The Persian Empire was almost inconceivably huge. First created in the 7th century BCE by the Medes, successive civilisations conquered and expanded the empire until is reached from North Africa into Central Asia and up into the Balkans. At one point it included more than 40 percent of the world’s population. The Muslim conquest occurred between 633-656 AD and over the next three centuries, Iran became Islamicised. In 1501, the Safavids converted Iran to Shia Islam, and for over four centuries, the empire continued to be ruled over by successive monarchs from warring dynasties. Territories in the Caucasus fell away in the 1800s thanks to the expansion of the Russian Empire.

Persia’s luck seemed to change in 1908 with the discovery of oil. Britain and Russia fought for control over Persia, continuing through WW1, with the Germans joining the battle during WW2. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi became the new monarch in 1941, and after a shaky start to democracy, with six prime ministers in just five years, Mohammed Mossadeq was voted in – and decided to nationalise the oil industry – then owned by the British. Britain put pressure on Iran not to do this with economic blockades, Mossadeq forced the Shah into exile and in 1953 a CIA-organised coup, with the support of MI6, overthrew Mossadeq. The Shah was reappointed – now with absolute power (despite a nominal prime minister), and the support of the USA. Ownership of Iran’s oil industry was now split between Iran and a group of foreign companies. Over the next couple of decades, the Shah oversaw the ‘White Revolution’ – agricultural and social reforms, which rapidly modernised Iran, but also displeased more traditional religious factions. These Islamist groups were encouraged by Ayatolla Ruholla Khomeini, who was subsequently exiled. The 1960s saw the emergence of religious riots as well as the rise of leftwing guerilla groups. An internal security service was created, which became increasingly more violent towards citizens; Prime Minister Hassan Ali Mansur was assassinated in 1965; and relations soured with neighbouring Iraq.

In 1973, Iran once again nationalised its oil industry – this time under the orders of the Shah. As many Middle Eastern countries at this time were staging an oil embargo against western countries, Iran saw this as an opportunity to raise oil prices and continue modernising the country – as well as investing even further in its military. But the strikes and demonstrations continued, leading to the Shah’s exile in 1979 – and the Iranian Revolution, resulting in the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Virtually overnight, this rapidly modernising nation was subjected to strict Islamic rule – all Western influences were banned, schools, courts and even economic policies were Islamicised, and industries were nationalised. The 1980s saw uprisings from Kurds, Marxist guerrillas, secularists and more – as well as Iran hostage crisis, which shaped the Western world’s view of Iran for decades. But the Iran-Iraq War was the defining event of this decade, as Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in an attempt to claim Arab territory – and rich oil fields. Iran, in turn, tried to spread its Islamic Revolution into Iraqi territory. Over the course of eight years, between half and one million Iranians were killed, many due to Iraq’s use of chemical weapons.

After the war, subsequent presidents stabilised the country, eased relations with surrounding states and stayed neutral during the Gulf War. Any attempts at reform were quashed by conservative group, frustrating Iran’s growing youth population and more liberal citizens. By the 2000s, its nuclear energy programme was causing concern that Iran may be planning to build nuclear weapons, causing tension with the USA, despite the then Supreme Leader issuing a fatwa forbidding any production or use of nuclear weapons – but the topic remains a contentious issue to this day. The British embassy in Tehran was closed after it was stormed in 2011 during protests against sanctions – but reopened again in 2015, along with the Iranian embassy in London. This marks a new era for relations between Iran and the West, as well as the opening of Iran for tourism – which means many Westerners will now have the chance to see Iran for themselves, meet Iranian people and form their own opinions of this long-maligned nation – and vice versa.