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A History of Iran

Page 42

by Michael Axworthy


  Mind, Iranian Empire of, 120, 294

  Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), 265, 278, 279, 289. See also SAVAK security agency

  Mir Veis, 148–149

  Mirza Agha Nuri, 192

  Mirza Hasan Shirazi, 197

  Mirza Hosein Khan, 194

  Mirza Mahdi Astarabadi, 164–165

  Mithra, 7

  Mithradates I, Arsacid, 33, 34

  Mithradates II (Mithradates the Great), 33, 34

  Mithraism, 40–43

  Mithras, 41

  Modarres, Seyyed Hasan, 224, 225, 264

  Moghul Empire of India, 139, 157–158

  Mohammad, 5, 68–71, 93–94, 126

  Mohammad Ali Shah, 206, 207, 208

  Mohammad Baqer Majlesi, 144, 146, 147

  Mohammad Ghuri, 104

  Mohammad Mizra, 181

  Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

  alienation of people towards, by 1977, 254–255

  appeal to U.S. and public opinion during WWII, 232

  assassination attempt against, 1949, 234–235

  assumption of throne, 230

  and autocratic rule and repression, 243, 250–251, 252

  background of, 230

  demands from U.S. to liberalize, 242

  events of 1951–1953

  alienated many Iranians, 237, 238

  incidents where he looked foolish, 255–256

  isolation of, 251

  leaves country in January 1979, 258

  and Mossadeq coup, 240

  and pardoning of Sardari, 231

  and White Revolution reforms, 242

  Mohammad Shah (Moghul emperor), 157, 158

  Mohammad Shah (Persian ruler), 185–186, 187, 188

  MOIS. See Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS)

  Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), 250, 266–267, 272

  Mojtaheds, 172, 206–207, 254, 271

  Molla Sadra, 138

  Mongol period, 100–104, 101, 116–117

  cultural conquering of by Persians, 104, 105

  Montazeri, Ayatollah, 254, 272–273, 301

  Montazh, 250

  Moses, 5

  Moslehi, Heydar, 303

  Mossadeq, Mohammad, 224–225, 231, 235, 236–237, 245

  Motahhari, Morteza, 263

  Mottahedeh, Roy, 234, 250

  Mousavi, Mir-Hosein, 296–301

  Mozzaffer od-Din, 199–200, 201, 203

  Mu‘awiya (fifth caliph), 76, 126

  Mullahs, 83, 140–141, 186, 196–197

  and attacks against Griboyedov, 182, 184

  Khomeini criticism of closed-minded, 271

  Mu‘tazilis, 82, 83, 95

  Nabonidus, 14

  Nader Shah, 151–165, 156, 169, 219–220

  and attempt to conquer Daghestan, 160

  and conquest of India, 157–158

  conquests of and centrality of Persia, 158–159

  coronation of, 155

  and defeat of Afghans, 153–154, 157

  and defeat of Ottomans, 154–155

  and military exercises, 152–153

  and movement against Ottoman Empire, 160, 162, 163

  overstretching of resources of, 157, 160, 162, 163

  as parvenu, 161

  period before becoming Shah, 151–155

  personal breakdown of, 160, 163

  and religious tolerance, 157

  reorientation towards Sunnism, 155, 157, 161

  style of ruling backward or forward looking, 160–161

  why not more well-known?, 163–164

  Najaf, 206–207, 287

  Napoleon, 178, 179, 180, 183

  Naqsh-e Rostam rock relief, 44, 45, 46, 54

  Narseh, 54

  Naser-e Khosraw, 88

  Naser od-Din Shah, 185, 188, 191–192, 197, 199, 243

  assassination of, 198

  and breaking off talks with British in 1870s, 195

  and British and Russian influence in Persia, 192–193

  and Malkom Khan, 196

  ruling as own first minister, 192

  and tobacco concession, 197

  traveling of, 194

  Naser od-Din Tusi, 104

  Al-Nasser, Jamal Abd (Nasser), 238

  Nassiri, General, 262

  National Front, 235, 236, 240, 242, 254, 257

  reforming and criticisms of 1977, 252, 253

  National Intelligence Estimate of November 2007, 293, 304

  Nationalism, 117, 272

  Naus, Joseph, 200, 202

  Nebuchadnezzar, 9

  Nehemiah, 25

  Neo-Platonists, 61–62, 94, 108, 138

  Nero, 39

  Nestorian Church, 57

  Netanyahu, Benjamin, 308, 310

  New Julfa, 136

  New Year celebration, 20

  Newspapers, 204, 232, 265

  Nietzsche, Friedrich, 10, 53

  Nima Yushij, 226

  Nizam ol-Mulk, Hasan Tusi, 90

  Nizami Ganjavi, 96–97

  Nomadic invaders, Ibn Khaldun’s theory of, 118–120

  Nomadic peoples, 3–4

  Non-Iran (Aniran) territories, 45

  Nonviolence principle, 303

  Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), 291

  Nuclear weapons development

  declarations by religious leaders against, 273, 292

  and diplomatic deal with U.S. of 2015, 307–312

  dispute regarding Iranian, 291–293, 304, 307

  fears regarding and Ahmadinejad threats, 286–287

  and Geneva interim agreement, 307–309

  and intelligence that Iran stopped in 2003, 293, 304

  and Iranian diplomatic offer of 2003, 284

  and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, 309–310, 312

  Nuqtavi Sufis, 137

  Nuri, Shaykh Fazollah, 206, 208

  Obama, Barack, 295, 300, 308, 310

  Odenathus, Septimius, 53–54

  Oil, 210

  and British, 226–227, 228, 235–236

  and concession of 1901 to D’Arcy (British), 200, 201

  demands for nationalization of by Majles, 235–236

  discovered in Khuzestan, 212

  increased income under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, 239, 247

