| Year: | Important people: | Short description: |
| Pre-dynastic Era | ||
| 3900 BC | - | Sialk near Kashan, the first city on the Iranian plateau, was built. |
| 1500-800 BC | Persians and the Medes | These two groups of Aryan nomads, migrated to the Iranian plateau from central Asia. |
| Achaemenian Dynasty | ||
| 559-530 BC | Cyrus the Great | He established the Persian Empire in 550 BC, the first world empire. |
| 539 BC | - | Babylonia surrendered peacefully to Cyrus the Great. |
| 522-486 BC | Darius the Great | The reign of Darius the Great marked the zenith of the Persian Empire. |
| 550-334 BC | - | The Persian Empire became the dominant world power for over two centuries. |
| Alexander to Parthian Dynasty | ||
| 334 BC | Alexander the great | Alexander Invaded Persia. |
| 323 BC | - | Alexander died. |
| 323-141 BC | - | The Seleucid Dynasty was established by one of Alexander's generals. |
| 247 BC-224 AD | The Parthians | The Parthians, a tribal kingdom from northeastern Iran, gradually defeated the Greek Seleucids. |
| Sasanian Dynasty | ||
| 224 | Ardeshir I | Ardeshir I founded the Sasanian dynasty. |
| 260 | Shahpur | Shahpur I invaded the Roman Empire and took Emperor Valerian prisoner. |
| 531-579 | Khosrow I Anushiravan | The reign of Khosrow I Anushiravan marked the height of the Sasanian dynasty. |
| The arab conquest | ||
| 570 | The Prophet Mohammad | The Prophet Mohammad was born. |
| 622 | - | Fearing persecution for his beliefs, the Prophet Mohammad migrated from Mecca to Medina. |
| 632 | - | The Prophet Mohammad died. Subsequently, his revelations were gathered and compiled into the holy book of Islam - The Koran. |
| 696 | - | Arabic became the official language of the Islamic world. |
| Persia's Cultural Golden Age | ||
| 840 | Sibovayh | Sibovayh, a Persian scholar, laid the foundation for the codification of Arabic grammar and wrote the first Arabic dictionary. |
| 850 | Khwarazmi | Khwarazmi, a remarkable mathematician and astronomer, wrote precise astronomical tables and the first work of algebra, The Book of Integration & Equation. |
| 865-925 | Razi | Razi, one of the most accomplished physicians, chemists and philosophers of his era, invented the medical usage of alcohol and wrote a number of books on a variety of topics, especially medicine. |
| 1048-1122 | Omar Khayyam | Omar Khayyam, a great mathematician, poet and astronomer, performed the mathematical calculations to reform the Persian calendar, one of the most accurate calenders in the world and still in use to this day. |
| Mongol Era | ||
| 1206 | Chengiz Khan | Chengiz Khan united the Mongol clans and began his attempt at world conquest. |
| 1220 | Chengiz Khan | Chengiz Khan and his Mongol hordes attacked Persia with unparalleled brutality, bringing about one of the worst catastrophes in the history of mankind. |
| 1227 | - | Chengiz Khan died. His empire was divided among his sons. |
| 1258-1353 | The Mongols | The Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258, thus ending the Abbasid Caliphate. The Il-Khanid dynasty gained control of the segment of the Mongol Empire covering Persia. |
| 1271 | Marco Polo | Marco Polo journeyed through Persia on his way to China. In his Book of Travels, he wrote about the Mongols' savagery: How sad it is, the destruction, waste and death inflicted upon this once mighty, prosperous and beautiful Persia. |
| The golden age | ||
| 1500 | Shah Abbas I | The era is known as the Golden Age specially when referring to the craft and art of carpet weaving. The greatest king was shah Ababbs I under Safavid dynasty |
| 1736 | Nader Shah | Nader a brave soldier saves Iran from the afghans and establishes a new dynasty, Afshars |
| 1750 | Karim khan zand | Karim khan founded a dynasty in the southern regions of Iran. |
| Contemporary history | ||
| 1800 | Agha Mohammad Khan | The Qajar dynasty with Agha Mohammad Khan defeats the russian army but later makes great territorial losts. |
| 1900 | Reza khan | Establishes the Pahlavi dynasty and tries to modernize Iran. |
| 1940 | Mohammad reza shah | Takes over after his father as Irans last king before he is overthrown in a revolution. |
| 1979 | Ayatollah Khomeini | The iranian revolution in 1979 which takes the country into a new islamic oriented system. |
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