Persia
Iran, historically speaking
Persia is the historical name for Iran, used widely in the West until the 20th century.
The Persian Empire was one of the ancient world's great civilizations, spanning from Egypt to India at its height.
Today Persia typically evokes this ancient heritage—Persian rugs, Persian cats, the Persian Gulf—while Iran names the modern nation-state.
The terms overlap: Iranians may call their language Persian or Farsi interchangeably.
Persian royal name
- DariusPersian royal name
- XerxesAchaemenid king of kings
- PersepolisAchaemenid Empire's grand capital
- satrapSubordinate provincial ruler
Zoroastrianism · Magi · cuneiform · Median · Immortals · tribute · satrapy
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- allureAttractive, tempting quality
- mystiqueAura of fascination
- bazaarOpen-air merchant district
- Silk RoadHistoric transcontinental trade network
spices · caravans · opulent · lavish · harem · Scheherazade · Arabian Nights · fabled
- quatrainFour-line poetic unit
- KhayyamTentmaker who versified
- AttarPersian mystical poet
- coupletTwo successive verse lines
mysticism · Sufi · verse · epic · lyric · divan · masnavi · imagery
Interlacing strands into fabric
- loomFabric-making frame
- knotsSecured loops in rope
- woolSheared animal fiber
- silkFine woven insect fiber
pile · warp · weft · dye · medallion · Isfahan · knotting · handmade
Iran's capital city
- ShahPersian word for king
- ayatollahShia jurisprudence master
- revolutionViolent governmental overthrow
- ShiaIslam's second-largest branch
Khomeini · sanctions · diplomacy · hostage crisis · nuclear · theocracy
Of ancient Iranian empire
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
- imperialRelating to supreme rule
- expansionIncrease in scope
Hellenistic · sovereignty · tribute · vassal · succession · realm · dominion · hegemony
Cyrus
Persian royal name
- DariusPersian royal name
- XerxesAchaemenid king of kings
- PersepolisAchaemenid Empire's grand capital
satrap · Zoroastrianism · Magi · cuneiform · Median · Immortals · tribute · satrapy
exotic
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
Silk Road · spices · caravans · opulent · lavish · harem · Scheherazade · Arabian Nights · fabled · intrigue
Rumi
couplet · mysticism · Sufi · verse · epic · lyric · divan · masnavi · imagery · metaphor
weaving
Interlacing strands into fabric
silk · pile · warp · weft · dye · medallion · Isfahan · knotting · handmade · arabesque
Tehran
Iran's capital city
- ShahPersian word for king
- ayatollahShia jurisprudence master
- revolutionViolent governmental overthrow
Khomeini · Shia · sanctions · diplomacy · hostage crisis · nuclear · theocracy
Parthian
Of ancient Iranian empire
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
- imperialRelating to supreme rule
expansion · Hellenistic · sovereignty · tribute · vassal · succession · realm · dominion · hegemony
Tehran
Iran's capital city
plateau · Kurdistan · Azerbaijan · Hormuz
- Ancient KingdomsBabylon, Assyria, Sumer, Kush, Nubia
- Historical PlacesUSSR, Prussia, Siam, Burma, Rhodesia
- historical regionsBohemia, Moravia, Saxony, Bavaria, Swabia
- Persian historyCyrus the Great, Xerxes, Persepolis, shah, Darius
- ByzantiumByzantine Empire, Constantinople, Hagia Sophia, Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantium
- ancient civilizationsAncient Egypt, Sumer, Ancient Greece, Aztecs, Egypt
- Persian carpetTraditional Iranian woven floor covering
- Persian rugHand-knotted Iranian floor covering
- Persian catLonghaired flat-faced breed
- Persian GulfInlet between Iran and Arabia
- ancient PersiaPre-Islamic Iranian civilization
- Persian EmpireAncient Iranian imperial dominion