [[Percy Loraine]], used ''Persian'' and ''Persian people'' to talk about the Iranian people and government.<ref>Ghani, Cyrus. Iran and the Rise of Reza Shah: From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power, 2001, p. 310, I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-629-8</ref> On 21 March 1935, the ruler of the country, [[Reza Shah Pahlavi]], issued a decree asking foreign delegates to use the term ''Iran'' in formal correspondence. From then on "Iranian" and "Persian" was applied interchangeably to the [[Demographics of Iran|population of Iran]]. It is still historically being used to designate predominant population<ref>{{cite web|title=Persian|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=Feb 6, 2011|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/662699/Persian}}</ref> of the [[Iranian people]] living in [[Iranian cultural continent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Persian |title=Persian entry in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2010-08-13 |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref><ref>The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition (2000). [http://www.bartleby.com/61/72/P0207200.html]</ref><ref>Bausani, Alessandro. The Persians, from the earliest days to the twentieth century. 1971, Elek. ISBN 978-0-236-17760-8</ref> ==Ethnicity== While a categorization of a "Persian" ethnic group persists in the West, Persians have generally been a pan-national group often comprising regional people who often refer to themselves as 'Persians' and have also often used the term "Iranian" (in the ethnic-cultural sense). As a pan-national group, defining Persians as an ethnic group, at least in terms used in the West, is not inclusive since the ethnonym "Persian" includes several Iranian people including the speakers of [[Modern Persian]]. Some scholars, classify the speakers of Persian language as a single ethnic unit (the ‘Persians’) and exclude those Iranians who speak dialects of Persian, or other Iranian dialects closely related to Persian;<ref name="Amanolahi">Amanolahi, Sekandar (2005), “A Note on Ethnicity and Ethnic Groups in Iran”, Iran and the Caucasus, vol. 9/1: 37–42. Quote:"Furthermore, some scholars, mechanically identifying the speakers of Persian as a distinct ethnic unit (the ‘Persians’), exclude those Iranians who speak dialects of Persian, or other Iranian dialects closely related to Persian.3 On the other hand, the Persian-speaking non-Iranian ethnic groups (such as, for instance, Arabs) are numbered as Persians. However, it is obvious that this approach to ethnicity in Iran is misleading, as historically all ethnic groups in Iran, including the ‘Persians’, irrespective of their origin, language, or religion were always referred to, collectively, as Iranians (Irani)."</ref> however this approach to ethnicity in Iran is erroneous, since the designation Iranian (Irani) as an ethnic term has been used by all these ethnic group in [[Iran]], including the "Persians" irrespective of their origin, language and religion.<ref name="Amanolahi"/> ==Sub-groups== {{Main|Iranian languages|Tājik people|Qizilbash|Ajam of Bahrain|Hola (ethnic group)|Lari people (Iran)|Hazara people|Farsiwan|Tat people (Iran)|Tat people (Caucasus)}} [[Iran]] is the homeland of ethnic-Persians. Persians (including Persian sub-groups) and Persian-speakers (other ethnic groups that have adopted Persian language) can also be found in [[Tajikistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Kuwait]], [[UAE]],<ref>{{cite web|year=2005|title=SociolinguistEssex X – 2005|publisher=[[Essex University]]|page=10|url=http://www.essex.ac.uk/langling/documents/slx/slx_x_programme.pdf}}</ref> [[Iraq]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Turkey]], [[Armenia]], [[Oman]], the [[Caucasus]], [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Uzbekistan]]. Like the Persians of Iran (Western Persians), the ''Tajiks'' (Eastern Persians) are descendants of various Iranian peoples, including Persians from Iran, as well as numerous invaders.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DwX-UTmC1GwC&pg=PA60#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan|page=60|first=Bradley |last=Mayhew |publisher=Lonely Planet|date= August 2007|accessdate=17 December 2011}}</ref> Tajiks and Farsiwan have a particular affinity with Persians in neighboring [[Khorasan Province|Khorasan]] due to historical interaction some stemming from the Islamic period. Scholars also include [[Iranian language]] speakers such as [[Lurs]],<ref name="EIS">C.S. Coon, "Iran:Demography and Ethnography" in Encycloapedia of Islam, Volume IV, E.J. Brill, pp 10,8. Excerpt: "The Lurs speak an aberrant form of Archaic Persian" See maps also on page 10.</ref> [[Talysh people|Talysh]], [[Gilak]], [[Mazandaranis]] and speakers of Central Iranian languages in Iran under the term Persian.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=LbcRAQAAMAAJ "Both Mazanderanis and Gilakis are of Persian origin and the differences between them and the Farsis are due to their isolation, behind the Elburz, and to climatic rather than racial conditions."]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=5RtuAAAAMAAJ "Although physically isolated from the Persian heartland by the high ranges of the Alborz Mountains, the Gilakis and the Mazanderanis are closely integrated into the overall Iranian mosaic."]</ref> Specifically, the Lurs speak an Archaic Persian language.<ref name="EIS"/> In addition, the [[Hazara people|Hazara]] and [[Aimak|Aimaq]] of Afghanistan are Persian-speaking communities of mixed [[Mongols|Mongol]],<ref>[url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1181978 Where West Meets East: The Complex mtDNA Landscape of the Southwest and Central Asian Corridor]</ref> [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] and [[Tajik people|Tajik]] origins. Other smaller ethnic groups of Persians includes the [[Lari people (Iran)|Lari people of Larestan]] (who are mostly Sunni Muslims) and the [[Qizilbash]] of Afghanistan who are related to the Farsiwan and [[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijanis]]. In the Caucasus, the [[Tat people (Caucasus)|Tats]] are concentrated in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and [[Russia]]n [[Dagestan]] and their origins are traced to [[Sassanids|Sassanid]] merchants who settled in the region. In the [[Indian subcontinent]] the [[Parsis]] are a distinct ethno-religious community that are descended from Persian (largely Khorasani) Zoroastrians. They are a [[Zoroastrian]] sect settled mainly in western India, centered around [[Gujarat]] and [[Mumbai]]. The [[Irani (India)|Iranis]], another small community in [[India]], are descended from more recent Persian Zoroastrian immigrants. ==History== {{See also|Persian Empire|History of Iran|History of Tajikistan|History of Azerbaijan|History of the Caucasus|History of Uzbekistan|History of Central Asia}} [[File:AchaemenidMapBehistunInscription.png|right|thumb|250px|[[Achaemenid Empire]] at its greatest extent.]] The Persians are descendants of the [[Aryan#Indo-Iranian|Aryan]] tribes that are believed to have migrated from [[Central Asia]] into what is now [[Iran]] in the second millennium BCE.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwwa.britannica.com/eb/article-230041?tocId=230041 |title=Iran :: Ethnic groups – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=.britannica.com |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref><ref name="EncWH">{{worldhistory|quote=The Medes and the Persians, c.1500-559|section=123}}</ref><ref>Bahman Firuzmandi "''Mad, Hakhamanishi, Ashkani, Sasani''" pp. 20</ref> It is well known that [[Darius I]] of [[Fars Province|Persia]] was himself [[Aryan]].<ref name="ReferenceA">R.G. Kent. Old Persian. Grammar, texts, lexicon. 2nd ed., New Haven, Conn.</ref> The [[Persian language]] and other [[Iranian languages|Iranian tongues]] emerged as these Aryan tribes split up into two major groups, the Persians and the [[Medes]], and intermarried with minority peoples [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] to the [[Iranian plateau]] such as the [[Elam]]ites.<ref name=Columbia>[http://www.bartleby.com/65/ir/Iran.html Iran. