Persia - what country is it now? Ancient Persia and modern Iran. Ancient Persia - from tribe to empire

PERSIANS, Farsians, Irani (self-designation), people, the main population of the central and eastern part of Iran (districts of Tehran, Isfahan, Hamadan). The number of 25300 thousand people. They also live in the USA (236 thousand people), Iraq (227 thousand people) and other Arab countries, Afghanistan (50 thousand people), Pakistan, Germany, Austria and Great Britain, etc. They speak Persian (Farsi), the language of the Iranian group Indo-European family. Writing based on the Arabic alphabet. Persians are Shia Muslims.

Ancient Iranian tribes penetrated the territory of Iran (from Central Asia or the Northern Black Sea region) at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. At the same time, the ancient Iranian religion, Zoroastrianism, was born, which was preserved by the modern ethno-confessional group of Persians - the Gebrs and by the Parsis who migrated to India. They occupied a dominant position in the states of the Achaemenids (VI-IV centuries BC) and Sassanids (III-VII centuries AD). Arab conquest(VII century) brought Islam, the influence of the Arabic language and culture; the Muslim culture of the countries of the Near East and South Asia, in turn, absorbed many Iranian features.

Arabs, Turks (during the reign of the Seljuks, XI-XII centuries, etc.), Mongols (during the reign of the Hulaguid dynasty, XIII-XIV centuries) participated in the further ethnic history of the Persians. IN early XVI century, the Persians were united under the rule of the Iranian Safavid dynasty, from the end of the 18th century - the Turkic Qajar dynasty. In the middle of the 19th century, the formation of the Persian nation began, the assimilation by the Persians of other, primarily Iranian-speaking, peoples. In the 20th century, the processes of national consolidation of the Persians intensified. In 1979 the Islamic Republic was proclaimed.

The main traditional occupation is arable farming, including irrigated farming (wheat, barley, rice, tobacco, clover, millet, dzhugara, cotton, tea, sugar beet), horticulture and viticulture are common. Mainly small cattle are bred. Persians living in cities are artisans, merchants, employees. The oil industry is developed. Persians make up the bulk of the urban population. Crafts - production of carpets, woolen fabrics, printed chintz (kalamkar), metal products, inlay with mother-of-pearl, bone, metal chasing. The cities of Qom and Kashan are famous for their ceramics.

The traditional urban dwelling is made of mud or brick, with a flat roof of reed weaving on wooden beams, facing the street with a blank wall; wealthy Persians have a garden with a swimming pool in the inner part of the estate; divided into outer men's rooms (birun) and inner chambers(enderun) for women and children. Interior decoration - carpets, mattress, low upholstered furniture. In addition to fireplaces and stoves, the traditional way of heating is preserved - a brazier under a wide table (kursi). In the walls - niches with utensils, lamps, dishes, etc.

Rural settlements and dwellings are of several types. Villages of irregular planning consist of adobe dwellings on a frame of wooden pillars, flat roofs, with a layer of straw or reeds, no windows, light penetrates through holes in the roof or wall. Sometimes the house has a terrace (aivan). Another type of settlement is a kale (fortress) with an adobe fence and a gate. Dwellings made of adobe or adobe, with a domed roof, are located along the fence and are closely adjacent to each other. In the wooded outposts of Gilan and Mazandaran, log houses with a conical or gable roof.

The traditional urban costume for men is a white shirt and black cotton pants, over a sleeveless jacket and a caftan (kaba), white shoes with a knitted top and soles made of pressed rags. Wealthy Persians wear a cloth frock coat (serdari) with a turn-down or standing collar, folds at the waist. Rural costume - a shirt made of white fabric and blue pants, a short blue caftan and a sheepskin coat; a headdress (kulah) made of felt, oval or conical in shape, a turban, under which there is a cap (arakchin).

Women's home costume - a shirt, pants, a jacket and a short pleated skirt, on the street they wear wide black trousers with stockings sewn to them, a black veil covering the entire figure, the face is hidden with a white veil (in the Islamic Republic of Iran, all women are required to wear a veil), shoes - shoes without backs. Men often wear a European costume made from local, including camel, wool.

