Iran

Interesting Facts About Iran

• Iran, historically known as Persia, has a population of over 92 million and ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population.
• The Parthian Empire ruled Iran for five centuries before being overthrown by Ardashir I in 224 AD.
• Ardashir I established the Sasanian Empire, which at its zenith controlled all of modern-day Iran and Iraq, parts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, the Levant, and parts of Central and South Asia.
• The Sasanian Empire was characterized by a complex and centralized government bureaucracy and the revitalization of Zoroastrianism as a legitimizing and unifying ideal.
• The strong economic conditions left by the Parthians allowed the Sasanians to build a powerful and distinctive economic state whose reputation spread well beyond its political frontiers and time.

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