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To make Iranian history easier to remember and to make it
possible for you to read the history of Iran in one sitting, Destination
Iran has explained it in a chronological order here:
Chronology of Iranian History:
Prehistoric Era in
Iran
Before 100000 years
ago - Lower Paleolithic Period
Only stone-made artifacts were found in
three provinces: Khorasan, Azerbaijan and Sistan & Baluchestan (Acheulean
Culture).
From 100000 /
80000 to 40000 years ago - Middle Paleolithic Period
Artifacts were found
in the following Provinces: Luristan, Elam, Kermanshahan,
Golestan and
Tehran.
From 40000 to
11000 years ago - Upper Paleolithic Period
Artifacts were found
in the following Provinces: Luristan, Kermanshahan and Ilam provinces.
From 20000 /
13000 to 7000 years ago- Epipaleolithic Period
Artifacts were found
in Mazandaran province.
Since 8000 B.C ?
Neolithic
Period (including food collecting, food reserving, food producing
and settling periods)
Artifacts were found
in many historical sites, mounds and caves.
Since 5000 B.C.
Artifacts were found
in many historical sites, mounds, caves and rock shelters.
Since 5000 / 4000
B.C.
Flourishing period
of techniques in such fields as pottery and metalwork. Invention of
pottery wheel and copper-made tools. Artifacts were found in many
historical sites and mounds.
Since 3000 B.C.
Clay tablets in
early and latter Elamite writing systems; Gorgan culture, and Gian IV &
III cultures In Luristan province. Artifacts were found in many historical
sites and mounds.
Since 2000 B.C.
Qal?eh Shoga culture
in Fars province. Artifacts were founding many historical sites and
mounds.
Since 1400-1150
B.C.
The end of Bronze
cultures and beginning of Iron cultures. Artifacts were found in many
historical sites and mounds.
Pre-Islam Era
in Iran
Since 2500 / 2600
B.C.
The beginning of
Elamite dynasty- Awan kings, and war against Mesopotamia.
Since 1450 / 1100
B.C.
Middle Elamites; war
between Elamites and Mesopotamia still went on.
814 B.C.
Cyrus the great; New Elamites. Historical documents kept silent for 200
years.
After lots of
destructions as a result of wars, Cyrus the great introduced himself from
Anshan and took control of Elam in around 558 B.C.
Aryans?
migration to Iranian plateau
Medes
Some nations united
in the latter half of the 7th century B.C. to form Median kingdom. They
were Lullubians, Gotians, Mitanians, Kassians, Urartians and Mannaians.
Dioces founded Median Empire. Assyrian kingdom, the most brutal power of
the time, was put to an end by Medians.
Achaemenians
550 B.C.
Cyrus defeated
the Medes at Pasargad, founded the dynasty and broadened the empire.
522 - 486 B.C.
Darius I,
the great, suppressed rebels, established the first civil society in Iran
and broadened the Empire. He ordered the construction of Persepolis.
330 B.C.
Alexander invaded Persia, destroyed the uncompleted Persepolis and took
the Persian Empire.
323 B.C.
Death of Alexander.
Seleucids &
Parthians
312 - 281 B.C.
Seleucid I Nicator founded the Seleucid Greek Dynasty in Persia.
250 B.C.
The Arsacid from
Parthian dynasty captured Khorasan, then under Seleucid?s control.
161 - 138 B.C.
Mithridates I founded Parthian Empire.
123 - 87 B.C.
Zenith of
Parthian Empire.
87 B.C.-224 A.D.
The
decline of Parthian Empire and the rise of Rome.
Sassanians
224 - 241
Artaxerxes I overcame the Parthians and founded the Sassanian Empire.
241 - 272
Shapur I invaded Roman Empire (252-261) and arrested the Emperor Valerian
in 260.
242 - 273
Preaching of Mani, the prophet.
250 - 300
The conversion of Armenia to Christianity.
283
The Emperor Garus took Ctesiphon. Armenia and North Mesopotamia were
yielded to Rome.
363
Shapur II defeated
Julian the apostate in a battle and regained Armenia and North
Mesopotamia.
379
Peace was established with Rome.
425
White Huns raided
Khorasan.
c489
Nestorian church was founded.
499 - 531
The zenith of Sassanian power.
529
Justinian closed schools. Scholars immigrated to Persia.
c570 Birth of
the prophet Mohammad. Yemen was under Persian control.
608
Sassanians attacked Byzantium.
614
Khosrow II captured Damascus and Jerusalem, bringing the true cross to
Ctesiphon.
