9781422284346

The Azadi (“Freedom”) Tower in Tehran is one of the city’s best-known landmarks. It is locat- ed in Azadi Square, which historically has been the location of mass protests against the Iranian government, most recently during 2009-10.

Place in the World

I ran is home to one of the world’s oldest cultures. Known as Persia in ancient times, it was the seat of several powerful empires that, at their height, ruled much of the ancient world. Iran’s enduring importance has been in part geographical—it sits at the crossroads of the Middle East, south Asia, and central Asia— and in part cultural, for the ancient Persians not only played an important role in world history, they also made amazing contribu- tions in the fields of art, architecture, and literature. Many of the great monuments and buildings of ancient and medieval Persia still stand, to be admired by modern-day Iranians and visitors alike. S TRATEGIC , R ELIGIOUS , AND C ULTURAL I MPORTANCE Because of its strategic location, Iran has always felt the influ- ence of other cultures—particularly the Greeks, Turks, Romans, Mongols, and Arabs—and over time has integrated many of the cul- tural, social, and political attributes of these other peoples. But Iranian culture and ideas have also influenced Iran’s neighbors. For

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