Iran, modern world nations

Iran, modern world nations

Masoud Kheirabadi

Chelsea House

Once a great world civilization, Iran still is one of the most fascinating nations of the modern world. It is also one of the world’s most misunderstood countries. The political upheaval following the 1979 revolution created an image of Iran throughout the Western world, particularly in the United States, characterized by religious fanaticism, terrorism, and anti-Americanism. This image, though partially accurate, by no means represents the true nature of Iran and Iranians. As a matter of fact, up to the time of the revolution, Iran was a close friend of the United States. American presidents and officials frequently visited Iran and spent their vacations there. American advisers and consultants were seen all over the country, advising the government, the military, and industrial and other private enterprises.

.....

Table of Contents

1 Introducing Iran / 9
2 The Natural Environment / 15
3 Early History / 27
4 Steps Toward Modern Iran / 41
5 People and Culture / 57
6 Government and Politics in Iran / 73
7 Economic Patterns / 87
8 Life in Iran Today / 103
9 Iran Looks Ahead / 117

Facts at a Glance / 122
History at a Glance / 124
Bibliography / 127
Further Reading / 128
Index / 129

INTRODUCING IRAN

Once a great world civilization, Iran still is one of the most fascinating nations of the modern world. It is also one of the world’s most misunderstood countries. The political upheaval following the 1979 revolution created an image of Iran throughout the Western world, particularly in the United States, characterized by religious fanaticism, terrorism, and anti-Americanism. This image, though partially accurate, by no means represents the true nature of Iran and Iranians. As a matter of fact, up to the time of the revolution, Iran was a close friend of the United States. American presidents and officials frequently visited Iran and spent their vacations there. American advisers and consultants were seen all over the country, advising the government, the military, and industrial and other private enterprises.

Due to its breathtaking natural beauty and its rich cultural heritage, Iran was also a popular tourist destination for Americans and other tourists from different parts of the world. The country’s physical beauty and cultural and historical sites still attract a large number of international tourists. The appealing warm waters of the Caspian Sea, the lush green forests of northern Iran, the majestic snow-capped summits of the Elburz Mountains, and the esoteric marshes and deserts of the central Iranian plateau provide Iran with one of the world’s most diverse natural landscapes.

Iran’s unique physical geography has made it a land of four seasons, where at any chosen time, a visitor can feel all four seasons by moving throughout the country. In northwestern Iran, people can take refuge from the chilly winds of the winter or ski on the snow-covered mountain slopes. At the same time, in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf in southern Iran, others can swim and water-ski to cool off from the heat of the day. The barren desert lands of central Iran also offer a sharp contrast to the dense forests covering much of northern Iran.

Iran is located at a “crossroads of civilizations.” This historical factor, combined with its central location within the Middle East, gives the country considerable geopolitical importance. Historically, its central location has made possible regular contact between Iranians and neighboring cultures. Its rich natural resources have attracted many invading armies that have sought to control the nation during various periods of Iran’s extensive history. The discovery of fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, coal) at the beginning of the twentieth century also brought first the British and later the Americans to Iran.

Iran is the only country that has access to two of the world’s richest deposits of oil and natural gas—the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea basin. Iran currently holds 9 to 10 percent of the world’s total petroleum reserves and is among the largest producers and exporters of oil in the world. Iran also contains the second largest amount of natural gas deposits in the world, ...

Masoud Kheirabadi

Iran, modern world nations

Chelsea House

Chelsea House Publishers
Iran, modern world nations
Masoud Kheirabadi
Portland State University

Series Consulting Editor
Charles F. Gritzner
South Dakota State University

Chelsea House Publishers
A Haights Cross Communications Company
Philadelphia

Frontispiece: Flag of Iran
Cover: The shrine of Shah Nematullha Vali, Mahan, Iran

Chelsea House Publishers
VP, New Product Development Sally Cheney
Director of Production Kim Shinners
Creative Manager Takeshi Takahashi
Manufacturing Manager Diann Grasse

Staff for Iran
Executive Editor Lee Marcott
Production Editor Jaimie Winkler
Picture Researcher 21st Century Publishing and Communications, Inc.
Series Designer Takeshi Takahashi
Layout 21st Century Publishing and Communications, Inc.
Cover Designer Keith Trego
©2003 by Chelsea House Publishers, a Subsidiary of Haights Cross Communications.
All rights reserved. Printed and bound in the United States of America.

A Haights Cross Communications Company

http://www.chelseahouse.com

First Printing

1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kheirabadi, Masoud, 1951–
Iran / Masoud Kheirabadi.
p. cm.—(Modern world nations)
Includes index.
Contents: Introduction—Natural environment—Early history—Steps toward modern
Iran—People and culture—Government and politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
ISBN 0-7910-7234-7 HC 0-7910-7502-8 PB
1. Iran—Juvenile literature. [1. Iran.] I. Title. II. Series.
DS254.75 .K49 2002
955—dc21
2002015901