622
Heraclius defeated Khosrow II. The year of the prophet?s journey from
Mecca (hijra).
632
The death of the prophet Mohammad.
632 - 651
Yazdegerd III, the last Sassanian monarch.
635 - 641
The Arabs took Damascus and Ctesiphon. They defeated Persians and Persia
was formally annexed to the Arab Empire.
651
The death of yazdegerd III.
Post-Islam Era in Iran
Local Dynasties
661 - 750
Umayyad Caliphs ruling from Damascus.
750 - 1257
Abbasid Caliphs ruling from Baghdad.
756 - 1031
Western caliphate of Cordoba was founded on the flight of the last
Umayyad.
861 - 872
Tahirid dynasty in Khorasan.
872 - 903
Saffarid dynasty
in Khorasan.
903 - 999
Samanid dynasty in Khorasan.
935 - 1055
The rise of the Buwayhids near Shiraz.
962 - 1044
Ghaznavid dynasty rose in the east challenging the Samanids.
Seljuks and
Mongols (Ilkhanids)
1037 - 1055
Seljuq Turks invaded Iran under Tughril beg. Buwayhid ruling ended by Abu
Moslem, Iranian commander of Abbasid army.
1073
The zenith of Seljuq power.
1090-1257
Ishmaelite society, later named assassins, mainly based in northern Iran,
valley of Alamut.
1117 - 1157
Sultan Sanjar. The end of Seljuq rule in Iran.
1219 - 1227
Chengiz khan devastated Iran.
1256 - 1265
Hulagu, grandson of Chengiz Khan, founded the Ilkhanid dynasty at Maragheh.
1295 - 1304
Ghazan
Khan and his final conversion to Islam.
1334
The end of the Ilkhanid dynasty.
Timurids
1380 - 1393
Timur conquered Iran. The suspension of the Nestorian church.
1397 - 1447
Timur invaded India. Then, he died. His successor, Shahrokh conquered Oxus
region.
1408 - 1453
The rise of the Qara Qoyunlu Turkmen.
1461
The Ottoman Turks
entered the northwest and pushed the Timurids to the east.
Safavids
1502 - 1524
Shah Ismail founded the dynasty. The conversion of Iran to Shiite Islam.
1587 - 1628
Shah Abbas I defeated the Turks in the north, conquered Baghdad and
declared Esfehan as his capital.
1722 - 1724
Afghans invaded Iran and captured Esfehan. Shiraz was captured afterward.
The massacre of Safavid princes.
Post Safavid Iran
1729 - 1739
Nader Qoli founded Afshar dynasty, expelled Afghans and conquered
Afghanistan and India.
1750 - 1795
Zand dynasty ruling from Shiraz.
1795 - 1925
Qajar dynasty ruling from Tehran.
1812
The treaty of Golestan. Iran cedes territories to Russia.
1827
Russia seized Tabriz.
1896 - 1906
The
constitutional revolution.
1906
The promulgation of the constitution.
1908
Nationalist uprisings.
1909
The Anglo-Iranian oil company (latter British Petroleum) was formed.
1909 - 1923
Ahmad
shah was the last Qajar king. Reza khan was appointed as prime Minister.
1924
Qajar dynasty was overthrown.
1925 - 1941
The proclamation of Reza khan as Reza shah, founder of Pahlavi dynasty.
1941
The invasion of the
allied forces. Reza shah abdicated in favor of his son, Mohammad Reza.
1943
Tehran conference (Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin). Territorial integrity
was regained by Iran.
1951
Dr.Mosaddeq became the prime minister and pressed for the nationalization
of oil industry.
1955
Iran joined the
Baghdad pact.
1959
Iran signed a
defense agreement with the USA.
1963
Ayatollah Khomeini
held religious nation-wide uprising in protest to shah.
1967
The coronation of Mohammad Reza and the queen Farah.
1969
Tension was renewed between Iran and Iraq on the Arvand Rud (Shat al-Arab)
issue.
1971
2500th anniversary of the Iranian monarchy was celebrated.
1978 - 1979
The escalation of peoples uprising against monarchy caused shah to flee
from the country.
Islamic republic of Iran
1979
Islamic republic of Iran. The nation voted for the establishment of the
Islamic republic of Iran government under the leadership of the late
Ayatollah Khomeini.
1980
Iraq attacked Iran.
1988
Both parties accepted 1988 UN resolution 598. A final cease fire
proclaimed by Iran. (An 8-year-long war).
1989
Ayatollah Khomeini passed away and ayatollah Khamenei was elected as the
new spiritual leader of the country.
Written by: Rahman
Mehraby
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