Food - rice, meat, vegetable marinades, flatbreads, sheep's cheese and dairy products, tea, fruit syrups.

Especially solemnly, the Persians celebrate the day of memory of the Shiite Imam Hussein (ashura, or shahsey-wakhsey) - the 10th day lunar month Muharram, in the first ten days of Muharram, mourning ceremonies, religious mysteries (taaziye) are arranged. From pre-Islamic holidays celebrate New Year(Nouruz) within 13 days after the spring equinox with the cultivation of ritual fires, folk festivals.

The rich Persian folklore is associated with classical Iranian poetry (rubai, gazelles, etc.); there are epic stories and legends about the hero Rustam and others.

Around the VI century BC. Persians appeared on the arena of world history. With phenomenal speed, they managed to turn from an unknown tribe into a formidable empire that lasted several hundred years.

Portrait of ancient Persians

What the ancient Iranians were like can be judged by the ideas of the peoples who lived next to them. For example, Herodotus wrote that initially the Persians wore clothes made of skins, as well as felt caps, which they called tiaras. They didn't drink wine. They ate as much as they had. Gold and silver were treated with indifference. They differed from neighboring peoples in high growth, strength, courage and incredible solidarity.

It is interesting that the Persians, even having become a great power, tried to follow the precepts of their ancestors.

For example, during the coronation ceremony, the newly-made king had to put on simple clothes, eat some dried figs and drink sour milk with them.

At the same time, the Persians could take as wives as many women as they saw fit. And this is without taking into account the concubines and slaves. It is also interesting that the laws did not forbid marrying even close relatives, whether they were sisters or nieces. In addition, there was a custom according to which a man did not show his women to outsiders. Plutarch wrote about this, pointing out that the Persians hid from prying eyes not only wives, but even concubines and slaves. And if they needed to be transported somewhere, then closed wagons were used. This custom is reflected in art. So, for example, in the ruins of Persepolis, archaeologists have not been able to find a single relief with a female image.

Achaemenid dynasty

The era of Persian omnipotence began with King Cyrus II, who belonged to the Achaemenid family. He managed to quickly subjugate the once mighty Media and several smaller states. After that, the eyes of the king fell on Babylon.

The war with Babylon was just as quick. In 539 B.C. Cyrus set out with his army and fought the enemy army near the city of Opis. The battle ended with the complete defeat of the Babylonians. Then large Sippar was captured, and soon Babylon itself.

After this triumph, Cyrus decided to curb the wild tribes in the east, who, with their raids, could disturb the borders of his state. The king fought with the nomads for several years, until he himself died in 530 BC.

The next kings - Cambyses and Darius - continued the work of their predecessor and further expanded the territory of the state.

So, Cambyses managed to capture Egypt and make it one of the satrapies.

By the time of the death of Darius (485 BC), the Persian Empire occupied a vast territory. In the west, its borders rested on the Aegean Sea, in the east - in India. In the north, the power of the Achaemenids extended to the deserted deserts of Central Asia, and in the south - to the rapids of the Nile. It is safe to say that Persia at that time subjugated almost the entire civilized world.

But like any empire that possessed such a vast territory, it was constantly tormented by internal unrest and uprisings of conquered peoples. The Achaemenid dynasty collapsed in the 4th century BC, unable to withstand the test of the army of Alexander the Great.

Sasanian power

The Persian Empire was destroyed, and its capital, Persepolis, was plundered and burned. The last of the kings of the Achaemenid dynasty, Darius III, with his retinue, went to Bactria, hoping to gather a new army there. But Alexander managed to catch up with the fugitive. In order not to be captured, Darius ordered his satraps to kill him, and themselves to flee further.

After the death of the king in conquered Persia, the era of Hellenism began. For ordinary Persians, it was like death.

After all, there was not just a change of ruler, they were captured by the hated Greeks, who quickly and harshly began to replace the original Persian customs with their own, and therefore completely alien.

Even the arrival of the Parthian tribe, which occurred in the 2nd century BC. didn't change anything. The nomadic Iranian tribe managed to expel the Greeks from the territory of ancient Persia, however, it itself fell under the influence of their culture. Therefore, even under the power of the Parthians on coins and in official documents used exclusively Greek language.

