Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Arabs & Islam
A crucial chapter in Persian history started when the Arabs defeated the Sassanids at
Qadisirya in 637, following up with a victory at Nehavand near Hamadan that effectively
ended Sassanid rule.
By the time of Mohammed's death in 632 the Arabs were firm adherents of Islam. The
Persians found plenty to like in Islamic culture and religion, and readily forsook Zoroaster
for the teachings of Mohammed. Only Yazd and Kerman (both of which clung to
Zoroastrianism for a few centuries more) and a few isolated mountain tribes held fast to
their old religions. As they rapidly spread across the Middle East, the Arabs adopted Sas-
sanid architecture, arts and administration practices.
The Umayyad caliphs initially governed
Persia from their capital in Damascus, but in
750 a Shiite rebellion led to the elevation of
the Abbasid dynasty, which set up its capital
near Baghdad. The Abbasid caliphs presided
over a period of intellectual exuberance in
which Persian culture played a major role. Per-
sians also held many high offices at court, but
the Arabic language and script became the norm for day-to-day business.
During the 9th century Abbasid power crumbled and, one by one, regional governors
established their own power bases. In eastern Iran these new Iranian dynasties included
the Safarrids (868-903), the Tahirids (820-72) and the Samanids (874-999), who set up
their capital at Bukhara and revived the Persian language.
Ferdosi wrote his epic poem, the
Shahnameh
(Book
of Kings), between about 990 and his death in
around 1020. Its 60,000 couplets are considered the
foundation stone of modern Farsi, in the same way
Shakespeare is considered the father of English.
The Coming of the Seljuks
Inevitably, these local dynasties could not hold onto their power and eventually were ous-
ted by the Seljuk Turks who pushed on through Persia, capturing Esfahan in 1051 and
making it their capital. Within a few years they had added eastern Turkey to their empire
and, despite numerous rebellions, managed to maintain control with a large and well-paid
army.
The Seljuk dynasty heralded a new era in
Persian art, literature and science, distin-
guished by geniuses such as the mathematician
and poet Omar Khayyam. Theological schools
were also set up throughout Seljuk territories
to propagate Sunni Islam. The geometric brick-
Genghis Khan took the most beautiful women from
the lands he defeated and made them wives or con-
cubines, fathering hundreds of children. A recent
DNA study across Asia found that some 16 million
