Persias

Persias is not a standard term in most histories, but in some discussions it refers to the plural, interrelated political and cultural expressions associated with Persia—modern Iran—and the wider Persianate world. The term highlights the continuity of Persian identity across dynasties and eras.

The heartland of Persias lies in Persis (Pars), in southwest Iran, with later centers on the Iranian plateau including major cities such as Isfahan and Shiraz, and extending influence into surrounding regions during various empires.

Historical scope: The earliest major Persian state was the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550–330 BCE), founded by Cyrus the Great; at its height it stretched from the Balkans and Egypt to the Indus Valley. It was followed by the Parthian (c. 247 BCE–224 CE) and Sassanian (224–651 CE) empires, which preserved and developed Persian administration, language, and culture after the Hellenistic period. After the Islamic conquest, Persian culture remained influential under successive dynasties, including the Seljuks and Timurid realms, and most notably the Safavid Dynasty (1501–1736), which established Twelver Shi’ism as the state religion and contributed to a flourishing of Persian art and architecture. In the modern era, Persian political leadership continued under the Afsharids, Zands, Qajars, and the Pahlavi dynasty, culminating in the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. The term Persias thus covers a long sequence of polities and a continuous Persian cultural tradition.

Cultural and linguistic dimension: The Persian language (Farsi) evolved from Old and Middle Persian and served as the lingua franca of many empires in the region. Persian literature—epic, poetry, and prose—developed across eras, shaping arts, science, administration, and education throughout the Persianate world.