Persian Empire Timeline

Shia Islam: a timeline

632 -- Muhammad dies, sparking the ongoing controversy about his rightful successor, or caliph. Sunnis believe that the Prophet nominated his close friend, Abu Bakr -- father of Aisha, Muhammad's youngest wife -- while the Shia maintain that he appointed his first cousin and son-in-law, Ali.

634 -- Abu Bakr dies after two years of serving as caliph. Another of Muhammad's father-in-laws, Omar Ibn al-Khattab, is named as his successor. He wins stunning military victories over both the Byzantine and Persian empires.

644 -- Omar is assasinated by a Christian slave. Othman Ibn Affan, a scion of Mecca's ruling Umayyad clan, takes over the caliphate.

656 -- Othman is murdered by dissenters from his army. Ali is finally appointed caliph, a role he reluctantly accepts - becoming the fourth so-caled Rightly Guided Caliph. For Shias, however, he holds the title of Imam, or leader -- the first of 12 Imams believed by "Twelver" Shias to be the true successors of Muhammad. Aisha, Muhammed's most outspoken widow, leads a military campaign against him but is defeated at the Battle of the Camel.

657 -- Ali moves the capital from Mecca to Kufa, situated in modern-day Iraq. Muawiya, an Umayyad brother-in-law of Muhammad's, and a cousin of Othman's, confronts Ali for rule of the caliphate but is defeated at the Battle of Siffin. Unable to overcome Ali in battle, he instead manoeuvres him into accepting arbitration -- a move that causes a schism among his followers, with a breakaway faction, known as the Kharijites, now rejecting Ali's rule.

660 -- Muawiya declares himself caliph in Damascus.

661 -- Ali is assassinated by Kharijites in his mosque in Kufa, leaving Muawiya I as the uncontested caliph.

669 -- Hasan Ibn Ali, Muhammad's grandson the second Imam in the Shiite tradition, is poisoned by his wife on orders from Muawiya I. His brother, Hussein Ibn Ali, becomes the third Imam.

680 -- Muawiya I dies, leaving his son Yazid as caliph. When followers of Hussein rise up against Yazid, he sends 4,000 troops to besiege the third Imam at the Battle of Karbala, leading to a massacre that is commemorated by Shia Muslims during the ten day mourning period known as Ashura. This is arguably the theological beginning of Shia tradition and practice.

An Empire like no other on the Planet- Ancient Persia…

What we now know as the nation of Iran was at one point of time, one of the most powerful kingdoms on the planet. Known as Persia, under the rule of its many able rulers, especially Xerxes, this kingdom became a dreaded enemy for most countries around it, including powerful kingdom states such as the nation of Greece. This however was not the beginning of human habitation in the region. The earliest man to have walked the lands of present day Iran was in all probability, man from the Neolithic Age. However, there is not too much information on this period or Age, as looking for hard evidence about the way they lived and flourished is extremely difficult to come by. The greatest manifestation of human life in Iran can thus be placed on a timeline close to 6000 BC, where for the first time; people started domesticating animals, and also undertook working in fields, or in other wards, became agrarians. The name, Persia, was given by those in its West, to describe the people, the culture, and the civilization that flourished in Iran. The word Persia is a derivation of the ancient Greek name for the region, “Persis”. However, the word “Persis” to is a spoilage of the word “Fars”,  which  was one of the provinces in southern Iran. This province of Fars was the most important city from the point of view of the early  There were a large number of settlements and communities that started forming all over Persia. The most number of settlements were found on the regions around the eastern Zagros Mountains, and this became an important place. This place is especially famous now for the ancient pottery that was found here. These people started growing; both in population in importance, and soon, the Persian Empire came into existence. The Persian Empire had some precursors though, in the form of a range of dynasties that ruled over Persia from time to tome. The first kingdoms to be founded in Persia were the proto-Elamite Empire, which was succeeded by the Medes. The birth of the Persian Empire soon came in the form of the Achaemenid Empire, which had Cyrus the Great as its leader. Eventually though, Persia managed to secure its freedom. There was also the creation of a strong force within Persia that led to the birth of a Persian Empire. It was during the period between 612-330 BC that the Persians ruled over extensive regions of Mesopotamia.

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