The Cambridge History of Iran – serie

The Cambridge History of Iran is an eight-volume survey of Iranian history and culture, and its contribution to the civilisation of the world. All aspect of the religious, philosophical, political, economic, scientific and artistic elements in Iranian civilisation are studies, with some emphasis on geographical and ecological factors which have contributed to that civilisation's special character. The aim is to provide a collection of readable essays rather than a catalogue of information. The volumes offer scope for the publication of new ideas as well as providing summaries of established facts. They should act as a stimulus to specialists, but are primarily concerned to answer the sort of questions about the past and present of Iran that are asked by the non-specialist. Volume I sets the physical stage for the human events which follow. In a sense it is a companion volume to the rest of the series. The whole volume is devoted to geography, geology, anthropology, economic life, and flora and fauna. The physical environment of Iran is seen not as an unmoving backcloth against which the human drama is played; rather it is seen as a natural element which shapes in distinct and recognisable ways the whole course of human activity in the country. Iran offers a picture of sharp identity as a geographical unit. In spite of highly varies and often harsh natural conditions at local level, a consistent and recognisable pattern of physiographical and climatic features emerges at the national level. Because of these features the Iranians as a people suffered many vicissitudes. The complex character of the relationship between terrain and people is the major theme of this volume.

The Cambridge History of Iran is an eight-volume survey of Iranian history and culture, and its contribution to the civilisation of the world. All aspects of the religious, philosophical, political, economic, scientific and artistic elements in Iranian civilisation are studied, with some emphasis on the geographical and ecological factors which have contributed to that civilisation's special character. The aim is to provide a collection of readable essays rather than a catalogue of information. The volumes offer scope for the publication of new ideas as well as providing summaries of established facts. They should act as a stimulus to specialists, but are primarily concerned to answer the sort of questions about the past and present of Iran that are asked by the non-specialist. Volume 5 is a survey of every aspect of the civilisations which flourished in the Iranian region between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries: the rise and decline of the Saljuqs, the Mongol invasion and the establishment of a Mongol regime which dominated the Middle East for more than a century. It is the first attempt in modern times to study in detail a period of the greatest significance in Iranian history.

The second volume describes the formation, in the sixth century BC, of the earliest multi-national empire, its administration, its confrontation with Greece, and its eventual dissolution under the impact of Alexander's conquest of Iran in 331 BC. This was a time of great importance in the history of the entire Middle East, and embraced figures of the stature of Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes. The sources for this period are more diverse than for any other in Iran's history, the bulk of the evidence being preserved in Babylonian, Elamite, Egyptian and Greek. The involvement in this volume of specialists in each of these fields has ensured that the results of the intensive research of recent years are incorporated in this synthesis. In addition to the strictly historical accounts there are chapters on art and architecture, metalwork and glyptic, calendar systems, weights and measures, religion, and the eastern Iranian world as reflected in the Avesta.

The third volume, published in two parts, is an account of every aspect of Iranian civilisation from the death of Alexander in 323 BC to the advent of Islam in the seventh century AD. This complex period, of major importance in Iranian history and extending for almost a thousand years, encompasses the reigns of the Seleucid, the Parthian, the Kushan and Sasanian dynasties. As additions to the general objectives of these volumes, Professor Yarshater has included in this volume chapters on the institutional, administrative, legal, numismatic, linguistic and literary aspects of the period; and he further develops the scope of the volume by including studies of Iran's interaction with neighbouring societies, of Iran's mythical and legendary history, and of Iranian settlements outside the geographical boundaries of Iran and Afghanistan. This volume is the most comprehensive study published of this very important period of Iran's history.

Volume 4 is a survey of every aspect of the civilisations which flourished in the Iranian region from the Arab conquests to the Saljuq expansion: in particular, it studies the gradual transition of Iran from Zoroastrianism to Islam, the uniting of all Iranians under one rule, the flowering into full magnificence of the Persian language, and the establishment of those other acts which were to flourish so brilliantly after the Mongol conquest. The volume as a whole provides a comprehensive record of the formative centuries of Islam in Iran.

The Cambridge History of Iran is an eight-volume survey of Iranian history and culture, and its contribution to the civilisation of the world. All aspects of the religious, philosophical, political, economic, scientific and artistic elements in Iranian civilisation are studied, with some emphasis on the geographical and ecological factors which have contributed to that civilisation's special character. The aim is to provide a collection of readable essays rather than a catalogue of information. The volumes offer scope for the publication of new ideas as well as providing summaries of established facts. They should act as a stimulus to specialists, but are primarily concerned to answer the sort of questions about the past and present of Iran that are asked by the non-specialist. This volume covers the history of Iran from the collapse of the Il-Khanid empire (c. 1335) to the second quarter of the 18th century. The period id of special interest as one which, in the traditional view, witnessed the emergence of Iran as a 'national state'. It is in the latter half of this era that moderate Shi'ism acquired the definitive hold on the country which has been maintained to the present day, and which helps to differentiate Iran from the other Islamic states of south-west Asia. In addition to chapters on commercial and diplomatic contacts with Europe - contacts usually fortified by a common hostility to the Ottoman Turks - which became prominent from the 16th century, the volume contains chapters on social and economic history, the arts and architecture, the exact sciences, religion, philosophy and literature.

This final volume of The Cambridge History of Iran covers the period from 1722 to 1979. Part I sets out the political framework. Beginning in the reign of Nadir Shah, it traces the establishment of the Qajar dynasty and the rise and fall of the Pahlavi autocracy. Part II discusses relations with the Ottoman Empire, Russia, European countries, Britain and British India. Part III covers economic and social developments, including systems of land tenure and revenue administration, the tribes, the traditional Iranian city, European economic penetration and the impact of the oil industry. In Part IV religious and cultural life is examined. There are chapters on religious change and Iranian arts and crafts - including architecture, ceramics, painting, metalwork and textiles, from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries - and popular entertainment, literature, and the press in modern Iran. The contributors to this volume represent the most informed and up-to-date international scholarship on the region. Together they have provided a unique survey of the modern period in Iranian history, leading up to the formation of the Islamic Republic.