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Ossetic is the last living descendant of the Scytho-Sarmatian group of Iranian languages. It goes back to the language of the Alans, who, in the first centuries A.D., created a kingdom in the area to the north of the Caucasus which existed until the 13-14th centuries, when it was wiped out by the Mongol and Timurid invasions. The surviving Alans fled to the highlands, where they became known to the outside world under their Georgian-based exonym “Ossetians”. Since Ossetians have long existed...

Acclaimed translator Dick Davis breathes new life into the timeless works of three masters of 14th-century Persian literature   Together, Hafez, a giant of world literature; Jahan Malek Khatun, an eloquent princess; and Obayd-e Zakani, a dissolute satirist, represent one of the most remarkable literary flowerings of any era. All three lived in the famed city of Shiraz, a provincial capital of south-central Iran, and all three drew support from arts-loving rulers during a time better known for it...

The bestselling author of the Emperor, Conqueror and The Wars of the Roses returns to the Ancient World with a gripping adventure based on an epic true story. 'HIS FINEST NOVEL TO DATE . . . THE BATTLE SCENES ARE THRILLING' SUNDAY EXPRESS___________In the Ancient World, one army was feared above all others. 401 BC. The Persian king Artaxerxes rules an empire stretching from the Aegean to northern India. As many as fifty million people are his subjects. His rule is absolute.But the sons of Sparta...

Alexander the Great (356-333 BC) was transformed into a legend by all those he met, leaving an enduring tradition of romances across the world. Aside from its penetration into every language of medieval Europe, the Alexander romance arguably had its greatest impact in the Persian language.Haila Manteghi here offers a complete survey of that deep tradition, ranging from analysis of classical Persian poetry to popular romances and medieval Arabic historiography. She explores how the Greek work fir...

From the chief foreign affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal comes a deeply reported exploration of the decades-long power struggle between Iran and the United States that led to a historic (and potentially disastrous) nuclear deal. For more than a decade, the United States has been engaged in a war with Iran as momentous as any other in the Middle East--a war all the more significant as it has largely been hidden from public view. Through a combination of economic sanctions, global...

A history of 19th- and early 20th-century Iran. This was the period of rule by the Qajar dynasty up to its final degeneration and collapse, leading to the autocratic and authoritarian rule of Reza, father of Iran's most recent shah. It covers how the Qajars came to power following the bloody conflicts of 18th-century Persia, how they maintained their power (and Iran's sovereignty) in the face of extraordinary domestic, British and Russian pressures, and finally how they were overwhelmed by their...

In October 1999 during a trip to Cairo, Cyrus Kadivar, an exiled Iranian living in London, visited the tomb of the last shah, which opened a Pandora's box. Haunted by nostalgia for a bygone era, he recalled a protected and idyllic childhood in the fabled city of Shiraz and his coming of age during the 1979 Iranian revolution. Back in London, he reflected on what had happened to him and his family after their uprooting and decided to conduct his own investigation into why he lost his country. He...

In the 1984 Tanker War, Iraq used its superiority in airpower as an instrument in naval warfare, in a strategy designed to end combat. Iraq hoped to weaken Iran's economy and internationalize the war to force it to cease fighting, or remove the government; negotiations would follow, with Baghdad in a position of strength. Although the Iran-Iraq War was first and foremost a ground war, an argument can be made that the Tanker War contributed to the 1988 ceasefire.

A lucid and engaging breakdown of the history, culture, and politics that define today’s Middle East. Untangling the Middle East is a layman’s guide to the history—political, religious, and cultural—that led us to the current challenges plaguing the Middle East. It covers the major interests and actors in the region, and helps to spin a narrative of the evolution of violence and conflict in this age-old hotbed of unrest. There are no easy answers or simple explanations to be found here, only a...

How do our hopes and dreams help define who we are? What qualities must a person have to overcome obstacles in life? What kind of courage does it take to live in an uncertain world? Drawing on the political and geographic history of Iran before the 1979 Revolution, Kian Parsi's true story is about survival amidst hardship, a need to adapt to harsh circumstances, no matter how difficult they may be, and the need to appreciate life and the importance of taking risks. Reading about Parsi's memorab...