  protection of fields in WWI, 213

  revenue of to military, 223

  U.S. with stake in after Mossadeq coup, 239

  See also Anglo-Iranian Oil Company; Anglo-Persian Oil Company

  Old Stone Age inhabitants, 2

  Omar (caliph), 111

  Omar Khayyam, 90–93, 115, 116, 145

  OPEC, 247

  Original sin, 52

  Ormuzd (Ahura Mazda), 44

  Orodes, 37, 38

  Osroes (Khosraw), 42

  Ottoman Empire, 130, 137, 151, 203

  Nader Shah’s movement against, 154–155, 160, 162, 163

  Persian cultural influence in, 138–139

  and war with the Safavids, 133, 136

  and WWI, 213, 215

  Pacorus, 38

  Pahlavi dynasty

  and development of military, 222–223

  execution of senior figures by Komitehs, 262

  and exploitation of oil by British until 1993, 227

  formal beginning of in 1926, 219

  invented historical heritage for, 239, 251

  oil boom and expansion of 1960s–1970s, 246–250

  and political repression and remoteness, 229, 243, 250–251, 252–253

  powers limited during WWII, 231

  and transport infrastructure, 223–224

  and Westernizing by Reza Shah, 226

  See also Mohammad Reza Pahlavi; Reza Khan/Reza Shah

  Pahlavi Foundation, 263

  Pahlavi language, 48, 68

  Palestine, 230, 299

  Panahi, Ja‘far, 293

  Paradise, 16

  Parker, Geoffrey, 161

  Parthian kings, as friends to the Greeks, 32

  Parthians, 4, 32�
��33, 34, 39

  and battles with Rome, 34–40, 42–43

  and Indo-Parthian empire in Punjab, 39

  under Sassanids, 47

  Parthians and Sassanids, 35

  Pasargadae, 251

  Peace of Paris, 192

  Pelagius and Pelagianism, 52, 53

  Perfect Man, 108, 260–261

  Peroz (Feruz), 58

  Persecution of minorities

  in 1830s, 186–187

  and Kerdir, 54

  and Mohammad Reza Shah, 251–252

  and riots of 1903, 200

  under Islamic Republic, 279–280

  under Safavids, 133–134, 139–140, 144

  and Yazdegerd II, 68

  Persepolis, 20, 25, 29, 251

  Persia, formal use of name, 226

  Persia and the Persian Question (Curzon), 215

  Persian language

  and language reform by Reza Shah, 226, 229

  relationship to other languages, 1–2

  and Shahnameh, 88

  survived Islamic conquest, 68

  Persian/Russian wars of 1804–1828, 175, 177

  Persian wars, 23, 25, 26

  Philip of Macedon, 27–28

  Philip the Arab, 46

  Phocas, 64

  Phraates, 33, 34

  Pilgrim’s Progress (Bunyan), 8

  Plato and Platonism, 9, 24, 108

  Plotinus, 50

  Plutarch, 37

  Poetry of Persia

  al-Iraqi, Fakhroddin, 107–110

  and Attar, 97–100

  and courts of Abbasid dynasty, 84–85

  culmination of after Arab conquest, 105–116

  and earlier Arabic traditions, 85

  eighteenth century rejection of Safavid style, 225–226

  grand theme is love, 85, 96, 97, 98, 113

  Hafez, 87, 112–115

  homoerotic strain in, 107–108

  Kasravi’s disapproval of cult of, 233–234

  and Nizami Ganjavi, 96–97

  and Omar Khayyam, 91–93

  and Rumi, 105–107

  and Sa‘di, 110–112

  and Safavid or Indian period, 139

  and Sana’i, 95–96

  and Shahnameh, 86–88

  and Sufism, 97–100

  under Reza Khan, 225–226

  verse forms of, 92

  Political societies (anjoman), 203–204

  Polygamy, 136–137, 276

  Population levels, 167, 222, 240, 275–276

  Pourandarzjani, Ramin, 299

  Press freedom, 265, 281

  Protector of the Poor, 60

  Qajar Persia, 136, 204, 219

  and Agha Mohammad Khan, 169–172, 176

  and civil war with Zands, 169–171, 184

  and Fath Ali Shah, 176–177, 182, 184, 185

  map of Persia, 183

  and Mohammad Shah, 185–186, 187, 188

  Qalandar, 97, 107

  Qalibaf, Mohammad, 304–305

  Qanun (newspaper), 196, 198

  Qara-Qoyunlu, 120–121

  Qezelbash, 131, 132, 133, 134, 141

  and Abbas the Great, 135, 136, 137

  and Nader Qoli, 151

  Qom, 202, 287

  Qor’an, 69, 70, 80, 82, 87, 115

  and mystical element, 93

  and shu‘ub, 79

  similarities to Zoroastrianism, 74–75

  and veil, 190

  and women, 71

  Qorrat al-Ain, 188, 189

  Qumran (Dead Sea) scrolls, 10

  Radio ownership, increase of in 1940s, 232

  Rafsanjani, Akbar Hashemi, 269, 274, 281, 300, 304, 306

  and reconstruction, 274–276

  Railways, 192–193, 195, 223–224

  Rashid al-Din, 117

  Rashidun, 132

  Rastakhiz (Resurgence) party, 250, 257

  Razm o bazm, 141–142

  Razmara, Ali, 235

  Reconstruction era, 274–276

  Reform attempt by Khatami, 277–281, 284

  Refugees, after recent wars, 274

  Religious revolution, 18, 210

  and Abu Muslim, 77–78

  during Abbasid period, 83

  pattern of and Ardashir, 45

  Revolution of 1979, 126, 256–258, 261

  Shi‘a beliefs that are recipe for, 173

  talk of exporting faded by end of Iran/Iraq war, 267

  Reuter, Baron de, and Reuter concession, 194–195

  Revolution of 1979, 126, 256–258, 261

  Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran), 263, 268, 300–302

  Rex Cinema fire, 257

  Reza Khan/Reza Shah, 208, 221, 230, 244

  assumes name Pahlavi in 1925, 219

  becomes prime minister/shah, 219–220

  as commander of Cossack Brigade, 217

  desire for Western look in dress/attitudes, 226