But the worst thing was that the temples were built in the Greek image and likeness. And most Persians considered this blasphemy and sacrilege.

After all, Zarathushtra bequeathed to their ancestors that it was impossible to worship idols. As a symbol of God, only an unquenchable flame should be considered, but he should have made sacrifices. But the Persians were unable to change anything.

Therefore, out of impotent malice, they called all the buildings of the Hellenic period "the buildings of the Dragon."

The Persians tolerated Greek culture until 226 AD. But in the end, the cup overflowed. The uprising was raised by the ruler of Pars Ardashir, and he managed to overthrow the Parthian dynasty. This moment is considered to be the birth of the second Persian state, headed by representatives of the Sassanid dynasty.

Unlike the Parthians, they did their best to revive the very ancient culture Persia, the beginning of which was laid by Cyrus. But this was not easy to do, since the Greek dominance almost completely erased the legacy of the Achaemenids from memory. Therefore, as a "guiding star" for the resurrected state, a society was chosen, about which the Zoroastrian priests spoke. And it so happened that the Sassanids tried to revive a culture that in reality never existed. Religion was at the forefront.

But the people of Persia enthusiastically accepted the ideas of the new rulers. Therefore, under the Sassanids, the entire Hellenic culture began to quickly dissolve: the temples were destroyed, and the Greek language ceased to be official. Instead of statues of Zeus, the Persians began to build altars of fire.

Under the Sassanids (3rd century AD) there was another clash with the hostile Western world - the Roman Empire. But this time this confrontation ended with the victory of the Persians. In honor of the significant event, King Shapur I ordered a bas-relief carved on the rocks, which depicted his triumph over the Roman emperor Valerian.

The capital of Persia was the city of Ctesiphon, once built by the Parthians. That's just the Persians significantly "combed" it to match their newfound culture.

Persia began to develop rapidly due to the competent use of the irrigation system. Under the Sassanids, the territory of ancient Persia, as well as Mesopotamia, became literally permeated with underground water pipes made of clay pipes (kariz). Their cleaning was carried out with the help of wells dug at intervals of ten kilometers. Such modernization allowed Persia to successfully grow cotton, sugar cane and develop winemaking. At the same time, Persia became almost the main world supplier of a wide variety of fabrics: from woolen to silk.

The death of an empire

The history of the Sasanian dynasty ended after a fierce and bloody war with the Arabs, which lasted for almost twenty years (633-651). It is difficult to blame the last king Yazdeget III for anything. He fought with the invaders to the very end, and was not going to give up. But Yazdeget died ingloriously - near Merv, a miller stabbed him in a dream, encroaching on the king's jewels.

But even after official victory, the Persians, now and then raised uprisings, however, unsuccessful. Even internal unrest in the Caliphate did not allow ancient people gain freedom. Only Gugan and Tabaristan, the last fragments of the once great power, lasted the longest. But they were also captured by the Arabs in 717 and in the 760s, respectively.

And although the Islamization of Iran was successful, the Arabs could not assimilate the Persians, who managed to preserve their identity. Closer to the 900s, under the new Samanid dynasty, they managed to gain independence. True, Persia could no longer become a great power again.

Persian power had a huge impact on history ancient world. Formed by a small tribal union, the state of the Achaemenids lasted about two hundred years. The splendor and power of the country of the Persians are mentioned in many ancient sources, including the Bible.

Start

For the first time, the mention of the Persians is found in Assyrian sources. In an inscription dated to the ninth century BC. e., contains the name of the land of Parsua. Geographically, this region was located in the Central Zagros region, and during the mentioned period, the population of this region paid tribute to the Assyrians. Tribal unions did not yet exist. The Assyrians mention 27 kingdoms under their control. In the 7th century the Persians, apparently, entered into a tribal union, since references to kings from the Achaemenid tribe appeared in the sources. The history of the Persian state begins in 646 BC, when Cyrus I became the ruler of the Persians.

