Four Thousand Years of Iran

A book of wisdom that uses philosophy to answer life's questions.

Iran, a mysterious ancient Eastern country, lies at the heart of the turbulent Middle East and has captured the world's attention.

By the sixth century BCE, it had become a world-spanning empire stretching across Asia, Europe, and Africa, leaving behind a rich legacy of political governance and treasures of literature and art.

How should we understand Iran and make sense of its place in the world today?

One author is a former president of the University of Shiraz and the University of Tehran; the other is a renowned French scholar of Middle Eastern history. As they tell its story, a four-thousand-year panorama of Iranian history slowly unfolds before us.

Here, the civilizations of Elam, Persia, Greece, the Turks, the Mongols, and the Arabs rise and clash in turn, while dynasty after dynasty is founded and falls.

What administrative systems did they use? What brilliant cultures did they leave behind? What religious policies did they pursue?

One vivid figure after another takes the stage, together shaping Iran's past.

Cyrus the Great, Khosrow I, and Abbas I expanded their realms, established eras of peace, and brought glory to this land. Hassan-i Sabbah, Rumi, and Tahereh, a killer, a poet, and a legendary woman, added mystery and romance to its history.

The book's narrative style gives this serious work of history an abundance of emotion and makes it thoroughly engaging.

Drawing on a wealth of historical sources, the authors present a sweeping portrait of Iranian history. Understand it, and you will have the key to understanding Iran.