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 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