Second Millennium B.C.: Indo-European invaders settled in the Iranian plateau, giving rise to the term "Iran" from "Ayryana Vaejo" meaning "origin of the Aryans."
The Medes: Founded the first Iranian nation in the 7th century B.C.
Cyrus the Great: Established the Persian Empire in the 6th century B.C.
Iran was known as Persia until 1935 when Reza Shah requested the name Iran be used.
Invasions and Cultural Resilience
Due to wealth and strategic location, Iran faced invasions:
Alexander the Great
Arab neighbors
Turkish and Mongolian conquerors
Despite invasions, Persian language and culture remained strong and often assimilated invaders.
Modernization and Western Influence
Reza Shah aimed to westernize and modernize Iran.
Discovery of oil brought increased Western influence, especially by Great Britain.
WWII: Allies (Britain, Soviets, Americans) requested Reza Shah to join against Germany, leading to occupation after his refusal, and his exile.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi: Succeeded Reza Shah as Shah.
Political Upheaval and Oil Nationalization
1951: Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq nationalized the oil industry, leading to a British embargo.
1953: CIA, with British support, led a coup to overthrow Mossadeq, reinstating the Shah.
1979: The Shah fled Iran amidst the Islamic revolution.
Cultural Misrepresentation and Personal Motivation
Iran often associated with fundamentalism and terrorism in modern discourse.
Marjane Satrapi: Aims to correct misrepresentations of Iran and highlight the impact on ordinary Iranians:
Resistance to extremism.
Victims of war and repressive regimes.
Iranian diaspora forced into exile.
Satrapi emphasizes remembering past injustices while forgiving.
Publication Credits
Translation:
First part by Mattias Ripa.
Second part by Blake Ferris.
Supervised by Marjane Satrapi and Carol Bernstein.
Lettering: Celine Merrien and Eve Deluze.
Thanks to various contributors, including Anjali Singh and L'Association.
Publishing Information
Originally published by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House.
Contains "Persepolis" (2003) and "Persepolis 2" (2004).