UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF

PERSEPOLIS HYSTERICALLYClass? Yes?Teach—OK!

Iran’s Establishment

In the 2nd millenium BC, semi-nomadic Indo-European invaders settled on they called “Ayryana Vaejo.”

The 2nd millenium BC was a really, really, really long time ago.

Semi-nomadic means they traveled often—not for fun, but for food—and planted crops at an established location

The name changed through the centuries, it was known as Persia and then Iran in 1935

Iran was RICH

And, like most rich countries, it got invaded ALL the time by EVERYONE including:

Alexander the Great of Macedonia From the west: Arabs (horses, yes. cowboys,

no) From the northwest: Turkey (gobble, gobble!) From the northeast: Mongolia (how much for

the yak?) Foreign domination could NOT squelch the

Persian culture and the invaders acclimated to it as they sapped its resources (Koja dastshoo'e?)

Oil: good. Invasions: bad.

The discovery of oil led to more interest in Iran by more modernized, Western countries in the 20th century. Of course…

Reza Shah, the ruler during WWII made the ill-advised decision to sympathize with the Germans and declared Iran a neutral zone. So, it was invaded by everyone BUT the Germans. Khoda-hafez, Reza Shah!

Reza Shah’s son succeeded him and set a precedent for rockstars and athletes for years to come by becoming known simply as the Shah. Salam, Madonna! Salam, Prince! Salam, Shack!

From Oil to Islam

“Not so fast, Mohammed Mossadeq!” said Great Britain in 1951 when the then prime minister nationalized the oil industry. “That doesn’t help us AT ALL!”

And they went at told their friends, the CIA, who organized a coup to overthrow him.

Re-enter, The Shah. Salam, The Shah! 26 years later, The Shah was driven out by the

Islamic Revolution, much to the dismay of the CIA who claimed in 1978 that Iran was no where near a revolution. “When we said ‘not near’, we meant ‘totally’ near.”

What Does it Mean to Be “Islamic” in Iran in 1980?

It means hijab for women: modest dress and always a veil.

It means men and women, boys and girls, were no longer allowed to socialize.

It means western culture and capitalism were renounced. Khoda-hafez, Cher!

It means you’ll be tortured if you oppose by the Revolutionary Guards.

It means the rest of the world begins to associate Islam with terror and brutality. This is, is the reason for the book.