THE LAND OF CONFLICT BETWEEN SASSANID CULTURE AND ISLAM: IRAN

Abstract

The emergence of Iran as a powerful state in the Middle East and especially its relations with Iraq and Syria is not so usual politics. The Sassanid geopolitics has now been transformed into Shiite/Iranian geopolitics. The existence of popular Sassanid capital of Median near Baghdad and the presence of many Ahl aI-Bayt imams in Iraq make this region of crucial importance for Iran. Throughout history, Iraq and the Middle East has been a politically vital region and today also it is at the centre-stage of political developments.  After the conquest of Baghdad by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1534, Iraq came under control of the Ottoman Empire. Except at the time of some internal instability and few exceptions, Iran was not able to retake control of Baghdad as its regional political ambitions were kept in check by the Turkish powerbase. Iran has a long history of fighting wars with Turans/Turks in the north. In the west, Persians continuously clashed with the Romans. The relentless violent conflicts with the Romans, especially in the 7^th century, exhausted the Persians which eventually resulted into the conquest of 450 years old Sassanid Empire by comparatively less powerful and unexpected Arabian-Islamic forces. However, even after losing monetary wealth and much of its riches due to these wars, Iran somehow has been able to keep the Sassanid/Persian legacy alive and now it is trying to reclaim the old Sassanid geography.