During the reign of Cyrus I, the Persians significantly expanded the territories under their control, including taking over most of the Iranian plateau. At the same time, the first capital of the Persian state, the city of Pasargada, was founded. Part of the Persians was engaged in agriculture, part led

Rise of the Persian Empire

At the end of the VI century. BC e. the Persian people were ruled by Cambyses I, who was dependent on the kings of Media. The son of Cambyses, Cyrus II, became the lord of the settled Persians. Information about the ancient Persian people is scarce and fragmentary. Apparently, the main unit of society was the patriarchal family, headed by a man who had the right to dispose of the life and property of his loved ones. The community, at first tribal, and later rural, for several centuries was a powerful force. Several communities formed a tribe, several tribes could already be called a people.

The emergence of the Persian state came at a time when the entire Middle East was divided between four states: Egypt, Media, Lydia, Babylonia.

Even in its heyday, Media was actually a fragile tribal union. Thanks to the victories of King Cyaxares of Media, the state of Urartu and the ancient country of Elam were conquered. The descendants of Cyaxares could not keep the conquests of their great ancestor. The constant war with Babylon required the presence of troops on the border. It weakened internal politics Mussels, which the vassals of the Median king took advantage of.

Reign of Cyrus II

In 553, Cyrus II revolted against the Medes, to whom the Persians paid tribute for several centuries. The war lasted three years and ended crushing defeat the Medes. The capital of Media (the city of Ektabani) became one of the residences of the ruler of the Persians. Having conquered ancient country, Cyrus II formally retained the Median kingdom and assumed the titles of Median rulers. Thus began the formation of the Persian state.

After the capture of Media, Persia declared itself as a new state in world history, and for two centuries played important role in the events taking place in the Middle East. In 549-548 years. the newly formed state conquered Elam and subjugated a number of countries that were part of the former Median state. Parthia, Armenia, Hyrcania began to pay tribute to the new Persian rulers.

War with Lydia

Croesus, the lord of powerful Lydia, was aware of what a dangerous adversary the Persian state was. A number of alliances were made with Egypt and Sparta. However, the Allies did not manage to start full-scale military operations. Croesus did not want to wait for help and went out alone against the Persians. In the decisive battle near the capital of Lydia - the city of Sardis, Croesus brought his cavalry to the battlefield, which was considered invincible. Cyrus II sent out warriors on camels. The horses, seeing unknown animals, refused to obey the riders, the Lydian horsemen were forced to fight on foot. The unequal battle ended with the retreat of the Lydians, after which the city of Sardis was besieged by the Persians. From former allies only the Spartans decided to come to the aid of Croesus. But while the campaign was being prepared, the city of Sardis fell, and the Persians subjugated Lydia.

Expanding the boundaries

Then came the turn of the Greek policies that were on the territory.

At the end of the 6th century, the Persian state expanded its borders to the northwestern regions of India, to the cordons of the Hindu Kush and subjugated the tribes living in the basin of the river. Syrdarya. Only after strengthening the borders, suppressing rebellions and establishing royal power, Cyrus II turned his attention to powerful Babylonia. On October 20, 539, the city fell, and Cyrus II became the official ruler of Babylon, and at the same time the ruler of one of the largest powers of the Ancient World - the Persian kingdom.

Reign of Cambyses

Cyrus died in battle with the Massagetae in 530 BC. e. His policy was successfully carried out by his son Cambyses. After a thorough preliminary diplomatic preparation, Egypt, another enemy of Persia, found itself completely alone and could not count on the support of the allies. Cambyses carried out his father's plan and conquered Egypt in 522 BC. e. Meanwhile, in Persia itself, discontent was ripening and a rebellion broke out. Cambyses hurried to his homeland and died on the road under mysterious circumstances. After some time, the ancient Persian state provided an opportunity to gain power to the representative of the younger branch of the Achaemenids - Darius Hystaspes.

The beginning of the reign of Darius

The seizure of power by Darius I caused discontent and grumbling in the enslaved Babylonia. The leader of the rebels declared himself the son of the last Babylonian ruler and became known as Nebuchadnezzar III. In December 522 BC. e. Darius I won. The leaders of the rebels were put to public execution.

Punitive actions distracted Darius, and meanwhile rebellions rose in Media, Elam, Parthia and other areas. It took the new ruler more than a year to pacify the country and restore the state of Cyrus II and Cambyses to its former borders.

