Map of Iran from “Iran: Point of World Interest” article: [Click image to enlarge; click again to enlarge further]

(MSS 284, Box 26, Folder 4)

Iran, previously known as Persia, is an arid, mountainous nation in the Middle East and is as beautiful as it is diverse. In the long and colorful history of Iran, one of the most notable events was its conquest by Muslim Arabs in the seventh century, resulting in the continued religious majority of Shi’a Islam to this day.

The dynasties of Persian rule, from the Sassanid to Safavid, brought many changes to Iranian culture and language, but it was the Qajar dynasty of the eighteenth century that brought European influences. The discovery of oil in Iran in 1908 caused Great Britain to seize control of production through the creation of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. They retained control of the Iranian oil industry for thirty-seven years with aid from other Western nations.