Greater Iran

Quick Facts: Who was Greater Iran?

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Greater Iran

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A cultural sphere encompassing the Iranian plateau, Central Asia, and South Asia.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Greater Iran or Greater Persia (Persian: ایران بزرگ, romanized: Ērān-i Buzurg), the Iranosphere, the Persosphere or Iranzamin (Persian: ایران‌زمین, romanized: Ērān-zamīn), is a term used to refer to a broader cultural sphere that has been influenced by Iranian peoples and Iranian languages, and primarily includes the Iranian plateau, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent (aka, South Asia), and as far east as the Tarim Basin. The regions which make up Greater Iran are defined by having long been under the rule of various Iranian empires and dynasties, during which the local populace gradually absorbed Iranian influence and assimilated it into their cultural and linguistic traditions; or those where a considerable Iranian population settled and retained their culture, such as in the areas surrounding the Iranian plateau. It is referred to as the "Iranian Cultural Continent" by Encyclopædia Iranica. Throughout the 16th to 19th centuries, Iran lost many of its historical territories that had been reconquered under the Iranian dynasties of the Safavids and Qajars. The Ottoman–Persian Wars resulted in the loss of present-day Iraq to the Ottoman Empire, as outlined in the Treaty of Amasya in 1555 and the Treaty of Zuhab in 1639.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Later, the Russo-Persian Wars resulted in the loss of the Caucasus to the Russian Empire: the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 saw Iran cede present-day Dagestan, Georgia, and most of Azerbaijan; the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828 saw Iran cede present-day Armenia, the remainder of Azerbaijan, and Iğdır, setting the northern boundary of Iran along the Aras River. Parts of Iran, notably Herat, were lost to Afghanistan through the Treaty of Paris in 1857 and the McMahon Arbitration in 1905. The name "Iran" is the New Persian continuation of the old genitive plural aryānām (Proto-Iranian, meaning "of the Aryans"), first attested in the Avesta as airyānąm (the text of which is composed in Avestan, an old Iranian language spoken in northeastern Greater Iran, or in what are now Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan). The proto-Iranian term aryānām is present in the term Airyana Vaēǰah, the homeland of Zoroaster and Zoroastrianism, near the provinces of Sogdiana, Margiana, Bactria, etc., listed in the first chapter of the Vidēvdād. The Avestan evidence is confirmed by Greek sources: Arianē is spoken of as being between Persia and the Indian subcontinent.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

However, this is a Greek pronunciation of the name Haroyum/Haraiva (Herat), which the Greeks called 'Aria' (a land listed separately from the homeland of the Aryans). While up until the end of the Parthian period in the 3rd century CE, the idea of "Ērān" had an ethnic, linguistic, and religious value, it did not yet have a political import. The idea of an "Iranian" empire or kingdom in a political sense is a purely Sasanian one. It was the result of a convergence of interests between the new dynasty and the Zoroastrian clergy, as we can deduce from the available evidence. This convergence gave rise to the idea of an Ērānšahr "Kingdom of the Iranians", which was "ēr" (Middle Persian, and even New Persian equivalent of Old Persian "ariya" and Avestan "airya").

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1555: 1555 Milestone — The Ottoman–Persian Wars resulted in the loss of present-day Iraq to the Ottoman Empire, as outlined in the Treaty of Amasya in 1555 and the Treaty of Zuhab in 1639.
2. 1813: 1813 Milestone — Later, the Russo-Persian Wars resulted in the loss of the Caucasus to the Russian Empire: the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 saw Iran cede present-day Dagestan, Georgia, and most of Azerbaijan; the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828 saw Iran cede present-day Armenia, the remainder of Azerbaijan, and Iğdır, setting the northern boundary of Iran along the Aras River.
3. 1857: 1857 Milestone — Parts of Iran, notably Herat, were lost to Afghanistan through the Treaty of Paris in 1857 and the McMahon Arbitration in 1905.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Greater Iran

True or False: “The concept of Greater Iran was politically established by the Achaemenid Empire.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the idea has deep roots, the political concept of an 'Iranian' empire only truly emerged during the Sasanian period.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Elizabeth Cary, Viscountess Falkland — Historical peer (Died in 1639) (1639): Pioneering English poet and dramatist, known for publishing the first original English play.
• Jean Racine — Historical peer (Born in 1639) (1639): Master tragedian of 17th-century France, celebrated for psychological depth.
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• Bennelong — Historical peer (Died in 1813) (1813): Eora man who served as a crucial cultural bridge between Aboriginal Australians and the British.
• Adolph Northen — Historical peer (Born in 1828) (1828): German painter known for dramatic battle scenes, especially Napoleonic Wars events.
• Albrecht von Graefe (ophthalmologist) — Historical peer (Born in 1828) (1828): Pioneering German ophthalmologist, instrumental in establishing modern eye care.
• Alberto de Oliveira — Historical peer (Born in 1857) (1857): Brazilian poet, pharmacist, and professor, known by the pen name Alberto de Oliveira.
• Aleksandr Lyapunov — Historical peer (Born in 1857) (1857): Pioneering Russian mathematician known for stability theory in dynamical systems.

Frequently Asked Questions about Greater Iran