Between 518 and 512, the Persian empire conquered Macedonia, Thrace and part of India. This time is considered the heyday of the ancient kingdom of the Persians. The state of world significance united dozens of countries and hundreds of tribes and peoples under its rule.

The social structure of ancient Persia. Reforms of Darius

The Persian state of the Achaemenids was distinguished by a wide variety of social structures and customs. Babylonia, Syria, Egypt long before Persia were considered highly developed states, and the recently conquered tribes of nomads of Scythian and Arab origin were still at the stage of a primitive way of life.

Chain of uprisings 522-520 showed the inefficiency of the previous scheme of government. Therefore, Darius I carried out a number of administrative reforms and created a stable system of state control over the conquered peoples. The result of the reforms was the first effective administrative system in history, which served the rulers of the Achaemenids for generations.

An effective managerial apparatus is good example of how Darius ruled the Persian state. The country was divided into administrative-tax districts, which were called satrapies. The sizes of the satrapies were much larger than the territories of the early states, and in some cases coincided with the ethnographic boundaries of the ancient peoples. For example, the satrapy of Egypt territorially almost completely coincided with the borders of this state before its conquest by the Persians. The districts were led by state officials - satraps. Unlike his predecessors, who were looking for their governors among the nobility of the conquered peoples, Darius I put only nobles of Persian origin in these positions.

Functions of governors

Previously, the governor combined both administrative and civil functions. The satrap of the time of Darius had only civil powers, the military authorities were not subordinate to him. The satraps had the right to mint coins, they knew economic activity countries, collecting taxes, administering judgment. IN Peaceful time the satraps were provided with little personal protection. The army was subordinated exclusively to military leaders, independent of the satraps.

The implementation of state reforms led to the creation of a large central administrative apparatus headed by the royal office. Public administration led by the capital of the Persian state - the city of Susa. The large cities of that time, Babylon, Ektabana, Memphis, also had their own offices.

Satraps and officials were under the vigilant control of the secret police. In ancient sources, it was called "the ears and the eye of the king." The control and supervision of the officials was entrusted to the Khazarapat - the chief of the thousand. State correspondence was conducted on which almost all the peoples of Persia owned.

Culture of the Persian Empire

Ancient Persia left a great architectural heritage to the descendants. The magnificent palace complexes in Susa, Persepolis and Pasargada made a stunning impression on contemporaries. The royal estates were surrounded by gardens and parks. One of the monuments that have survived to this day is the tomb of Cyrus II. Many similar monuments that arose hundreds of years later took the architecture of the tomb of the Persian king as a basis. The culture of the Persian state contributed to the glorification of the king and the strengthening of royal power among the conquered peoples.

The art of ancient Persia combined the artistic traditions of the Iranian tribes, intertwined with elements of Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian cultures. Among the items that have come down to the descendants, there are many decorations, bowls and vases, various goblets, decorated with exquisite paintings. A special place in the finds is occupied by numerous seals with images of kings and heroes, as well as various animals and fantastic creatures.

The economic development of Persia in the time of Darius

A special position in the Persian kingdom was occupied by the nobility. The nobles owned large land holdings in all the conquered territories. Huge plots were placed at the disposal of the "benefactors" of the tsar for personal services to him. The owners of such lands had the right to manage, transfer allotments as inheritance to their descendants, and they were also entrusted with the exercise of judicial power over subjects. The system of land use was widely used, in which the plots were called allotments of a horse, bow, chariot, etc. The king distributed such lands to his soldiers, for which their owners had to serve in the army as horsemen, archers, and charioteers.

But as before, huge tracts of land were in the direct possession of the king himself. They were usually rented out. The products of agriculture and cattle breeding were accepted as payment for them.

In addition to the lands, canals were in the immediate royal power. The administrators of the royal property rented them out and collected taxes for the use of water. For the irrigation of fertile soils, a fee was charged, reaching 1/3 of the landowner's crop.

