A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind

This is an excellent exposition of Iranian history surveying the nation's history through the age of empire from the times of Cyrus the Great to the present government led by the Islamic Republic. One of the first things that will surprise you about this book is how extensive but yet quickly you will be able to move through the time periods of Persian history. The book starts by describing Persia from the first true Persian Dynasty, the Achaemenid dynasty, followed by the Seleucid, Parthian, Sassanid, Umayyad, Abassid, Saffavid, Qajar, and Phavali dynasties. The chapters are linked together by stories and important historical developments in each era and transistions smoothly by describing the fall and the rise of the subsequent powers. In addition, the author dedicated an extensive chapter to the acomplishment of Persian poets including works of Rumi, Saadi, Hafez, and Iraqi. It is most interesting to understand the role of poetry and its development in Persian history. The symbolism of the poetic works corresponds to subjects such as love, power, war, and life. However, I find the ones involving love most perxplexing and the usage of the term "wine" as the metaphor for love. The symbolic, which are mostly subliminal, of these poems are truly influential. So if you are someone who wants to thumb through a well composed survey of Iran's history, culture, and people this book is definitely the right one for you. It is always breathtaking to see how civilizations can influence each other in the most subtle manner and thus have profound effects just as how people may influence each other.

I have read a fairly large number of books about Iranian history, including several overviews of that country's history, and I think this one is reasonably well-done. A few points. (I) Please be advised that Iran has a very long history. Prof. Axworthy is correct to point out the ambiguities in defining "Iran," since we can speak of a Greater Iran that has, at times, included Mughul India, much of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and even parts of Ancient Greece. Conversely, influences from the Arab world and North America have flowed into Iran. So one needs to decide what one hopes for in a history of Iran: I would humbly submit that, as a primer for concerned citizens, the book becomes useful after p.123, at the earliest (1). After all, this is a short book on a gigantic subject; the single most important judgment is what is left out. An important concern for Prof. Axworthy is introducing Iran as a cultural entity, which requires attention to the 1200 years before Qadisiyyah, plus a brief description of Zoroastrianism (2). This is a pretty easy decision to defend, since Zoroastrianism does cast a long shadow over the history of Iran (and the Western world, too). However, translating the ultra-condensed textbook account of the period 576 BCE-636 CE into any sort of shadow is a big challenge. Axworthy handles this tolerably well, but without much originality. (II) This book is directly comparable to Alessandro Bausani's The Persians (1962), with a modest addendum for events since 1953. Bausani, writing when the Pahlavi Shah Muhammad Reza seemed quite secure, assumed that figues like Jal'lu'd-Din al-Afgh'ni were merely "odd figures" (Bausani, p.169), and accords him barely a sentence. Axworthy gives him almost two pages: the rise of militant Islam since then has taught everyone a thing or two. Rereading Bausani and Axworthy side by side, one sees that Axworthy is telling about the same story but with more of an sense of narrative arc. Bausani's book is a chronicle; he can't omit huge epochs like Axworthy does (the Seljuq period 1040-1194, for instance, and the Il-Khanids 1256-1353 are only mentioned as time periods-3). Axworthy wants to get us to 1979, and then to 2005; the events prior are only to contextualize 1979 and 2005. Even recent events, such as the 1953 ouster of PM Muhammad Mussadegh (an obsession with many reviewers, less so with actual historians of the region) and the period 1987-2005 are brushed past. (III) As a history this is unsatisfactory, since there is so much left out--the period from the creation of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad (750) to the Safavid Dynasty (1501) is just a backdrop to the development of Farsi poetry. After Qadisiyyah, the narrative is confined to the modern area of Iran (except for battles that involve Iranian rulers, like Nadir Shah's campaigns in India and Iraq). Yes, Axworthy mentions the fact that the Mughal Court was heavily influenced by Persian culture, and later mentions some connection between the Sep'h-e P'sd'd'n and Lebanon's Hizbullah, but nothing about SCIRI/ISCR (Badr Brigades) in Iraq. One could point out that this is not really a history, but a collection of informal essays that happen to be by Axworthy and happen to be about Iran. Hence, the sometimes puzzling change of focus, which occasionally includes mention of the local art, sometimes the economic conditions revealing, and sometimes the dynastic arrangements. But in that case, the culmination of the book ought to introduce readers to the current situation, and this book really doesn't. (IV) The book is quite readable and tries to bring a fresh approach to the well-trodden path of the "book-length history of Iran" genre. I personally believe it's a little too dependent on older books rather than recent scholarship (for instance, I don't think much of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire as a source), and unable to find a good niche. But there are no serious errors that I could find. ____________________________________________ NOTES (1) Chapter 4: "Shi'ism and the Safavids." This chapter includes a very brief introduction to the conflict within Islam that led to Shi'ism and Sunnism. Theology is not a major topic of this book; Axworthy has a lot of material to race through, and the details of the conflict are perhaps too recondite. (2) Qadisiyyah (636 CE), battle fought between Arab-Muslim and Sassanid forces that led to the Muslim conquest of the Persian Empire. 1200 years before means the time of Cyrus the Great, which is approximately when the parts of Persia were unified. Zoroastrianism is the pre-Islamic religion of Iran and the one expert I can recommend is Mary Boyce, A History of Zoroastrianism: The Early Period , E.J. Brill (1989). (3) For those interested: the Oghuz Turks were a tribal confederation, members of which ruled over most of Iran and its neighbors between the 11th and 20th centuries. In 1041, of their constituents captured western Iran; in 1926, the last Oghuz Turk ruler (Ahmad Shah) was superseded by Reza Khan. In the intervening years, there were gaps, such as the Borjigin Mongol tribe (1250-1335), the Barlas Mongols (1335-1405), and the Luristani Zand Dynasty (1750-1794). See David Durand-Guédy, Turko-Mongol Rulers, Cities and City Life , Brill (2013)--part of a series, _Brill's Inner Asian Library_, vol. 31.