  few friends as WWII began, 227

  and Nazis/fascism, 222, 228, 229

  purpose to make Iran strong, 222

  strengthened his own position, 224–225

  taking over/reforming central government, 218

  visit to Atatürk in 1934, 226

  Reza Pahlavi (son of last Shah), 287

  Reza Qoli Mirza, 159, 160, 164, 165

  Rome

  and Mithraism, 41–42

  and Parthians, 33, 34–40, 42–43

  and peace during time of Yazdegerd I/Arcadius, 56–57

  and Sassanid Empire, 45–46, 53, 55–56

  See also Byzantium

  Rostam, 37, 38

  Roxana, 29

  Rouhani, Hassan, 304

  election of, 305–306

  and nuclear deal success, 311–312

  pragmatism in career of, 306–307

  United Nations General Assembly speech of, 307

  Rudaki, 85–86

  Ruholamini, Mohsen, 299

  Rumi, Jalal al-Din Molavi, 105–107, 116, 238–239

  Rural population improvements, 276

  Rushdie, Salman, 270, 273

  Russia

  as allies of Nader, 155

  and attempted return of captives in 1829, 182

  ending of influence after 1953 coup, 237

  and firing on shrine of Emam Reza, 212

  and interference during Naser-od-Din’s reign, 193–194

  and loans to Persia under Mozaffar od-Din, 199–200, 201

  and military forced removal of Schuster, 209

  and occupation of Iran in WWII, 227–234

  and Persian/Russian wars of 1804–1828, 175, 177

  represented traditional European order in nineteenth century, 193

  revolution destroyed trade with Persia, 214

  rivals with British in Persia, 187

  and secessionist movements in Azerbaijan during WWII, 232–233

  and successor to Fath Ali Shah, 185–186

  and treaty of 1907, 207–208

  withdrawal from Iran, 234

  and WWI, 213–214

  See also Caucasus

  Saddam Hossein, 266, 267, 274, 289

  Sa‘di, 110–112

  Sadr, Abol-Hasan Bani, 265

  Al-Sadr, Moqtada, 287

  Sadr al-Din, 130

  Safavi, Navvab, 233

  Safavids, 121, 130–144

  and Abbas the Great, 134–141

  Afghan invasion of, 148–151

  and alcohol, 141–142, 143

  and battles with Sunni Ottomans, 133, 136

  Esma‘il and establishment of empire, 132–134

  extremism and persecution of religious groups, 133–134, 139–140, 144, 147

  functioning without strong monarchs, 143–144

  governmental system of, 130, 137–138

  and military and gunpowder, 135, 141

  and religious rules and Shah Hosein, 146–147

  and Shah Soleiman, 142–143, 144, 145–146

  and Shah Sultan Hosein, 146–148

  and Shi‘a, 1
31, 132

  and Sufis, 130, 131, 140, 147

  Saffarids of Sistan, 84

  Sakae tribe, 32, 33, 38

  Salisbury, Lord, 185, 195

  Samanids of Bokhara, 84, 85–86, 117

  Sana’i, 95–96

  San‘an, Shaykh, 98–100

  Sanctuary (bast), 202

  Sanei, Grand Ayatollah Yousef, 273

  Sanjabi, Karim, 252, 253, 257

  Saoshyant, 8, 129

  Sarbedari movement, 117, 130

  Sardari Qajar, Abdol-Hosein, 230–231

  Sassanid Empire, 43–62

  changes in government made by, 47–48

  and creation of nobility or dehqans, 48

  and Iranian identity, 117

  Khosraw’s rule as pinnacle of, 62–63

  and king as protector of justice for all subjects, 57

  and nobility and clergy during reigns of Kavad and Khosraw, 59–60

  and non-Iranian territories, 45

  prefiguring of policies of with Vologases I, 40

  and Rome, 45–46, 53, 55–57

  under Ardashir and Shapur, 43–49

  and use of name Iran, 45

  Satanic Verses, The (Rushdie), 270, 273

  Satraps, 21

  Sattar Khan, 208

  Al-Saud family of Arabia, 175–176

  Saudi Arabia, 288, 311

  SAVAK security agency, 240, 242, 243, 255, 265

  execution of head of by Komitehs, 262

  and pursuit of dissidents/radical movements, 246, 250

  and Rex Cinema fire, 257

  See also Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS)

  Schuster, Morgan, 209–210, 223

  Science, Islamic, 198

  Scythian tribes, 5

  Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), British, 237

  Security, 148

  Seleucid kings, 30–33

  Seleucus, 30

  Seleucus Nicator, 31–32

  Seljuk Turks empire, 89, 90, 96, 100, 104

  Sennacherib, King of Assyria, 12–13, 14, 15

  September 11, 2001, 284

  Seven Years’ War, 158, 160

  Sexuality, 15, 50, 51, 52, 249–250

  Seyyed, 202, 243–244

  Seyyed Ali Mohammad, 188

  Shabestari, Mohammad Mojtahed, 274

  Shabestari (poet), 109

  Shah Abd ol-Azim, shrine of, 193, 198, 201–202, 206

  Shah Soleiman, 142–143, 144, 145–146, 148

  Shah Sultan Hosein, 146–148, 149, 150, 151

  Shahab III missile, 281

  Shahabadi, Mirza Mohammad Ali, 244

  Shahid Balkhi, 67, 86

  Shahnameh (Ferdowsi), 37–38, 85, 251

  content and great influence of, 86–88

  and Persian continuity, 68

  Shahrokh (grandson of Nader), 161, 166, 171

  Shahrokh (son of Timur), 120, 161

  Shahrvaraz, 65, 66

  Shalmaneser III, King of Assyria, 4

  Shams-e Tabrizi, 105, 107

  Shapur I, 46, 47–49, 50, 54, 55

  Shapur II, 55–56, 134

  Shari‘a law, 204, 253, 264

  Shariati, Ali, 255

  Shari‘atmadari, Ayatollah, 256, 257, 263–264

 

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