Persia workforce

Slave labor was used in all sectors of the economy. The bulk of them were usually prisoners of war. Bonded slavery, when people sold themselves, did not become widespread. Slaves had a number of privileges, for example, the right to have their own seals and participate in various transactions as full partners. A slave could redeem himself by paying a certain dues, and also be a plaintiff, witness or defendant in litigation, of course, not against their masters. The practice of recruiting hired workers for a certain amount of money was widespread. The work of such laborers was particularly widespread in Babylonia, where they dug canals, made roads, and harvested crops from royal or temple fields.

Financial policy of Darius

Taxes were the main source of funds for the treasury. In 519, the king approved the basic system of state taxes. Taxes were calculated for each satrapy, taking into account its territory and land fertility. The Persians, as a conquering people, did not pay a cash tax, but were not exempt from tax in kind.

Various monetary units, which continued to exist even after the unification of the country, brought a lot of inconvenience, therefore, in 517 BC. e. the king introduced a new gold coin, called darik. The medium of exchange was the silver shekel, which was worth 1/20 of a darik and served in those days. On the reverse of both coins was placed the image of Darius I.

Transport routes of the Persian state

The spread of the road network contributed to the development of trade between the various satrapies. The royal road of the Persian state began in Lydia, crossed Asia Minor and passed through Babylon, and from there to Susa and Persepolis. The sea routes laid by the Greeks were successfully used by the Persians in trade and for the transfer of military force.

The sea expeditions of the ancient Persians are also known, for example, the voyage of the navigator Skilak to the Indian shores in 518 BC. e.

Persians, Indo-European people who lived in the southeast. Elam. The founder of the Persian kingdom (dependent on the Medes) in Anshan is Chishpish, the son of Achaemen, therefore, for other Persians. king the name of the Achaemenids was fixed by the dynasty. see Cyrus II the Great (559 530 BC ... Brockhaus Bible Encyclopedia

Modern Encyclopedia

PERSIANS, Persians, units. Persian, Persian, husband. The people constituting the main population of Iran (by the former name of Persia). Dictionary Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

PERS, ov, unit Persian, a, husband. and (obsolete) Persian, a, husband. Former name for Iranians; now the name of the nation of farces, which makes up about half of the population of Iran. | female Persian, i. | adj. Persian, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

The people of Persia. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Exist., Number of synonyms: 1 Persians (1) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

Persians- (self-names Farses, Irani) a people with a total number of 28,750 thousand people, living mainly in Iran (28,000 thousand people). Other settlement countries: Iraq 150 thousand people, USA 130 thousand people, Saudi Arabia 100 thousand people, Kuwait 85 thousand ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Farses (self-named Irani, plural Iranian), a nation comprising ca. half of the population of Iran (according to the data of the 1st general census of the population of the country in late 1956, approx. 9 million people, according to an estimate for 1963 10.5 million people). They speak Persian (Farsi), ... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

Ov; pl. Nation, the main population of Iran (Persia); representatives of this nation. ◁ Persian, a; m. Persian, and; pl. genus. nok, date nkam; and. Persian (see). * * * Persians (Farsi, Irani self-name), the people in Iran (about 21.3 million people). General ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Persians- PERSIANS, ov, pl (unit Persian, a and Obsolete Persian, a, m). The people, the main population of the central and eastern part of Iran (until 1935 Persia), states in the South West. Asia; people belonging to this people, farces; Persian Farsi, Iranian group ... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

Books

• Persians. Book one of the historical novel The Scythians, Nikolai Sokolov. The first book tells about the coup d'etat of 522 BC in Persia. After the murder of the legitimate king of Bardia, riots and uprisings began in the country, and in the military ... eBook
• Persians and Medes. Subjects of the Achaemenid Empire, William Culican. The book explores the history of a powerful clan of Persians and Medes, subjects of an empire centered on the palace of Persepolis. The author presents an impressive panorama of a mature civilization ...

For an outside observer (for example, a European), Persians and Arabs are about the same thing: both are Muslims of varying degrees of swarthyness, speaking an incomprehensible language. Is this really so? Of course no. There is a huge difference between Arabs and Persians - both in language and culture, and even (to the surprise of many) in religion. How are Persians different from Arabs, and what do they have in common? Let's start in order.