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001–05]</ref><ref>Bahman Firuzmandi "''Mad, Hakhamanishi, Ashkani, Sasani''" pp. 12–19</ref> The first mention of the Persians dates to the 9th century BCE, when they appear as the ''Parsu'' in [[Assyria]]n sources, as a people living at the southeastern shores of [[Lake Urmia]].{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} The ancient Persians from the province of [[Fārs Province|Pars]] became the rulers of a large empire under the [[Achaemenid dynasty]] (''Hakhamaneshiyan'') in the 6th century BCE, reuniting with the tribes and other provinces of the ancient Iranian plateau and forming the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Empire]]. Over the centuries Persia was ruled by various dynasties; some of them were ethnic Iranians including the [[Achaemenids]], [[Parthians]] (''Ashkanian''), [[Sassanid dynasty|Sassanids]] (''Sassanian''), [[Buwayhid]]s and [[Samanid]]s, and some of them were not, such as the [[Seleucid Dynasty|Seleucids]], [[Ummayyad]]s, [[Abbasid]]s, and [[Seljuk Turks]]. The founding dynasty of the empire, the Achaemenids, and later the [[Sassanids]], were from the southwestern region of [[Iran]], [[Fārs Province|Pars]]. The latter [[Parthia]]n dynasty arose from the north. However, according to archaeological evidence found in modern day Iran in the form of [[cuneiform]]s that go back to the Achaemenid era, it is evident that the native name of ''Parsa'' (Persia) had been applied to Iran from its birth.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9374964?query=Islamic%20conquest%20of%20Persia&ct= Persia – Britannica Concise Encyclopedia]</ref><ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5646/splendor1.html&date=2009-10-25+05:35:15 The Splendor of Persia: The Land and the People – by Robert Payne]</ref> ==Language== {{Main|Persian language|Iranian languages}} The Persian language is one of the world's oldest languages still in use today, and is known to have one of the most powerful literary traditions, with formidable Persian poets like [[Ferdowsi]], [[Hafiz Shirazi|Hafiz]], [[Khayyam]], [[Farid al-Din Attar|Attar]], [[Saadi (poet)|Saadi]], [[Nizami Ganjavi|Nizami]], [[Roudaki]], [[Rumi]] and [[Sanai]]. By native speakers it eventually came to be known as ''Fārsī'', which was the [[Arabic]] form of ''Parsi'' as there is no "P" sound in Arabic. Additionally, Persian was constitutionally renamed from Farsi to ''[[Dari language|Dari]]'' in Afghanistan during the 1960s. The dialect of Persian spoken in Tajikistan is called ''[[Tajik language|Tajiki]]''. "Persian" has historically referred to some [[Iranian languages]], however what today is referred to as the Persian language is part of the [[List of Western Iranian languages|Western group]] of the Iranian languages branch of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] language family. Today, speakers of the [[Western Persian|western dialect]] of Persian form the majority in Iran. The eastern dialect, also called Dari or Tajiki, forms majorities in [[Tajikistan]], and [[Afghanistan]],<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3717092.stm BBC News – ''Afghan poll's ethnic battleground'']</ref> and a large minority in [[Uzbekistan]]. Smaller groups of Persian-speakers are found in [[Iraq]], [[Russia]], [[Pakistan]] (by Hazaras in Balochistan), western [[China]] ([[Xinjiang]]), as well as in the [[UAE]], [[Bahrain]], [[Sweden]], [[Kuwait]], [[Oman]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and [[Azerbaijan]]. ==Religion== {{Main|Religion in Iran|Islam in Iran|Islam in Afghanistan|Islam in Tajikistan|Islam in Uzbekistan}} The Persian civilization spawned three major religions: [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Manichaeism]] (which heavily influenced [[Saint Augustine]] before he turned to [[Christianity]]), and the [[Bahá'í Faith]]. They even contributed greatly to [[Islam]]. Another religion that arose from ancient Iran is [[Mazdak]]ism, which has been dubbed the first communistic ideology. Both Mazdakism and Manichaeism were sub-branches of Zoroastrianism that is said to be the first [[monotheistic]] religion. Sunni was the dominant form of Islam in most of Iran until rise of Safavid Empire. There were however some exceptions to this general domination of the Sunni creed which emerged in the form of the [[Zaidiyyah|Zaydīs]] of [[Tabaristan]], the [[Buwayhid]], the rule of [[Öljeitü|Sultan Muhammad Khudabandah]] (1304–1316 CE), the [[Hashashin]] and the [[Sarbedaran]]. Nevertheless, apart from this domination there existed, firstly, throughout these nine centuries, Shia inclinations among many Sunnis of this land and, secondly, all three surviving branches of Shi'a Islam, [[Twelver]], [[Ismaili]], as well as Zaidiyyah had prevalence in some parts of Iran. During this period, Shia in Iran were nourished from [[Kufa]], [[Baghdad]] and later from [[Najaf]] and [[Hillah]].<ref>[http://www.al-islam.org/mot/iraqishiism/ Four Centuries of Influence of Iraqi Shiism on Pre-Safavid Iran]</ref> Shiism were dominant sect in Tabaristan, [[Qom]], [[Kashan]], [[Avaj]] and [[Sabzevar]]. In many other areas the population of Shia and Sunni was mixed. In recent centuries Ismailis have also largely been an Indo-Iranian community.<ref name=vali/> Many scholars and scientists in Persia who lived before the Safavid era such as [[Ferdowsi]], [[Jābir ibn Hayyān]], [[Al-Farabi]] and [[Nasīr al-Dīn al-Tūsī]], were Shi'a Muslims{{Citation needed|date=July 2012}}, as was most of Iran's elite, while other renowned Sunni Muslim scientists, scholars and personaliries were Persian or had Persian descent, including [[Abu Dawood]], [[Hakim al-Nishaburi]], [[Al-Tabarani]], [[Ghazali]], [[Imam Bukhari]], [[Tirmidhi]], [[Al-Nasa'i]] and [[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]], amongst many others. [[Abu Hanifa]], the founder of the Sunni Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence is also widely accepted of Persian ancestry. The first officially Shia empire, the [[Safavid dynasty]] in Iran, advocated the Twelver faith, made Twelver law the law of the land, and supported Twelver scholarship. For this, Twelver ulama "crafted a new theory of government" which held that while "not truly legitimate", the Safavid monarchy would be "blessed as the most desirable form of government during the period of waiting" for the [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|twelfth imam]].<ref name=vali>Nasr, Vali, ''The Shia Revival,'' Norton, (2006), p.74-76</ref> Today, most Persians are Twelver [[Shia Islam|Shia]] succeeded by [[Hanafi]] [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslims]]{{Citation needed|date=July 2012}}. There is also a sizeable number of [[Shafi|Shafi`i]] Sunni Muslims in southern Iran and amongst Kurds. Small Ismaili Shia minorities also exist in scattered pockets. Some communities practice Shi'a [[Sufism]]. There are also smaller communities of Zoroastrians, [[Christianity in Iran|Christians]], [[Judaism|Jews]], and Bahá'ís. Bahá'ís are the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.fidh.org/asie/rapport/2003/ir0108a.pdf |format=PDF| author = Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de L'Homme | publisher = fidh.org | accessdate = 2006-10-04 | date = August 2003 | title = Discrimination against religious minorities in IRAN |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060614213039/http://www.fidh.org/asie/rapport/2003/ir0108a.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-06-14}}</ref> There exist Persians who are [[Atheism|atheist]] and [[Agnosticism|agnostic]]. ==Culture== {{main|Persian culture}} {{further|List of festivals in Iran}} Culture by one definition is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one human group from those of another.