This book can be considered a starting point for any newcomer to Iranian history. It is, without a doubt, a major contribution to the popular history genre. While Iran/Persia is one of the great empires, Axworthy implies that it is also an empire of the mind, a virtual empire that transcends the western concept of the geopolitical state. The book follows Iran's chronological history from pre-Achaemenid times to the present. It is well researched and has extensive footnotes and references allowing the reader to delve into details of any event or subject. Yet, it is eminently readable and has the tone of a lively and informative lecture rather than an erudite tome. The book binds all the varied elements of Iranian culture (a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religion mélange of peoples) into a single story line. It provides a factual, but simplified, picture of a multiplicity of societies who consider themselves Iranian regardless of the proclivity of their present governments. The reader is forced to re-evaluate the common notions of Iran as a homogeneous entity and recognize it as a hodgepodge of different groups who are bound by a common belief in the uniqueness of their civilization, culture and history. Perhaps the greatest contribution of the book is the portrayal of Iranian minorities. It is no small feat to trace their histories in the Iranian context. Yet, as Axworthy implies, it is their historical contributions and continued existence that make Iranian culture unique. It would be a sad day if any government forced uniformity on such a great and diverse culture. The book does not cover everything (that would require an encyclopedia) but it misses some points. For instance, it discusses the Council of Guardians but does not cover another key element of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic - the Council of Experts. This is the Council that was responsible for appointing Ayatollah Khamenei as "supreme leader", a decision that involved considerable internal debate. Further, in theory, this Council can remove the supreme leader if it finds him unfit to rule. This is no small power considering the current turmoil Iran and is certainly worth mentioning. However, in spite of such minor omissions, the book is accurate, immensely readable and truly major contribution to Iranian history.

Ein absolutes muss für jeden der auch nur ein winziges, ja sogar fast verschwindendes Interesse an der Geschichte dieser grossen Nation hat. Sie/ er wird zweifellos begeistert und hingerissen sein.

Gostei bastante. O autor foi muito bem sucedido em escrever um livro didático e de leitura fácil em relação a um país que tem uma história extensa, cheia de personagens e informações. Também gostei de o enfoque não ser somente em reis e batalhas, há informações sobre sociedade, as várias religiões que se formaram na Pérsia e um capítulo somente sobre poesia persa. O enfoque dado aos diversos períodos históricos é equitativa, porém é um bom livro para se entender todo o complexo contexto do Irã atual (o texto da versão que eu comprei, capa comum, termina em meados de 2015) de uma forma resumida e concisa.

This book is an excellent introduction to the history of Iran, blending detailed historical facts with engaging storytelling. It covers key events, cultural developments, and political shifts in a way that’s easy to follow yet deeply insightful. Perfect for both casual readers and history enthusiasts looking to understand Iran’s rich and complex past. Highly recommend

Before I read this book I basically knew three things about Iran: (1) There was an ancient Persian empire centred on the same basic geographic area as modern Iran, (2) modern Iran is the implacable adversary of the United States, the west in general, and Israel, and (3) Iranian culture and history is different from that of the surrounding Arab world. But how we got from the ancient empire of the Medes and Persians to the modern Islamic republic and its Ayatollahs, I had no idea. So I decided to fill this gap in my knowledge, looked up some books online, found this one highly recommended, and purchased it. I’m very glad I did. In this book, Michael Axworthy tells the story of Iran (Persia) from the Achaemenid Empire of sixth century B.C. to the present-day Islamic Republic. Obviously, when you are narrating a 2,600 year history in the space of 315 pages, there is going to be a lot of summarising, and I certainly got the sense, as I was reading this book, that there is a lot more than could be said! Nonetheless, for a person like me, who was almost entirely ignorant about the sweep of Iranian/Persian history, this book was the perfect place to start, and it has whetted my appetite to pursue the subject and learn more. Of course, the story of modern Iran is developing all the time. This book was originally published in 2007 and an epilogue was added in 2016. Now the story has moved on yet again, and five years from now it may well be completely different. But every book of history has to end somewhere, and the interested reader who wants to pursue the story will have no difficulty finding further sources. Without hesitation, I give this book five stars out of five.

A good book usefull to start knowing Iran history.