History of Iran

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC.^[1] The Medes unified Iran as a nation and empire in 625 BC.^[2][2]

The Islamic conquest of Persia (633–656) and the end of the Sassanid Empire was a turning point in Iranian history. Iran had been a monarchy ruled by a shah, or emperor, almost without interruption from 1501 until the 1979 Islamic revolution, when Iran officially became an Islamic Republic on 1 April 1979.^[3][4]

1. ↑ Xinhua, "New evidence: modern civilization began in Iran", 10 Aug 2007, retrieved 1 October 2007
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9371723 Encyclopædia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Article: Media
3. ↑ Iran Islamic Republic, Encyclopædia Britannica retrieved 23 January 2008
4. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica 23 January 2008