<ref>{{cite book|title=Foreign Market Entry and Culture|author=Thomas Wagner|publisher=GRIN Verlag|year=2009|page=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9-ygsXabQ7cC&pg=PA2&dq=definition+of+culture&hl=en&ei=79Z2TenpF4zrgQfm0LnSBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=definition%20of%20culture&f=false}}</ref> Persian culture therefore reflects the collective mindset of the Persian people throughout time, whether Persian is meant in an ethnic sense or a culturally inclusive pan-ethnic sense. From the early inhabitants of [[Persis]], to the [[Achaemenid]], [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]], and [[Sassanid]] Empires, to the neighbouring [[Greek city states]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Greece: I. Legendary Greece: II. Grecian history to the reign of Peisistratus at Athens, Volume 12|author=George Grote|publisher=P. F. Collier|year=1899|page=106|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tJcOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA106&dq=Persian+influences+in+Greece&hl=en&ei=kSF4TcT0PNTogAfT-KnUBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> to the [[Caliphate]] and the [[Islamic world]],<ref name=lapidus/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Persian presence in the Islamic world|author=Richard G. Hovannisian|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1998|pages=80–83|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39XZDnOWUXsC&pg=PA81&dq=Persian+culture+as+a+function+of+empires&hl=en&ei=niR4Tb7CFMLDgQfQ5PnXBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> all the way to the modern day [[Iran]] and such far places as those found in [[India]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Foreign influence on ancient India|author=Krishna Chandra Sagar|publisher=Northern Book Centre|year=1992|page=17|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC&pg=PA17&dq=Persian+cultural+influences&hl=en&ei=2iJ4TeqsEISCgAfzqInSCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Persian%20cultural%20influences&f=false}}</ref> [[Asia]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Persian historiography and geography: Bertold Spuler on major works produced in Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India, and early Ottoman Turkey |author=Bertold Spuler, M. Ismail Marcinkowski|publisher=Pustaka Nasional Pte Ltd|year=2003|pages=multiple pages & Back cover|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rD1vvympVtsC&pg=PA98&dq=Persian+cultural+influences+in+Asia&hl=en&ei=fSN4Ta3QO4-SgQfMwLDbBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CFIQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Persian%20cultural%20influences%20in%20Asia&f=false}}</ref> and [[Indonesia]], Persian culture, has been either recognized, incorporated, adopted, or celebrated.<ref name=lapidus>{{cite book|title=A history of Islamic societies|author=Ira Marvin Lapidus|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2002|page=127|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I3mVUEzm8xMC&pg=PA127&dq=Persian+culture&hl=en&ei=dtJ2TbXaEJL2gAf4xJHEBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Persian%20culture&f=false}}</ref><ref name=miller>{{cite book|title=Athens and Persia in the Fifth Century BC: A Study in Cultural Receptivity|author=Margaret Christina Miller|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2004|pages=243–251|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oGXMMD5rXBQC&pg=PA243&dq=importance+of+Achaemenid+in+Iranian+culture&hl=en&ei=Pd0cTbbbK4H_8Abg0rSpDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> The unique aspect of Persian culture is its geo-political context and its intricate relationship with the ever changing Persian political arena once as dominant as the Achaemenids stretching from [[India]] in east to [[Libya]] in west, and now limited to Iran stretching from [[Afghanistan]], and [[Pakistan]] in the east to [[Iraq]] and [[Turkey]] in the west. It is this ever-changing reach within the [[Iranian plateau]] that brought Persians face to face with [[Babylonians]], [[Greek people|Greeks]], [[Egyptians]], [[Scythians]], [[Arabs]], [[Turkish people|Turks]], [[Mughals]], [[Hindus]], [[Ancient Libya|North Africans]], and even the [[Chinese people|Chinese]], allowing them to influence these populations with their cultural norms all the while being influenced by them in what can best be described as a "reciprocal cultural receptivity".<ref name=miller/> Some reciprocal cultural exchange was achieved through commerce and foreign relations, some through victory or defeat through military conquests, and some as a function of geopolitical proximity with neighbouring states. [[Cyrus the Great]], and his son [[Cambyses II]] would bring Persians face to face with the Elamites, Babylonians, [[Hittites|Hittite]]s, [[Lydia]]ns, Egyptians, and Libyans through conquest, and Greeks and Scythians through border contact whether in form of military conflicts, employment, or even political and military cooperation.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Ramessides, Medes, and Persians|author=Emmet John Sweeney|publisher=Algora Publishing|year=2008|page=120|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cs4rgC8Gnq8C&pg=PA120&dq=persian+conquest+of+hittite&hl=en&ei=VOB2Tc-ELYfagQeKldG9BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=persian%20conquest%20of%20hittite&f=false}}</ref> From a chronological perspective, and also weighing political and social forces accordingly, Persian culture can be divided into pre-Islamic era with major contact with the Western powers of the time, the Macedonians/Greeks, and the later [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] and the post-Islamic era, with major contact with emerging Eastern powers such as Arabs, [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] Turks, and Mughals and in recent years imperalist powers such as the Russians, and the [[British empire]]. The Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanids would represent the Persian cultural globe in the pre-Islamic era while an array of emerging Persian empires namely the [[Safavids]], [[Samanids]], [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar]], [[Pahlavi dynasty|Pahlavi]] and countless others would represent the post-Islamic era. Persian cultural contributions include artistic ([[Persian carpet]]s, [[Persian art]]works and crafts, [[Persian miniature|miniature paintings]], [[Persian calligraphy|calligraphy]]), linguistic ([[Persian literature]] and poetry), Societal ([[Persian architecture|Architectural influences]], customs & clothing, [[Persian gardens|Gardening]], [[Music of Iran|music]], social norms and standards), [[Persian cuisine|culinary]], political and ceremonial ([[Nowruz]] festivity, [[Chaharshanbe Suri]] festival) contributions. ===Pre-Islamic Persian culture=== ====Achaemenids==== =====History===== [[File:Cyrus II of Persia.jpg|thumb|Relief of [[Cyrus the Great]].]] The Persian culture and its influence during the [[Achaemenid empire|Achaemenid]] Persian empire has been traditionally described by a "center-periphery" model.<ref name=miller/> Center-Periphery model is a model of cultural influence composed of a dominant center with greater power and economic resources and often some form of overt control and a subordinate periphery; in this cultural model, the periphery strives to incorporate prestige via adoption of cultural and value systems of the center, a process termed "emulation" while the center is an engine for generation of new cultural standards.<ref name=miller/> The cultural interaction between the Achaemenid center and the periphery was through a system of states, called the "[[satrapy]]." The influence of the Persian center was such that places such as Anatolia, Lydia, and the Lykian dynasty completely adopted the Persian culture acting as a full periphery to the central influence.<ref name=miller/> The Greeks also were influenced by the Persians, since originally they were a logical next step in the cultural expansion of the Achaemenids, and in fact such places as [[Cyprus]], and [[Ionia]] were for a considerable time within the sphere of Persian cultural influences.<ref name=miller/> As Greeks gained power, [[Athens]] developed into a central power in its own right and developed its own cultural periphery and inevitably came to clash with the Persians. The contact was most prominent through the Ionian coast, where the periphery regions of both entities overlapped in what can be thought of as an "interaction zone" between Persian and Greek influences. The interaction between Greeks and Persians however is not entirely a center-periphery model with inevitable clashes, but is in fact a "reciprocal cultural interaction" in which Persians were influenced by the Greek culture and its architectural, philosophical elements, while the Greeks were influenced by the Persian culture and its sociopolitical, artistic, and ceremonial elements.