Appearance on the historical stage

The Persians were the first to show themselves as active participants in international events. From the first mention in the Assyrian chronicles in 836 BC to the creation of an independent Persian state, and a little later - the Achaemenid Empire, almost 300 years passed. Actually, there was no purely national Persian state in ancient times. Being residents of one of the regions of the Median Empire, close to them in language and culture, the Persians, under the leadership of Cyrus the Great, rebelled and made a change of power, later conquering vast territories that were not part of Media. According to some historians, the Achaemenid state at its peak numbered 50 million people - about half the world's population at that time.

The Arabs, who originally lived in the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula, begin to be mentioned in historical sources around the same time as the Persians, but they do not participate in military or cultural expansion. Arab states South Arabia (Sabaean Kingdom) and North Arabia (Palmyra, Nabatea and others) live mainly through trade. Palmyra, which decided to stand in opposition to the Roman Empire, was quite easily defeated by the proud quirites. But the situation changes radically when trading city Mecca is born Mohammed.

He creates the youngest monotheistic religion, whose adherents built one of the largest states of all time - the Arab Caliphate. The Arabs fully or partially assimilated a large number of different peoples, mainly those that were below them in terms of socio-cultural development. The basis of assimilation was a new religion - Islam - and the Arabic language. The fact is that, according to Muslim teachings, the holy book, the Quran, is only the original written in Arabic, and all translations are considered only its interpretations. This forced all Muslims to learn Arabic and often led to the loss of national identity (in particular, this happened with the ancient Libyans and Syrians, who used to be separate peoples; now their descendants are considered Arab subethnoi).

The difference between the Persians and the Arabs is that in the 7th century AD, Persia was in decline, and the Arabs conquered it relatively easily, establishing Islam. New religion superimposed on an ancient rich culture, and Persia of the 8th century AD became the basis for the so-called Golden Age of Islam. During this period, science and culture were actively developing. Later, the Persians adopted Shiism, one of the branches of Islam, as the state religion, opposing themselves to the Arabs and Turks, mostly Sunnis. And today Iran - the successor of ancient Persia - remains the main stronghold of Shiism.

Today, Persians, in addition to Shiism, profess Sunnism and the ancient religion - Zoroastrianism. A Zoroastrian, for example, was the famous rock singer Freddie Mercury. Arabs, being mostly Sunnis, partly adhere to Shiism (part of the population of Syria, most of the inhabitants of Iraq and Bahrain). In addition, part of the Arabs remained faithful to Christianity, once widespread in the territory later conquered by the Muslims. The famous Latin American singer Shakira comes from a Christian Arab family.

Comparison

As is often the case in history, religious differences were the result of political and military confrontation between different states. In religion, it is easier to consolidate dogmas that clearly delimit "us, our own" from "them, strangers." This happened in the case of Persia: Shiism has a number of serious theological differences from Sunnism. Sunnis and Shiites fought with each other no less enthusiastically than Catholics with Protestants in contemporary Europe: for example, in 1501 Persia adopted Shiism, and already in 1514 the first war with the Sunni began. Ottoman Empire, which extended its influence to most of the Arab territories.

As for the language, Persians and Arabs have nothing in common. Arabic belongs to the Semitic branch of the Afroasian language family, and its closest “relative” is Hebrew, the state language of Israel. The similarity is visible even to a non-specialist. For example, the well-known Arabic greeting "salam aleikum" and "shalom aleikhem" in Hebrew are clearly consonant and are translated in the same way - "peace be upon you."

Talk about one Persian incorrect, because modern ideas, is a language group consisting of four related languages ​​(however, some linguists still consider them dialects):

• Farsi, or Persian proper;
• Pashto;
• Dari (together with Pashto is one of state languages Afghanistan);
• Tajik.

Widely known the following fact: during the war in Afghanistan, the Soviet command often used Tajik fighters to communicate with local residents, since their language is almost identical to Tajik. Whether in this case Pashto, Dari and Tajik should be considered separate languages ​​or only dialects is the subject of linguistic disputes. Native speakers themselves do not discuss this issue especially, understanding each other perfectly.

Table

In concentrated form, information about the difference between Persians and Arabs is presented in the table below. The definition of the number of Persians depends on who is considered Persians (this is not such a simple question as it seems at first glance).