A HISTORICAL OUTLINE OF IRAN

Iran, the “bridge of turquoise,” forms a vital bridge situated between two bodies of water, the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf (Beny, Nasr and Bakhtiar, 1975, p. 3). Iran has an ancient civilization and it has been inhabited from earliest times. Nearly 3,000 years ago, because of the bitter cold and the infertility of the soil, the Aryans living in the northern lands migrated to the southern plains of the Iranian plateau and gave their name to it. “Iran” is the shortened form of “Aryan.” The Arians founded the Pars dynasty, which gave its name to Persia, the other name of our country. King Darius (550–486 BC) enumerates 23 ethnic groups as the people of the Achaemenian empire. Iran's greatest period of glory and grandeur as well as hardship and agony were during this period (Sarvestani, 1998).

Iran has many unique features as well as wide variability in its ecology, inhabitants, arts, and customs. Diversity in climate has made the country rich in produce in some regions and poor in others. Diversity and contrasts are equally evident in culture, arts, and in local dialects and languages. Farsi or Persian is the official language for literary expression and scholarly exchange. It is written with Arabic letters. Azari Turkish, Arabic, Dari (the language spoken by Zoroastrians), and a number of local dialects are also spoken in different parts of the country. Musical notes and instruments have been known for thousands of years in Iran.