The first distinct people who emerge on the Iranian plateau may be were the Elamites. Elamites established a city at Shush in the far south-west of Iran. The seconds are Aryans who came to the Iran region in the second millennium BC, bringing with them some domestic and agricultural skills. It wasn't until the middle of the sixth century BC, when the Achaemenian king Cyrus the Great ruled the region for his people, (Persian history was documented). The Achaemenian Dynasty is recognised as the founder of the Persian Empire in Ancient Iran.

In the fourth century BC Alexander the Great invaded Persia after conquering most of Turkey, Greece, Iraq and also Egypt. Despite of three conciliatory offers from Thirds Darius for a negotiated peace, Alexander entered to Shush. Since those time, he took some time to cross the mountains to the east of Iran, but at last entered to Persepolis region. After Alexander's died, the empire of Iran was divided into three squabbling dynasties parts, with Persia controlled. But the Seleucids had problems controlling the numerous feisty ethnic minorities, in particular the nomadic Parthians who came to control most of Persia until the thirds century AD. The Sassanians came from the central of Iran not under direct control of the Parthians. Sassanians were an industrious Zoroastrian travel who promoted Urban development and encouraged trade, but who eventually set to squabbling and were overrun by the Arabian peoples.

The Arabs Peoples ruled up to 1050, converting most of the population to Islam and introducing the new Persian script and Islamic culture. They were brought down by a Turkish dynasty, which captured Isfahan city. Despite of numerous rebellions, the Turks people hung onto power until they were swept clean away by Genghis Khan's rampaging Mongolian in the early therteenth century. When the Mongolian ran out of leaders in the late fourteenth century, the Timurid Dynasty filled the breach, but was then pressured by  Ottoman Turks, Turkmen tribes and European colonialists such as Portugal.

The ensuing Safavid Dynasty (1502-1722) was one of the great Persian empires. The brilliant Shah Abbas and his successors enshrined Shi'ism and rebuilt Isfahan city, but the dynasty's decline was hastened by Afghan invasions in the early eighteenth century. The Afghans could not hold power and Iran was ruled by a succession of variously mad, bad and benevolent rulers until the bitter and twisted eunuch, Agha Muhammed Khan, united the Turkish Ghajars in 1779 and went on to establish a capital in Tehran. The Ghajar kings ruled a relatively peaceful Iran until 1921, managing to remain neutral during WWI, but were not able to prevent a partial occupation by British forces keen to ensure a constant supply of oil.

One of the last kings of Ghajar  introduced the idea of elections and a legislative assembly (called the Magles), but it was not until the charismatic Persian Reza Khan came along in 1923 that the idea stuck. Reza became prime minister, and commenced the huge task of dragging the country in to the twentieth century. Iran (which name was officially adopted in 1934) was again neutral during WWII but Britain and Russia established spheres of influence there to shut out Germany. In 1941, Reza was forced into exile in South of Africa and his son, Mohammed Reza, succeeded him. After that war, Americans helped persuade the Russians to leave, the young Shah regained absolute power and Iran became firmly aligned with the West.

Over the next thirty years, there was a build up of resistance to Reza, who had adopted the title of Shah (means king), and his regime of repression and modernization. As the economy went from bad to worse under the Shah's post oil-boom bad management, the growing opposition made it's presence felt with sabotage and massive demonstrations. The Shah's responses became increasingly brutal and desperate, US support wavered, and he finally fled on 16 January of 1979. A couple of weeks after that, the acknowledged leader of the Shah's opponents, Emam Khomeini, returned from exile to be greeted by adoring millions. The Emam's fiery brand of nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism led to the efficient establishment of a clergy-dominated Islamic Republic, where the United State of America was styled as the 'Great Satan' and Israel fared not much better.

Not long after the Emam Khomeini was proclaimed Emam (leader), Saddam Hussein (Iraqi President) made an opportunistic land grab in Khuzestan province. It was a disastrous move, embroiling the 2 countries in a hideous war that killed hundreds of thousands before an unsatisfactory ceasefire was negotiated in 1988 years. The western powers and the USSR supported Iraq, using 'lesser of two evils' logic, and weapons were only sold to Iran at vastly inflated prices.

On 1989, Emam Khomeini died, leaving an uncertain legacy. Two months after Mr. Rafsanjani was voted as president, a post which had previously been largely ceremonial, and Emam Khomeini's position as Supreme Leader was taken by the former president, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A trade embargo was implemented against Iran by the United State of America, alleging Iranian sponsorship of terrorist groups throughout the region and destabilisation of the peace process in the Midd East. Following the 1997 landslide election of a moderate Iranian president, Seyed Mohammed Khatami, many hoped that relations with the rest of the world would improve. However, Iran's relations with Germany (and most of Europe) hit rock bottom in 1997 after a German court ruled that the Iranian government had been involved in the assassination of Iranian Kurdish dissidents in Germany several years ago.

Khatami's President election for second time in 2001 gave a big surprise to the hardliners in Iran. Now every thing is becoming relaxing; making whole country happy specially young Iranian's people.