<ref name=miller/> Exchange between ancient Persians and their neighbours must have been diverse including such areas as sciences, art, philosophy, architecture, cuisine, governance, marriage, military technology, clothing, and symbols of elitism. For instance, the use of parasol fan or flywhisk-bearing was a marker of status in Persia, and this was adopted by the Greeks, mainly women, who depicted their aristocratic status by the use of fans, whereas use of statues as a symbol of power and wealth by the Greek men influenced the Persian monarchs' use of statue in their [[relief]]es for depiction of wealth and power.<ref name=miller/> =====Traditions===== {{further|Nowruz|Chaharshanbe Suri}} One of the most well known cultural traditions dating back to the Achaemenid era is the tradition of [[Nowruz]] or the celebration of the new year by the Achaemenids.<ref name=jones>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of religion, Volume 10|author=Lindsay Jones|publisher=Macmillan Reference USA|year=2005|pages=6731–2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vjQOAQAAMAAJ&q=Nowruz&dq=Nowruz&hl=en&ei=QTN4TaqoAYHAgQekgP3RBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCQ}}</ref> Nowruz has [[Zoroastrian]] roots, but has since the time of Islam been mostly stripped of its Zoroastrian references.<ref name=jones/> Nowruz is recognized by UNESCO as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."<ref>{{cite web|title=Intangible Heritage List|author=UNCESCO|year=2009|accessdate=March 9, 2011|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?RL=00282}}</ref> Nowruz first appeared in Persian records in the 2nd century CE, but its origin traces back to the Achaemenid era where [[satraps]] (or governors) from different nations under the control of the Persian king would bring gifts to honor the king on the first day of the spring. The word Nowruz in [[New Persian]] is composed of "Now" which means ''new'' and "rouz" which means ''day'' to translate into "new day." Its [[Old Persian]] word "navarYznah" is composed of "nava" meaning ''new'' and "rYzanh" meaning ''day or daylight'' to also indicate a new day or a new light. ====Parthians and Sassanids==== [[File:Naqsh- e Rostam VI relief Shapur Ist.jpg|thumb|right|Roman emperor [[Valerian (emperor)|Valerian]] and Philip the Arab accepting defeat by the Sassanid emperor [[Shapur I]]. Contact between Romans and Persians is well recognized, as in some accounts they referred to each other as "brothers."<ref>{{cite book|title=Rome and Persia in late antiquity: neighbours and rivals|author=Beate Dignas, Engelbert Winter|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2007|page=232|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MG2hqcRDvJgC&pg=PA232&dq=Rome+and+Persia+in+late+antiquity:+neighbours+and+rivals+brother&hl=en&ei=8MPHTdWiOqT50gHn9fjvBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref>]] [[Parthians]] and the [[Sassanids]] would also interact with the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] culturally as well as come into contact with them through their cultural periphery. Persian culture would be best represented by the achievements of the Parthians and Sassanids both through their royal customs and their social hierarchy. Territorial disputes and battles between Sassanid Empire and the Roman and later [[Byzantine empire]]s would shape the landspace of Middleast, North Africa, and the Mediterrania. Byzantine invasion of the Sassanids and subsequent defeat of [[Khusrau II]] is a defining moment for the Sasanids, as it destabilized the royal structure, leading to inability to mount an effective defence against the Arab invasion of Persia. ===Post-Islamic Persian culture=== {{quotation|Through the long centuries of Islamic history, one of the major foci of Islamic civilization and especially art has been Persia...Persian art, at once deeply Persian and Islamic, represents a culmination of Islamic art and one of its indisputable peaks.|Seyyed Hossein Nasr<ref>{{cite book|title=Islamic art and spirituality|author=Seyyed Hossein Nasr|publisher=SUNY Press|year=1987|page=64|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5PZli-7V9EC&pg=PA64&dq=Persian+Culture+islam&hl=en&ei=j6vHTcDVHsnr0gGE66n_Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result#v=onepage&q=Persian%20Culture%20islam&f=false}}</ref>}} The influence of the Persian people, and Persian culture in the post-Islamic world can hardly be exaggerated. From influences in [[India]] and Asia, to those in [[Arabia]] and [[Greece]], Persian presence has left a lasting impression. Examples of Persian influence are far too many to mention here but are mostly cultural, linguistic, scientific, and social. For instance the presence of vast amount of Persian literature produced in India after Islam, led to the eventual creation and modernization of the language of [[Urdu]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Islam and Indian culture|author=Mohammad Shujaat|publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD.|year=2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=inPKJ_K_3n4C&pg=PA186&dq=Persian+influence+Islam&hl=en&ei=O67HTZa-O6r50gGG5dGiCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Persian%20influence%20Islam&f=false}}</ref> Similarly, Persian influences, carried by the Islamic wave of conquest, went as far east as [[Indonesia]], where Indonesians took on adopting Persian names and customs.<ref>{{cite book|title=Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia|author=Ahmad Ibrahim, Sharon Siddique, Yasmin Hussain|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|year=1985|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BeDKqPTeHnUC&pg=PA8&dq=Persian+influence+islam&hl=en&ei=e6_HTeq2HJCJ0QGDxemJCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Persian%20influence%20islam&f=false}}</ref> Scientific advances led by Persia are various but include some of the Islamic figures such as [[Avicenna]], whose work on Medicine was utilized in Europe for hundreds of years. Persian influence in Islam can be viewed from a pre and post-Islamic perspective. In the era prior to the invasion of Persia by the Arab army, the Sassanids played a key political role in Arabia and in fate of Islam; In 575 CE [[Sassanid]] Persians actually protected the Arabian city of [[Mecca]] from invasion by a neighbouring Christian Kingdom at the request of the southern tribes of Arabia from then Persian emperor [[Khosrau I]]. In response Khosrau came south to Arabia with both foot-soldiers and a fleet of ships preventing Christianity from spreading easterward into Arabia, and Mecca and protecting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was at the time a six-year-old boy in the Quraysh tribe.<ref>{{cite book|title=The history of the medieval world: from the conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade|author=S. Wise Bauer|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=2010|page=243|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1u2oP2RihIgC&pg=PA243&dq=Khosru+conquered+mecca&hl=en&ei=0q9pTevQKNSUtweLldDmAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=Khosru%20conquered%20mecca&f=false}}</ref> There are a few scholars who consider that [[Zoroastrianism]], "began the whole Western or Judaeo-Christian-Muslim concept of progressive time."