Iran
Iran
The land we know as Iran used to be called Persia, a place of great learning and refined culture. Modern-day Iran has taken on a different persona—aggressive and harsh—a land where freedoms have shrunk and fundamentalism has grown.
Its 78 million people are comprised of Persian and Azerbaijani ethnicities, along with various tribal groups. Islamicization came as a result of Arab invasions many centuries ago. With the revolution of 1979 and the birth of the Islamic Republic of Iran, many aspects of Persian culture went underground. There is seething unrest there and ethnic conflict threatens to erupt, although the Islamic theocracy strives to keep dissent in check. Meanwhile, Iran continues to defy international pressure to stop its nuclear program. Read more here at Suite 101.
topic editor
Jen L. Jones - Based in Canada, Jones writes on human rights, history,and the natural world. She focuses also on Turkish and Scottish travel and ...