Your Questions – Answered! What does Persepolis mean? Persepolis was an ancient ceremonial capital of the second Iranian dynasty, the Achaemenid Empire, situated some 70km northeast of Shiraz. It was built by Darius the Great, beginning around 518 BCE.

Leaders of Iran What is a Shah? A Shah is another name for a ruler, or monarch of a country. In this case, the ruler of Persia (Iran)

Who Were the Leaders & What Roles Did They Play? Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi officially ruled Iran from 1941-1979. He came to power after his father was forced to abdicate the throne by the Allied powers, who hoped to develop greater influence in the region. His power was challenged in the early 1950’s, when an Iranian aristocrat, Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh was chosen as Prime Minister. A 1953 coup in support of Pahlavi – backed by the Americans and British – failed and the Shah was forced to flee. But after a second plot staged a few days later succeeded, Pahlavi was allowed to return to power.

Once in power, Pahlavi used the revenues from an agreement between Iran and Western oil companies to solidify his authority. He ruled autocratically, relying on SAVAK, a dreaded secret police, to suppress all forms of opposition.

During his reign, he continued to receive American support. He was also the first Muslim leader to recognize the State of Israel.

During his second exile (when he fled on January 16, 1979), the Shah traveled from country to country. Ailing, he was allowed by President Jimmy Carter to enter the US for medical treatment (it was this act that prompted the storming of the American

embassy in Tehran) but was only permitted to stay briefly. He died at 60 from complications on Non-Hodgkins lymphoma in Egypt, in July 1980.1

Ayatollah Khomeini lead the opposition against Reza Shah Pahlavi. He lived in exile in Iraq and later in France and distributed his message through music cassettes which were smuggled into Iran in small numbers, and then duplicated and spread all around the country. This was the beginning of the Iranian (Islamic) Revolution.

On January 16, 1979 Pahlavi left Iran. Shapour Bakhtiar as his new prime minister with the help of Supreme Army Councils couldn’t control the situation in the country anymore. Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran on February 1. Ten days later Bakhtiar went into hiding, eventually to find exile in Paris. On April 1, after a landslide victory in a national referendum in which only one choice was offered (Islamic Republic: Yes or No), Ayatollah Khomeini declared an Islamic Republic with a new constitution reflecting his ideals.

                                                                                                               1  "The Rise and Fall of the Shah of Iran - Photo Essays." Time. Time Inc., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.  

He became supreme spiritual leader (Valy-e-Faqih) of Iran. Many demonstrations were held to protest the new rules, like extreme regulations of women’s code of dress.

Mehdi Bazargan became the first prime minister of the revolutionary regime in February 1979, but he controlled neither the country nor its own bureaucratic apparatus. Factory workers, civil servants, white-collar employees,

and students were often in control, demanding a say in running their organizations and choosing their chiefs. Beginning in August 1979, the courts tried and passed death sentences on members of ethnic minorities involved in antigovernment movements. Some 550 persons had been executed by the time Bazargan resigned in November 1979.

Two important organizations were formed during this period.

In March 1980, Ayatollah Khomeini established the Foundation for the Disinherited. The organization took charge of the Pahlavi Foundation and to use the proceeds to assist low-income groups. It quickly became one of the largest conglomerates in the country. The Crusade for Reconstruction (Jihad), established in June, recruited young people to construct clinics, local roads, schools, and similar facilities in villages and rural areas.

Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani is sworn in as the new president in August 1989. Mohammad Khatami wins the presidential election with 70% of the vote in May 1997. He was re-elected in June 2001. 2 June 2005: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pronounced: mah-MOOD ah-mad-in-uh-ZHAAD),Tehran’s ultra-conservative mayor, wins a run-off vote in the presidential elections, defeating former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Ahmadinejad is best known as the controversial sixth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, serving from 2005-2013. His second election sparked widespread protests by Iranians who considered the contest corrupt. His controversial positions on human rights, nuclear development and Israel alienated him from both the Western and Islamic worlds. In June 2013, Hassan Rouhani was elected as Ahmadinejad’s presidential successor. 3

                                                                                                               2  "Iran Chamber Society: History of Iran: Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988." Iran Chamber Society: History of Iran: Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.  3  Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.  

Questions about the Revolution Timeline of the revolution: 1978:

On September 8, 1978 (now known as “Black Friday,” a demonstration against Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in the city of Qom was dispersed by the army and several students were killed. Their funerals inspired more protests, which in turn led anti-Shah groups, both secular and religious, to add their voice to the opposition. Resistance to the Shah’s rule built steadily until early 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran after years in exile. On January 16, 1979, the Shah and his wife left the country.

1979:

November 4: Iranian Islamic students stormed the US embassy, taking 66 people, the majority Americans, as hostage. 14 were released before the end of November. At the same time, the republic’s 1st prime minister, Mahdi Bazargan, resigned.

1980: Abolhassan Beni Sadr was elected for president. September 22: Iraq massively invaded Iran. 1981:

January 20: the hostages in the US embassy were released (after 444 days of captivity), after long negotiations where the US decided to transfer money and export military equipment to Iran. June: Beni Sadr was removed from power by Ayatollah Khomeini, and fled to France in July. Former prime minister Mohammad Ali Rajai was elected president. August 30: President Rajai and his prime minister were killed in a bombin. October: Hojatoleslam Seyed Ali Khamenei was elected president.

1985:

The US covertly seeks to sell arms to Iran in exchanged for the release of seven American hostages being held by Iranian-backed militants in Lebanon, prompting the Iran-Contra scandal.

1988:

July: an American navy ship, the USS Vincennes, shoots down an Iranian civilian plane, killing all 290 passengers and crew. The US later apologizes and agrees to financial compensation for the families, saying the civilian plane was mistaken for a military jet. August: Iran accepts United Nations Security Council Resolution 598, leading to a cease-fire in the Iran-Iraq War.

1989: June: Ayatolla Khomeini dies. An elected body of senior clerics – the Assembly of Experts – chooses the outgoing president of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, to succeed Khomeini as the national religious leader.

General Information Muslims:

Muslims are split into 2 main branches, the Sunnis and the Shias (Shiites). The split originated in a dispute soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad over who should lead the Muslim community. Majority of Muslims are Sunnis (80-90%). Members of the 2 sects have co-existed for centuries and share many fundamental beliefs and practices. Differences: doctrine, ritual, law, theology and religious organization Sunnis:

• They regard themselves as the orthodox and traditionalist branch. • They venerate all the prophets mentioned in the Koran, but particularly Muhammad as the

final prophet. All subsequent Muslim leaders are seen as temporal figures • Their religious teachers have historically come under state control • Sunni tradition emphasizes a codified system of Islamic law and adherence to four schools

of law Shias:

• In early Islamic history the Shia were a political faction (“Shiat Ali” or the party of Ali) • Claimed the right of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and his descendants to

lead the Islamic community • Ali was killed and his sons (Hassan and Hussein) were denied accession. Hassan is believed

to have been poisoned by Muawiyah, the first caliph (leader of Muslims). Hussein was killed on a battlefield along with members of his family

• Messianic element to the faith: Shias have a hierarchy of clerics who practice independent and ongoing interpretation of Islamic texts4

                                                                                                               4  "Sunnis and Shias: Islam's Ancient Schism." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.