Before the Aryans moved to the Iranian Plateau, what is presently known as Iran − and used to be known as Persia in the West down to the early decades of the 20^th century − was inhabited by a number of peoples whose origins are not definitely known.

The most civilized of these peoples were the Elamites who inhabited a region that coincided more or less with the present province of Khuzistan.

The Elamites had a highly developed civilization for their time, and an intricate and effective system of rule and
governance and they employed the cuneiform system of writing.

From what remains of them, it appears that their small empire lasted from the 4th millennium BC to the middle of the 1st. The most significant heritage that they have left behind is the Choghazanbil ziggurat (temple) which is regularly visited by many historians, archeologist as well as tourists. It is situated somewhat close to the present day Shoosh city which encloses the remains of the ancient city of Susa.

Other peoples lived in other parts of Iran. For example, the objects found on the Sialk hills not far from Kashan, reveal that a fairly sophisticated people lived in that area, extending from Kashan up to eastern Khorassan, about the same time as the Elamites lived in present day Khuzistan.

Then came different groups or tribes of the Aryan race.

They arrived in increasing numbers and peacefully settled in the various parts of the land sometimes mixing with the natives. Interestingly there seems to be no evidence of any conflict between the immigrating Aryans and the local or previously settled inhabitants.

The Aryans moved in and their population grew rapidly all over the country. It seems that the first considerable settlement by Aryans was in the northeast of the greater Khorassan, between the Amouyeh Darya and Syr Darya in the present day Central Asia. These are two rivers,the first of which runs through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and the second through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

This region is mentioned as Iranwich in the Avesta, the Holy Book of the Zoroastrians, meaning the place of settlement of the Aryans, and it was from here that further settlements southwards spread, as Aryans sought warmer areas where they could farm and keep animals on grazing lands.

The Aryans came as tribes and settled in different places.

But they all called themselves Aryans (meaning brave and honourable people). At about the same time Aryans also moved to the Indian Peninsula and thus the people in India and the people in Iran shared certain
characteristics. The languages, coming from the same source, had very common features. These languages
and their later offshoots were, thousands of years later, come to be known as the Indo-Iranian group of languages, as a main branch of the Indo-European group.

Many historians believe that between 1500 and 1800 years before Christ, Aryan tribes began to migrate along a front that extended from the present day India to the Balkans moving their cattle to better climates and grazing lands.

These historians consider the Aryans to have been a peaceful people concerned with looking after their cattle, and not a people who sought warfare and bloodshed.

With the establishment of the Aryans in Iran, there emerged kingdoms that considered themselves as Aryans and being Aryan became a necessary condition for becoming a part of the ruling class.

Two powerful kingdoms eventually emerged: the Kingdom of the Persians (from Pars) in the southern parts of
the present day Iran and the Kingdom of the Medes which had its capital in the ancient city of Ekbatana, close to the present day Hamedan.

Then a great warrior and a very just ruler emerged, a man so great that he ultimately became a saviour to the Jews that were slaves in Babylon and hence this outstanding personality, Cyrus the Great, became a sacred person for the Jews, down to the present day.

Cyrus was a king of the Persians, an Achaemenid prince. He prevailed over the Medes and thus established
the Kingdom of the Persians and the Medes which ultimately became known to the world as the Persian Empire, through the writings of Greek historians.

Being Aryan and Persian and therefore courageous, honest, and respectable, was very important to the Persians. So much so that one of the later kings of Persia, known for his power of government and administration, Darius I, says in one of the inscription left on the stones of a mountain: “I am an Achaemenid, a Persian, the son of a Persian”. In his excellent history book, The History of the Persians and the Medes, Dr Khodadadian writes (page 16): “Iranians of Aryan origin considered themselves to be of pure descent and great valor.” What remains a mystery even today is the origin of the Aryans: where they came from in the first place? Some scholars claim the origin of the Aryans to be somewhere in Europe; others maintain that Aryans originally came from northern Asia, somewhere in the upper parts of Siberia. Today the majority of scholars are in favour of Siberia as the point of departure of the Aryan migration.

Cyrus the Great conquered Lydia and Babylon, freed the Jewish slaves and allowed them to worship their own God. He treated the conquered nations with magnanimity and reinstated the defeated kings of Lydia and Babylon. Then there was Darius I who was a brilliant administrator and developed a very intricate system for
controlling and ruling a vast empire that extended from India to Greece.

For over 400 years the Persian Empire, ruled by the Achaemenid dynasty, was the unique power in the world,
admired by all nations. But finally, the Achaemenids were defeated by Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king and warrior. Soon after, however, the Persian Empire re-emerged and again it was invaded. It survived
many invasions by Arabs, Turks, Mongols… It still survives today but this time, as a democratic republic.

Indeed, history has proved that this nation can survive all EVENTS.