The history of Iran is the history of a vast country in the Middle East, which covers an area of about 1,300,000 square miles and is home to about 85 million people.

The history of Iran begins with the founding of the city of Susa by the great Persian leader, King Cyrus the Great. In the 6th century, the Sassanid Empire, which was founded by Ardoshah, the son of Khosrow, came to an end and was replaced by the Islamic Caliphate. The Islamic religion spread throughout the country, and in the 7th century, the Rashidun Caliphate was established in northern Iran.

The country saw many different periods of Iranian history. The first of these periods, which begin with the founding of Susa, is known as the Achaemenid era, and the second is called the Parthian era. The latter ended in the 3rd century with the fall of the Sassanid Empire, and the former was replaced by the Ghaznavids in the mid-11th century. The Ghaznavids were in power for only two decades before the Seljuqs took over. In the 12th century, the Iranian Safavid dynasty was established, and in the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire invaded Iran and was in power for 200 years.

The history of Iran is not only the history of a country, but also the history of an empire. The Pahlavi dynasty, which was established in the 16th century, was the first major Iranian empire and lasted for 130 years. The Iranian Safavid dynasty followed, and after the Ottoman Empire invaded Iran, the two Persian dynasties were in power for more than 400 years until the Iranian Revolution of 1979.