KB Articles

Introduction and Overarching Context Setting the Stage When World War II erupted in 1939, Iran under Reza Shah Pahlavi (r. 1925–1941) maintained an official stance of neutrality, determined not to repeat the humiliating losses of autonomy that had plagued the Qajar era. Yet Iran’s critical geostrategic location—bridging the Soviet Union to the north and British […]

Introduction Overview and Central Thesis The period from 1921 to 1941 in Iran marks a dramatic turning point in the country’s modern history. Within these two decades, Reza Khan emerged from relative obscurity—serving initially as a Cossack Brigade officer—and rose to assume absolute authority, ultimately anointing himself Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1925 (Amanat 1997, 492). […]

Introduction Between 1794 and 1925, Iran was ruled by the Qajar dynasty, founded by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. This era stands out for its formidable challenges—foreign interventions, weakening central authority, fiscal crises, and sociopolitical upheavals. These pressures spawned significant waves of out-migration, creating new or enlarged diaspora communities in neighboring regions such as the Russian […]

Introduction and Overarching Context The Mongol conquests of the 13th century transformed Eurasia more dramatically and rapidly than almost any other episode in medieval history. Emerging from the steppes of Mongolia under the leadership of Temüjin (later known as Genghis Khan), the Mongols brought unparalleled military tactics, administrative adaptability, and a capacity to absorb local […]

The Medieval Persian World in Transition Between the 8th and 15th centuries CE, Persia (historically understood as the Iranian cultural and linguistic expanse) experienced dramatic transformations brought about by Islamic conquests, dynastic changes, and the emergence of new centers of power across West, Central, and South Asia (Bosworth 1996, 12). Crucially, during these centuries, Persians […]

The 7th-century Arab-Islamic conquest of Persia was an epoch-making event that altered the political, religious, and social landscapes of the Iranian plateau and beyond. In the wake of this conquest, the Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE), the last pre-Islamic Iranian empire, rapidly dissolved, and a new order emerged under the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates. The ensuing […]

Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE) Historical Context and Imperial Emergence The Achaemenid Empire was established by Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) in the mid-6th century BCE and, over the next two centuries, evolved into a vast dominion stretching from the Aegean Sea and Egypt in the west to the Indus Valley in the east (Briant, 2002, […]