<ref>{{cite book|title=Iran and the surrounding world: interactions in culture and cultural politics|author= Nikki R. Keddie|publisher=University of Washington Press|year=2002|page=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CdzFJIE7f5oC&pg=PA6&dq=Persian+influence+islam&hl=en&ei=17PHTdiwG-by0gGj3pGDCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Persian%20influence%20islam&f=false}}</ref> If this assumption is true, then role of Persian influence is that much more significant. Additionally, Persia became an important center for dissemination of Islam, as newly converted Persians, adopted Islam as their own and spread it to the periphery of the Persian empire. Persia also had a great influence on the [[Mughals]], as they utilized Persians as advisors. Mughals were also influenced by Persians in architecture, military, gardening, politics, and social cutoms. It is important to note that along with their great influence that Persians had on the Arabs, Turks, Mugals, and Indians, they were also influenced by them in return; however, the Persian influence stemming from the earlier achievements of the [[Sassanids]], and the [[Achaemenids]] and the grand scale of their geo-political influence made Persian influence during the Islamic era a recognizable one. ===Arts=== {{Main|Persian art|Persian miniature}} [[File:Behzad timur egyptian.jpg|thumb|upright|An example of a [[Persian miniature]], by [[Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād]] (c. 1494–1495), a painter from [[Herat]]]] The artistic heritage of Persia is eclectic and includes major contributions from both east and west. Persian art borrowed heavily from the indigenous [[Elam]]ite civilization and [[Mesopotamia]] and later from [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenism]] (as can be seen with statues from the Greek period). In addition, due to Persia's somewhat central location, it has served as a fusion point between eastern and western arts and architecture as Greco-Roman influence was often fused with ideas and techniques from India and China. When talking of the creative Persian arts one has to include a geographic area that actually extends into Central Asia, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, and Iraq as well as modern Iran. This vast geographic region has been pivotal in the development of the Persian arts as a whole. Persian art includes [[painting]], [[Persian calligraphy|calligraphy]], [[Persian miniature|miniature]]-painting, illustrated manuscripts, glasswork, [[lacquer]] work, a unique and native form of [[marquetry]] called "[[Khatam]] work," metal work, [[pottery]], textile and fabric design, and modern arts.<ref name=burke/> ===Architecture=== {{Main|Persian architecture}} {{further|Achaemenid architecture|Sassanid architecture}} [[File:Persepolis recreated.jpg|thumb|right|The ruins of [[Persepolis]] known as the ''Takht-e Jamshid'' or ''throne of Jamshid'' is part of the ancient architectural tradition of Persia.]] Architecture is one of the areas where Persians have made outstanding contributions. The most prominent ancient examples some of which are still extant today, are the work of the [[Achaemenid]]s hailing from [[Persis]]. The quintessential feature of Persian Achaemenid architecture was its eclectic nature with elements of [[Median]], [[Assyria]]n, and Asiatic Greek all incorporated.<ref>{{cite book|title=How to study architecture|author=Charles Henry Caffin|publisher=Dodd, Mead and Company|year=1917|page=80|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HnoWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA80&dq=Persian+Architecture&hl=en&ei=SvM7TYOWDsWblgeUlYyYBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Persian%20Architecture&f=false}}</ref> [[Achaemenid architecture|Achaemenid architectural]] heritage, beginning with the expansion of the empire around 550 BCE, was a period of artistic growth that left an extraordinary architectural legacy ranging from [[Cyrus the Great]]'s solemn tomb in [[Pasargadae]] to the splendid structures of the opulent city of [[Persepolis]], and such historical sites as [[Naqsh-e Rustam]].<ref name=book>{{cite book|title=Understanding Architecture|author=Marco Bussagli|publisher=I.B.Tauris|year=2005|page=211|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fMfCkY6-9joC&pg=PA211&dq=Achaemenid+architecture&hl=en&ei=-kE7TZqdL8GblgevmsWkBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Achaemenid%20architecture&f=false}}</ref> With the advent of the [[Sassanid empire|second Persian Empire]], the [[Sassanid dynasty]] (224–624 CE), revived Achaemenid tradition by construction of temples dedicated to fire, and monumental palaces.<ref name=book/> During the [[Sassanid]] Persian Era, multiple architectural projects took place some of which are still existing including [[Palace of Ardashir]], and [[Sarvestan Palace]] in [[Sarvestan]] to name a few. Certain ancient architectural sites have existed to date and some have even been in use till recent times; one such example is the [[Arg-é Bam]] a massive structure at {{convert|1940000|sqft|m2}} constructed on the [[Silk road]], in [[Bam, Iran|Bam]] around 500 BCE and was in use till 1850 CE Bam is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<ref>{{cite book|title=Land of Lion, Land of Sun|author=Rafie Hamidpour PhD D E Dabfe, Rafie Hamidpour|publisher=AuthorHouse|year=2010|page=54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cP__ziIW39cC&pg=PA54&dq=bam+citadel&hl=en&ei=5hlMTdyjOYSq8AaKhsCIDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=bam%20citadel&f=false}}</ref> Ancient examples can be seen throughout Persia and its territories, while in modern times monuments such as the Tomb of [[Omar Khayyam]] in [[Nishapur]] are displays of the varied traditions in Persia that have progressed through time. Various cities in [[Iran]] are historical displays of a distinctive Persian style that can be seen in the Kharaghan twin towers of [[Qazvin province]], the [[Shah Mosque]] found in [[Isfahan]], tomb of [[Baba Taher]] in [[Hamedan]] and countless other works. Persian architecture streams the vast area of the Persian empires and is also seen throughout Central Asia as with the [[Bibi Khanym Mosque|Bibi Khanum Mosque]] in [[Samarkand]] as well as [[Samanids]] mausoleum in [[Bukhara]] and the [[Minaret of Jam]] in western [[Afghanistan]]. Islamic architecture was founded on the bases established by the Persians. Persian techniques can also be clearly seen in the structures of the [[Taj Mahal]] at Agra and the [[Sultan Ahmed Mosque|Blue Mosque]] in Istanbul. Modern contemporary architectural projects by Persians include the mausoleum of [[Ferdowsi]] in [[Tus, Iran|Tus]] erected by [[Reza Shah]], [[Azadi Tower|King Memorial Tower]] (Azadi Tower) erected in 1971 in [[Tehran]] by a Persian architect, projects such as the [[Dariush Grand Hotel]], a hundred and twenty five million dollar hotel complex created in the [[Achaemenid architecture|Achaemenid architectural]] style, located on [[Kish Island]], in the [[Persian Gulf]], and [[Milad Tower]], Iran's tallest telecommunication tower, and world's fourth tallest tower (as of 2008), standing 435 meters high, hosting a rotating restaurant, TV and radio stations as well as traffic control centers, to name a few.<ref name=burke>{{cite book|title=Iran|authors=Andrew Burke, Mark Elliot|publisher=Lonely Planet|year=2008|pages=295 & 114–5 (for architecture) and pp. 68–72 (for arts)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEca_4iSNCUC&pg=PA295&dq=Dariush+Grand+Hotel&hl=en&ei=MR5MTZeHDYP68Aaxv-2vDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Dariush%20Grand%20Hotel&f=false}}</ref> <center> <gallery> File:Mosaic01.jpg|Persian Sassanid floor mosaic detail from the palace of [[Shapur I]] File:Lancer Darius palace Louvre Sb3320.jpg|The "Archer [[frieze]]" from the Palace of Darius, [[Louvre]], France File:Decorative motives griffins frieze Louvre Sb3322.jpg|Decorative wall details of Palace of Darius (flowers), [[Louvre]], France File:Decorative motives2 griffins frieze Louvre Sb3323.jpg|Decorative wall details of Palace of Darius (waves), [[Louvre]], France File:2011 Ahmad-Shahi Pavilion Tehran 6214852688 by Kamyar Adl.jpg|[[Ahmad Shahi Pavilion]] File:Golestan palace Tehran.jpg|[[Golestan Palace]], [[Tehran]] </gallery> </center> ===Cinema=== Persian culture can be defined through its films, as [[Cinema of Iran|Persian cinema]] has attained a substantial amount of international and critical acclaim through such films as ''[[Children of Heaven]]'' and ''[[Taste of Cherry]]'', which give both insights into the current state of Persian culture and profound depictions of the general human condition. ===Gardens=== {{Main|Persian Gardens}} [[File:Taj Mahal in March 2004.jpg|thumb|right|[[Taj Mahal]]'s garden is in the style of Persian gardens with a slender waterway (Old Persian ''jub''<ref name=hobhouse/>), and an essentially quadripartite plan]] :''"The Great King [Cyrus the Great]...in all the districts he resides in and visits, takes care that there are 'paradises' as they [Persians] call them, full of the good and beautiful things that the soil will produce"''<br> _''Xenophon'', The [[Oeconomicus]], 339 B.C.E.