Schlüsselwort: CYRUS

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO IRAN If you announce that you are going to Iran, someone will certainly advise you not to go. Ignore them, for this is one of the most exciting countries on Earth. This book will take you all the way through 5,000 years of Persian history into today’s modern Iran. It is about the places and history of Persia’s “One Thousand and One Nights” and how those stories have shaped the modern Iran that it is today. Many westerners, especially women (including some of my friends), feel hesitant about travel to Iran. This is because the western media only reports kidnappings, terrorist activities and endless wars in the region. This has been particularly since the 9/11 attacks, when a group of Al-Qaeda terrorists, a Wahabi religious group from Saudi Arabia, attacked the United States. These attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities and causing long-term consequences for the Middle East and the rest of the world. This was the single deadliest terrorist attack in human history; it resulted in the invasion of many countries in the region including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya by the United States and its allies. The so-called ‘War on Terror’ resulted in countless casualties and tremendous human suffering in these countries. Interestingly, Iran managed to stay out of these US led wars until today, although President Trump was awfully close to bombing Iran towards the end of his term. Fortunately, he was not re-elected to office in 2020. This book helps you prepare for a romantic tour in Iran, should you choose to and are able to do so. We will visit the authentic historical places of Persia’s “The One Thousand and One Nights” stories and see Iran from an insider’s perspective. This is an opportunity to explore the origin of these stories from our childhood, from “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” to “Sinbad the Sailor”. In Chapter 2, we will discover the history of Persia. Iran is home to one of the world's oldest and continuous civilizations and reached its territorial height in the sixth century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire, which stretched from Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley, making it one of the largest empires in history. In Chapter 3, we will discover some of the most amazing inventions from Persia. Many Philosophers, Scientists, Medics, Chemists, Architects, Physicians, Geologists, Psychologists and Mathematicians from Persia and at that time, were leading the Ancient World and delivered the basis for today’s inventions. In Chapter 4, we propose a historical tour of two weeks through Iran. The Persian Empire has left remnants of an extraordinarily rich cultural heritage, not only in today’s Iran, but also across the entire ancient empire territory. From Persepolis, the ancient capital of Persia, to the World Heritage sites in Esfahan and Yazd, we will discover them all. Chapter 5 takes up the discrepancy between the western media representations of Iran and of the real conditions in Iran by some highly researched data and well-grounded facts. We shall explore the day-to-day life of Iranian people on the streets. Chapter 6 covers Diversity, which is in the DNA of Iran and its root are in the cultural heritage of Persia. Many tribes of Turkish, Armenians, Georgians, Jewish and Caucasians migrated to Iran building one of the most diverse societies on Earth. Chapter 7 is about Iran's politics as they stand today. The political system in Iran is shaped by its history, its diversity and by its unique geopolitical position. In Chapter 8, we will explain US sanctions on Iran. In October 2018, the UN’s “International Court of Justice (ICJ)” declared the US sanctions on Iran as illegal. We will discover the reasons behind these US led sanctions. In Chapter 9, we shall cover some of Iran's recent achievements. Despite all the human suffering caused by the US sanctions, Iranians have shown great strength, perseverance and resilience. Iran has made great progress in many areas. It has become one of the few countries to be self-sufficient in almost all sectors. Iran ranks as one of the top 10 countries in many areas and industries. With that, I hope you do decide to buy this book. A substantial part of the proceeds from the sales of this book shall go towards supporting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).