The nation of Iran is the product of over five millennia of conquests, invasions, occupations and revolutions. It is also one of human civilization's oldest "melting pots," the historic homeland of more than 30 distinctive ethnic groups. This book is the first work to explore the cultural make-up of a place that is both one of the world's most fascinating historic landscapes, and one of the least understood nations today.

Persian Farsi collection.

Land and early history -- Islamic conquest -- The rise of Shiỉ Islam -- Modernization and national identity -- Twentieth-century Iran -- Reform and counter-reform -- A new nation in the making -- Tribes and the state -- Great expectations -- Ethnicity versus nationality -- Backlash.