<ref name=hobhouse>{{cite book|title=Gardens of Persia|author=Penelope Hobhouse, Erica Hunningher, Jerry Harpur|publisher=Kales Press|year=2004|pages=7–13|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AMFRyiAxZ6YC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Persian+garden&hl=en&ei=xhROTd-yLsT58AbDmt3YDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Persian%20garden&f=false}}</ref> On the plains of [[Marvdasht]], east of the [[Zagros]] mountains still exist today, remains of the earliest historically recorded gardens. These remains are associated with remnants of the structures that once surrounded them, including white columns that still remain to date. These gardens were created by the [[Achaemenid empire|Achaemenids]] at the time of [[Cyrus the Great]]. For the early Persian monarchs, gardens assumed an important place in their cultural lives.<ref name=hobhouse/> Persian gardens utilized the Achaemenid knowledge of water technologies<ref name=Mays>{{cite book|title=Ancient Water Technologies|author=L. Mays|publisher=Springer|year=2010|pages=95–100|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AEzOzSZEAToC&pg=PA94&dq=Persepolis+irrigation&hl=en&ei=I7ZETcnMOobGlQefu-U7&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Persepolis%20irrigation&f=false}}</ref> as they utilized [[aqueduct (watercourse)|aqueduct]]s, earliest historically recorded gravity-fed water rills, and basins arranged in a geometric system. The enclosure of this symmetrically arranged planting and irrigation, by an infrastructure such as a building or a palace created the impression of "paradise."<ref>{{cite book|title=Persian Garden: Echoes Of Paradise|author=Mehdi Khansari, M. Reza Moghtader, Minouch Yavari|publisher=Mage Publishers|year=2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0msdJAAACAAJ&dq=Persian+garden&hl=en&ei=whFOTbSfO4L_8Ab2hpnODg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ}}</ref> When the [[Sparta]]n general [[Lysander]] reported back to [[Xenophon]], he described how Persians have created ''Paradeisos'' (paradises) where they collected all manners of plants specially fruit trees, and exotic animals they encountered on their military campaigns. Xenophon would translate the [[Old Persian]] term ''Pairidaeza'' (a combination of ''pairi'' meaning "around" and ''daeza'' meaning "wall") into the [[Greek language|Greek]] term ''Paradeisos''. Cyrus the Great's quadripartite garden plan, incorporated architectural elements, as well as planting, water rills, and shade-giving pavilions, producing the background to all later garden developments in Persia. These Persian gardens had a reach far greater than their immediate civilazation and were vital in the development of spiritual Muslim gardens, and the Indian gardens of the [[Mughal empire]] as they have been influential in the gardens of [[Renaissance]] Europe and the Western civilization.<ref name=hobhouse/> The quadripartite ([[New Persian]] term: ''[[Charbagh|Chahar bagh]]'') design would be reinterpreted by the Muslim Arabs after their 7th century conquest of Persia, in creation of their gardens. Arab rulers cultivated Persian techniques to create gardens of Persian design including such examples as [[Al-Andalus]], and [[Kashgar]].<ref name=hobhouse/> This quadripartite design was still the dominant design in the 14th century during the time of [[Timur]], the Mughal emperor. In the 17th century, the [[Anglo]]-[[French people|French]] jeweler Sir John Chardin, describes the Persian garden in his, "''Voyages en Perse''" where he stresses the quadripartite structure of the gardens. Chardin also stresses that unlike westerners, Persians do not walk much in the gardens as they often use it for a period of time, often seated, and then retire.<ref name=hobhouse/> [[Parthians]] and [[Sassanids]] would later add their own modifications to the original Achaemenid design. They would create specially recessed, platforms, often connected to the main building with an open [[porticoes]] overlooking the garden, while providing a cool, shaded area in which to sit or loiter. This structure came to be known as "''ayvans''" or "''ivan''" in Old Persian.<ref name=hobhouse/> Persian gardens are also immortalized in the [[The Book of One Thousand and One Nights|''One Thousand and One Nights'']] and the works of [[Omar Khayyam]]. Today some of the best examples of the traditional Persian gardens can be seen in such places as the [[Borujerdis House]], and the [[Khaneh Tabatabaei ha|Tabataba'i House]], as well as such gardens as "Bagh-e Mostoufi" near the village of [[Vanak]], [[Tehran]], "Bagh-e Shahzadeh" in [[Mahan, Iran|Mahan]], "Bagh-e Golshan" or "[[Karim Khan]]'s beautiful garden" in [[Tabas]], "[[Qavam House]]" or "Naranjestan-e Ghavam" in [[Shiraz]], "Bagh-e Fin" outside of [[Kashan]], [[Hafiz Shirazi|Hafiz]]'s tomb garden in Shiraz, and the [[Eram Garden]] or "Bagh-e Eram" in [[Fars province|Fars]]. <center> <gallery> File:Naranjestan e Qavam Yard.jpg|Persian style garden ([[Qavam House]]) in [[Shiraz]]. Note the stereotypical quadripartite structure with the narrow axis ending in the pavilion. File:Isfahan Garden carpet.jpg|This Isfahan carpet depics the quadripartite structure of a Persian garden. Note the central water feature, followed by accessory ducts (''jubs'') leading to it File:Dancing dervishes.JPG|A depiction of a Persian garden. Thought not a technical drawing note the presence of fruit trees around the narrow walkways, a common feature of early Persian gardens File:PersianGarden.png|A schematic diagram of a Persian garden. Note the quadripartite structure with focal water feature, connecting aqueducts, and surrounding trees, as well as the placement of the palace File:Bagh-e Eram.jpg|[[Eram Garden]] File:Afif abad garden,shiraz.jpg|[[Afif-Abad Garden]] </gallery> </center> ===Music=== {{Main|Persian traditional music}} [[File:Harp-Sassanid.png|right|thumb|This is a carved relief from [[Taq-e Bostan]] in [[Kermanshah]] depicting Persian Sassanid women playing the harp like device called a [[Chang (instrument)|Chang]], that operates by five strings that vibrate under tension to create musical tones. Strings are held in varying tension levels by two metallic or wooden axises connected together in an acute "triangular" fashion]] The music of Persia goes back to the days of [[Barbad]] in the royal [[Sassanid]] courts, and even earlier. [[Sassanid music]] was influential and was later adopted by the Abbasids.<ref>{{cite book|title=Islamic art and spirituality|author=Seyyed Hossein Nasr |publisher=SUNY Press|year=1987|pages=3–4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EBu6gWcT0DsC&pg=PA3&dq=Sassanid+music&hl=en&ei=4zxPTeiqM8L58AbasI36Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Sassanid%20music&f=false}}</ref> In traditional Sassanid music, the [[octave]] is divided into seventeen tones, while by the end of the 13th century some music from Persia also maintained a twelve interval octave, which resembled the western counterpart.<ref name=music>{{cite book|title=The American history and encyclopedia of music|author=Janet M. Green, Josephine Thrall|publisher=I. Squire|year=1908|pages=55–58|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3FI5AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA56&dq=music+of+persia&hl=en&ei=DEFPTansI4qr8Aa5i8nmDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=music%20of%20persia&f=false}}</ref> In terms of comparison between the basic style of the Persian music, employment of smaller intervals, and the transition from one key to another by progressions that are minute compared to their European counterparts, is what gives Persian music its unique quality. The different keys or modes that result from this small interval system are written in circles. Also in the music of Persia only spaces are taken into account, and they have a value and are called "Kah" or place; thus "Yek-Kah" signifies first space, "Dow-Kah" second space and so forth. Persian spaces are also assigned color assignments, with first space green, second rose-colored and following spaces having their own assigned coloring system.<ref name=music/> Unlike European music, Persian music has no notes. Their music is composed of modes or harmonious phrases, which take their name from persons or places and which serve as stereotypical models for the production of the imagination of the composers. These models are either fundamental to the number four, or derived eight in number or compounded, which vary to infinity. Each musical mode has its special use. For instance, the "Zenkeleh" mode is the most melodious, the "Ecchac" appropriate for war and love, "Rast" unique for when [[Shahnameh]] is sung, and the "Buzurg" and "Rahavi" modes for funerals.