Early Islamic History

Aryans were nomadic people in search of better land when they entered the Iranian plateau toward the end of the second millennium B.C. The reason for their migration may have been that they exhausted the natural resources, such as croplands and pastures, in their homeland. A group of these immigrants settled along the western slopes of the Zagros Mountains and set the foundation for an emerging empire known in the West as the Achaemenid Empire. Most of Iran’s present-day nomads, still living on the slopes of these rugged mountains, are descendants of the original Aryans.

ACHAEMENID EMPIRE (550–330 B.C.)
The Achaemenid Empire, known also as the Persian Empire, became one of the greatest empires that the world had ever seen. It was established by Cyrus the Great, who defeated the powerful Babylonian Empire in 539 B.C. While in Babylon, Cyrus ordered the release of Jewish prisoners who had lived in captivity for many years. For this he became known as the “liberator of Jews,” as is revealed in Jewish history and as is documented in the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. The empire that Cyrus created reached its peak during the reign of Darius the Great (541–486 B.C.). Under Darius, the empire stretched from the western borders of modern India to the valley of the Nile River and included numerous satellite kingdoms.

Darius is called “a great statesman” in the Bible. For the first time in history, he ordered the use of coins in trade. The use of gold and silver coinage later revolutionized economic exchange and world trade. Achaemenid rulers constructed substantial highway systems and pioneered advanced irrigation techniques.

Building the necessary infrastructure (physical links such as roads) facilitated trade and communication throughout the satellite territories and paved the way for further expansion of the empire.

With trade came the diffusion of new ideas and culture. Some of the Persian words for typical items of trade became widely used throughout the empire. Later, some of these words entered the English language. Persian was the official language of the empire used for inscriptions and proclamations; however, the more commonly used language throughout the empire was Aramaic.

Art and architecture also flourished during the reign of the Achaemenids. As a result of their extensive contact with the far reaches of the empire, the kings employed skilled artisans and professionals from different religious and cultural groups to work on major projects, such as the Persepolis, the winter capital of the Archaemenid Empire.

The Achaemenid Empire fell to the emerging Greek empire of Alexander the Great. To humiliate his defeated rival, Alexander burned the beautiful city of Persepolis when he defeated the last king of the empire in 330 B.C. However, Alexander was soon taken by the richness of Iranian culture and found the fusion of Greek and Iranian culture a noble idea. He married Roxana (Roshanak), a Persian princess, and encouraged 10,000 of his soldiers to marry Iranian women. A mass wedding in the city of Susa, ordered by Alexander, displayed his desire to complete the union of the Greeks and Iranians.