See also: Ottoman–Persian wars and Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam The Safavid Empire at its greatest extent Burke, Andrew; Elliott, Mark; Mohammadi, Kamin & Yale, Pat (2004). Iran. Lonely Planet. pp. 75–76. ISBN 1-74059-425-8. Iranian guest tea. Tahmasp I, the son and successor of Ismail I, carried out multiple invasions in the Caucasus which had been incorporated in the Safavid empire since Shah Ismail I and for many centuries afterwards, and started with the trend of deporting and moving hundreds of thousands of Circassians, Georgians, and Armenians to Iran's heartlands. Initially only solely put in the royal harems, royal guards, and minor other sections of the Empire, Tahmasp believed he could eventually reduce the power of the Qizilbash, by creating and fully integrating a new layer in Iranian society. As Encyclopædia Iranica states, for Tahmasp, the problem circled around the military tribal elite of the empire, the Qizilbash, who believed that physical proximity to and control of a member of the immediate Safavid family guaranteed spiritual advantages, political fortune, and material advancement. [119] With this new Caucasian layer in Iranian society, the undisputed might of the Qizilbash (who functioned much like the ghazis of the neighbouring Ottoman Empire) would be questioned and fully diminished as society would become fully meritocratic.

During the invasion of Transoxiana in 1219, along with the main Mongol force, Genghis Khan used a Chinese specialist catapult unit in battle, they were used again in 1220 in Transoxania. The Chinese may have used the catapults to hurl gunpowder bombs, since they already had them by this time. [90]

Aq Qoyunlu were Turkmen [109] [110] under the leadership of the Bayandur tribe, [111] tribal federation of Sunni Muslims who ruled over most of Iran and large parts of surrounding areas from 1378 to 1501 CE. Aq Qoyunlu emerged when Timur granted them all of Diyar Bakr in present-day Turkey. Afterward, they struggled with their rival Oghuz Turks, the Qara Qoyunlu. While the Aq Qoyunlu were successful in defeating Kara Koyunlu, their struggle with the emerging Safavid dynasty led to their downfall. [112] Early modern period [ edit ] Apart from this domination there existed, firstly, throughout these nine centuries, Shia inclinations among many Sunnis of this land and, secondly, original Imami Shiism as well as Zaydī Shiism had prevalence in some parts of Iran. During this period, Shia in Iran were nourished from Kufah, Baghdad and later from Najaf and Hillah. [101] Shiism was the dominant sect in Tabaristan, Qom, Kashan, Avaj and Sabzevar. In many other areas merged population of Shia and Sunni lived together. [ citation needed]

a b Burke, Andrew; Elliott, Mark (15 September 2010). "Coffee". Iran. Ediz. Inglese. p.81. ISBN 978-1-74220-349-2. The 9th century also saw the revolt by native Zoroastrians, known as the Khurramites, against oppressive Arab rule. The movement was led by a Persian freedom fighter Babak Khorramdin. Babak's Iranianizing [70] rebellion, from its base in Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran, [71] called for a return of the political glories of the Iranian [72] past. The Khorramdin rebellion of Babak spread to the Western and Central parts of Iran and lasted more than twenty years before it was defeated when Babak was betrayed by Afshin, a senior general of the Abbasid Caliphate.It has a high opinion of itself, although not to the same extent as the Alolan Persian. It’s quite difficult to make friends with this Pokémon. The gem in its forehead glows on its own! It walks with all the grace and elegance of a proud queen.

Newman, Andrew J. (31 March 2006). Safavid Iran: Rebirth of a Persian Empire. p.96. ISBN 978-1-86064-667-6.

However, all of Iran was still not under Arab control, and the region of Daylam was under the control of the Daylamites, while Tabaristan was under Dabuyid and Paduspanid control, and the Mount Damavand region under Masmughans of Damavand. The Arabs had invaded these regions several times but achieved no decisive result because of the inaccessible terrain of the regions. The most prominent ruler of the Dabuyids, known as Farrukhan the Great (r. 712–728), managed to hold his domains during his long struggle against the Arab general Yazid ibn al-Muhallab, who was defeated by a combined Dailamite-Dabuyid army, and was forced to retreat from Tabaristan. [66] Vegetables such as pumpkins, spinach, green beans, fava beans, courgette, varieties of squash, onion, garlic and carrot are commonly used in Iranian dishes. Tomatoes, cucumbers and scallion often accompany a meal. While the eggplant is "the potato of Iran", [24] Iranians are fond of fresh green salads dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, chili, and garlic. President Obama quoted one of this medieval poet’s poems on 20th March 2009 in a videotaped message greeting the people of Iran and marking the Persian New year and the spring equinox. The poem is inscribed in the Halls of the United Nations: See also: Neo-Assyrian Empire and Urartu A gold cup at the National Museum of Iran, dating from the first half of 1st millennium BC Sometime during the 1600s, an Italian composer and adventurer named Pietro della Valle described Persian cats from the Khorazan region of Persia, noting that most had long, silky, gray coats. His manuscript, known as Voyages de Pietro della Valle, mentions that the cats made their way to Persia from India with Portuguese travelers.