<ref name=music/> Originally, there were no more than seven modes in the Persian music but [[Saadi (poet)|Saadi]], an intellectual poet and musician, extended it to twelve.<ref name=music/> Persian music utilizes a variety of musical instruments that are unique to the region, and the time period in which they are utilized often constantly being modified or reinvented. During Sassanid era, [[Chang (instrument)|Chang]], a musical instrument utilizing five strings under tension was used as a royal musical tool.<ref>{{cite book|title=A survey of musical instruments|author=Sibyl Marcuse|publisher=Harper & Row|year=1975|pages=398–401}}</ref> Persian music has evolved since its ancient and medieval times and is now almost indistinguishable from the modern music of Europe and America, owing to a modernization of the musical process as well as an ever present globalization trend. This has led to such genre as [[Persian rap]] for instance. Persian music is also affected by restrictions locally on performance of certain genres which has led to its development at times overseas in Europe and America. <center> <gallery> File:Ghamar-ol-Molouk-Vaziri.jpg|[[Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri]], the first female singer of Iran to appear without [[hejab]] in 1924, after [[Reza Shah]]'s reforms<ref>{{cite web|title=QAMAR-AL-MOLUK VAZIRI|author=Erik Nakjavani|publisher=Encyclopaedia Iranica|date= December 15, 2008|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/qamar-vaziri}}</ref> File:Vigen.jpg|[[Viguen]], known as the king of Persian pop and jazz File:Googoosh Malaysia 2009.jpg|[[Googoosh]], one of the most popular Persian pop singers File:Faramarz Aslani Persian singer in a concert in Canada 2013.jpg|[[Faramarz Aslani]], another popular Persian pop singer File:Darya Dadvar.jpg|[[Darya Dadvar]], a famous Persian classical singer File:Rana Farhan on Poletik.jpg|[[Rana Farhan]], a famous Persian jazz singer in [[Poletik]] comedy show </gallery> </center> ===Carpets=== {{Main|Persian carpet}} [[File:Rug-weaving, Hamadan.jpg|thumb|right|Persian women weaving a carpet in [[Hamadan]] in 1922]] [[Persia]] was in many sense the first permanent home of carpet weaving, and while robbed of much of her political power, and only a shadow of her former self, still holds up to the ideals of textile art, well worth a comprehensive study.<ref name=langton>{{cite book|title=How to know oriental rugs, a handbook|author=Mary Beach Langton|publisher=D. Appleton and Company|year=1904|pages=57–59|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YtcPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA57&dq=Persian+rugs&hl=en&ei=JSJMTdfWA8Gs8AbSq6DnDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CF8Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Persian%20rugs&f=false}}</ref> World's oldest existing carpet, ''Pazyryk carpet'', a pile-carpet dating back to 400–300 BCE discovered in 1949, depicts clear elements of Assyrian and Achaemenid design, including stylistic references to stone slab designs found in the palaces of the Persian empire. This has made many scholar consider it to be woven, and made in the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Achaemenid empire]].<ref name=ronald>{{cite book|title=The Arts of Persia|author=Ronald W. Ferrier|publisher=Yale University Press|year=1989|pages=118–120|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G2Qkf0h2Pj4C&pg=PA118&dq=Pazyryk+Carpet+Persia&hl=en&ei=ud9NTZKiAcK88gaM1qjBDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Pazyryk%20Carpet%20Persia&f=false}}</ref> Rug and carpet artistry is well recognized in Persia, as [[Xenophon]] describes carpet production in the city of Sardis, then a province of the Achaemenid empire, stating that the locals take pride in their carpet production. Special mention of Persian carpets are made by [[Athenaeus of Naucratis]] (around 200 CE) in his [[Deipnosophists]] when he describes a "delightfully embroidered Persian carpet, having some Persian figures, and preposterous shapes of Persian [[griffin]]s, and such like beasts" incorporated in its design.<ref name=ronald/> When the [[Byzantine empire|Byzantine]] emperor [[Heraclius]] pillaged the palace of [[Khusrau II]] of the [[Sassanid empire|Sassanid Persia]], he found various luxurious textiles including carpets that were embroidered with needles, most likely a pile carpet. A 7th century Sassanid stone carving at [[Taq-i-Bustan]] depics a fabric draped over the side of the boat, most likely a pile carpet. One of the most famous Sassanid era, Persian rugs was a carpet known as "Spring of Kusrau" depicting a pleasure garden, worked with gold, and silver, and emobroidered with jewels and colored stones. Unfortunately, this carpet did not survive the Arab invasion as the Arabs cut it up distributing it among themselves as spoils after they sacked the capital of [[Ctesiphon]] in 642 CE<ref name=ronald/> Islamic geographers record [[Mazandaran]], one of the provinces of Persia as important carpet weaving center in third to the 9th century, while in fourth and 10th century [[Bukhara]], as well as [[Khuzistan]] and [[Fars province|Pars]] in southern Persia are also cited as notable production centers.<ref name=ronald/> Many foreigners and foreign scholars have described their accounts of Persian carpets. [[Ruy González de Clavijo]] a [[Kingdom of Castile|Castilian]] traveller, (around 1400 CE) described the wonderful textile work he observed in [[Samarqand]], court of [[Timur]] remarking that everywhere was covered with carpetry and reed matting.<ref name=ronald/> Persian carpets also acted as vessels for art, design, and literature to be disseminated. One such example is the 16th century, "Ardabil Carpet" containing an inscription from the 14th century Persian poet, [[Hafiz Shirazi|Hafiz]]:<ref name=ronald/> :''I have no refuge in the world other than thy threshold'' :''There is no place of protection for my head other than this porchway'' :''The work of the slave of the holy place Maqsud Kashani in the year 946 (1540 C.E.)'' German architect and art enthusiast, [[Gottfried Semper]] called rugs "the original means of separating space". Rug weaving was thus developed by ancient civilizations as a basis of architecture. Persian rugs are said to be the most detailed hand-made works of art. Also known as the "status rugs", Persian rugs are very important in Persian culture. Interworking of fibers to produce cloth was known in Iran as early as the 5th millennium BCE<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Rubinson |first=Karen S | title=carpets :vi.pre-Islamic carpets (pages 858 – 861) | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Iranica | accessdate=2008-05-11|url=http://www.iranica.com/articles/search/searchpdf.isc}}</ref> When the famous Greek commander [[Themistocles]] was asking for asylum from Persia, the “Persian carpet” was mentioned in his speech: {{quote|He [Artaxerxes I of Persia] commanded him to speak freely what he would concerning the affairs of Greece. Themistocles replied, that a man’s discourse was like to a rich Persian carpet, the beautiful figures and patterns of which can only be shown by spreading and extending it out; when it is contracted and folded up, they are obscured and lost; and, therefore, he desired time.|[[Plutarch]] (''Plutarch’s Lives'', Chapter 49, Themistocles<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/12/1.html Themistocles. Plutarch. 1909–14. Plutarch’s Lives. The Harvard Classics<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>)}} In general Persian carpets are classified based on their region of production including Feraghan ([[Kashan]]), [[Hamedan]], [[Herat]] ([[Afghan rug|Afghani]]), [[Heriz rug|Herez]] ([[Heris, East Azerbaijan|Azeri]]), [[Isfahan]], [[Kerman]] & [[Kermanshah]], [[Khorasan Province|Khorasan]], [[Mashhad]], [[Shiraz]], [[Sanandaj|Senna]], Saraband (southwest of [[Arak, Iran|Arak]]), Saruk ([[Markazi Province|Markazi]]), [[Arak, Iran|Sultanabad]], and [[Tabriz]].<ref name=langton/> <center> <gallery> File:Louvre - Tapis à décor de jardin de paradis, dit Tapis de Mantes.jpg|Persian carpet in the [[Louvre Museum]] File:Mashad 9'10" X 12'9".jpg|Antique [[Mashhad rug]] details File:Persian Laver Kirman, 11ft 9in x 16ft 4in, early 19th century.jpg|Persian carpet from [[Kerman]] File:Beautiful silk rug by Mohammad Seirafian, Isfahan, Iran.JPG|An [[Isfahan rug]] made by Mohammad Seirafian File:Antique kerman persian.jpg|Antique [[Kerman]] rug details File:Tehran farsh bazar.jpg|Carpet shops in the [[Grand Bazaar, Tehran|Bazaar of Tehran]] </gallery> </center> ===Statues=== Persians' artistic expression can be seen as far back as the [[Achaemenid]] period as numerous statues depicting various important figures, usually of political significance as well as religious, such as the [[Persian Immortals|Immortals]] (elite troops of the emperor) are indicative of the influence of Mesopotamia and ancient Babylon. What is perhaps most representative of a more indigenous artistic expression are [[Persian miniatures]]. Although the influence of [[Chinese art]] is apparent, local Persian artists used the art form in various ways including portraits that could be seen from the [[Ottoman Empire]] to the courts of the [[Safavids]] and [[Mughals]]. ==Women== {{Main|Iranian women|Gender roles in Afghanistan|Women in Tajikistan}} [[File:Iranian queen.jpg|right|thumb|Bust of the head of the Persian Achaemenid queen [[Atossa]]]] From the Achaemenid days, Persian women have had great influence and presence. One such Persian figure was [[Cassandane]], queen consort of [[Cyrus the Great]] and mother of [[Cambyses II]], [[Atossa]], and [[Bardiya]]. Cyrus the Great had a special dearly love for Cassandane. Cassandane also loved Cyrus to the point that upon her death bed she is noted as having found it more bitter to leave Cyrus, than to depart her life.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Earthly republic: Italian humanists on government and society|author=Benjamin G. Kohl, Ronald G. Witt, Elizabeth B. Welles|publisher=Manchester University Press ND|year=1978|page=198|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EQfpAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA198&dq=Cyrus's+love+for+Cassandane&hl=en&ei=OPEcTcTcH4yt8AbklNTUBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> According to the [[chronicle of Nabonidus]], when Cassandane died, all the nations of Cyrus's empire observed "a great mourning", and, particularly in [[Babylonia]], there was probably even a public mourning lasting for six days (identified as 21–26 March 538 BC).<ref name=Cassandane-EI>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Dandamaev|first=M. A.|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica|publisher=Encyclopedia Iranica Foundation|title=Cassandane|url=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v5f1/v5f1a020.html|volume=Vol. 5|year=1992|isbn=0933273673}}</ref> Atossa was the daughter of Cyrus the Great and Cassandane, and the queen consort of [[Darius the Great]]; she would play a critical role in solidifying Darius's legitimacy to the throne after the overthrow of the [[magus]] impersonator of [[Bardiya]]. Achaemenids also allowed women high positions including military and royal positions, best exemplified by [[Artemisia I of Caria]], a [[Halicarnassus|Halicarnassian]] who was an Achaemenid Navy admiral, serving [[Xerxes I]] of Persia.<ref name=salisbury>{{cite book|title=Women in the ancient world|author=Joyce E. Salisbury|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2001|pages=20–21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HF0m3spOebcC&pg=PA20&dq=Artemisia+Persian&hl=en&ei=D0dOTfejJ8L58AboheTVDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Artemisia%20Persian&f=false}}</ref> During the Sassanid era, women also practiced power although in a limited scale. One such example was the Sassanid queen [[Borandukht]], who rose to power after death of her 7-year-old nephew [[Ardashir III]] at the hands of a Sassanid general [[Shahrbaraz]] who was himself killed by the Persian army. Borandukht would inherit Persia at its most unstable and disorganised hour; she started to amend the situation by first making peace with the [[Byzantine empire]] and then attempting to amend the civil disturbances of the empire. She would however be murdered soon in the chaos only after a year of rule. It is this chaos that led to election of [[Yazdegerd III]] and contributed to the subsequent Arab victories after their invasion of Persia.<ref>{{cite book|title=An introduction to the history of the Assyrian Church or the church of the Sassanid Persian Empire, 100–640 A.D.|author=William Ainger Wigram | publisher=Society for promoting Christian knowledge|year=1910|pages=307–309 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zUYKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA308&dq=Buran+sassanids&hl=en&ei=I1xOTf2xFoH-8AbL3-yzDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Buran%20sassanids&f=false}}</ref> [[Scheherazade]], though fictional, is an important figure of female wit and intelligence, while the beauty of [[Mumtaz Mahal]] inspired the building of the [[Taj Mahal]] itself and the poet [[Táhirih]] had a great influence on modern women's movements throughout the Middle East. Persian women have also achieved national and international recognition in such diverse areas as sciences, politics, and entertainment. Such individuals include [[Shirin Ebadi]], the Persian lawyer and activist who won a [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 2003 for her efforts in human rights,<ref>{{cite book|title=Islam and the Question of Reform: Critical Voices from Muslim Communities|author=Kylie Baxter, Rebecca Barlow|publisher=Academic Monographs|pages=30–1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fvfezn41EJMC&pg=PA31&dq=shirin+ebadi&hl=en&ei=G0NTTYjpA4ijtgfI5YGfCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=shirin1ebadi&f=false}}</ref> as well as Iranian singer [[Googoosh]], who was a well known national singer in the 1960s in Iran and abroad. Although in ancient times, aristocratic females possessed numerous rights sometimes on par with men, Persian women did not attain greater parity until the 20th century. Universal suffrage was constitutionally approved for all women in January 26, 1963, under the Pahlavi regime.<ref>{{cite book|title=Women and politics in Iran: veiling, unveiling, and reveiling|author=Hamideh Sedghi|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2007|page=155|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nzUbVqTIUo0C&pg=PA157&dq=women+vote+in+Iran&hl=en&ei=dz9TTfj3JpCXtweDk4n8CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=women%20vote%20in%20Iran&f=false}}</ref> Persian women can be seen working in a variety of areas such as politics, law enforcement, transportation industries, health industry, military, universities, and in the Iranian parliament.{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}} ==See also== {{columns |width=240px |col1 = * [[Iranian peoples]] * [[Iranian diaspora]] * [[Iranian American]]s * [[List of Iran-related topics]] |col2 = * [[Demographics of Iran]] * [[Demographics of Azerbaijan]] * [[Demography of Afghanistan]] * [[Demographics of Tajikistan]] * [[Demographics of Uzbekistan]] |col4 = * [[Persianate society]] * [[Persianization]] * [[Turkic peoples]] * [[Turco-Persian]] * [[Parsi people|Parsis]] of India }} ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pes Ethnologue's entry for ''Western Persian''] * [http://www.persiandna.com Persian People, Lifestyle, History and Religion] *[http://www.pitt.edu/~sorc/iranian/BeingIranian.htm Iranian/Persian Inventions and contribution to human civilization] {{Iranian peoples}} {{Ethnic groups in Iran}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Persian People}} [[Category:Ancient peoples]] [[Category:Persian people|*]] [[Category:Iranian peoples]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Asia]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Iran]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Azerbaijan]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Afghanistan]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Tajikistan]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Uzbekistan]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Iraq]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Dagestan]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in the Middle East]]'