Prepared by
Professor Iraj Bashiri
e-mail: Iraj Bashiri

Copyright © Dr. Iraj Bashiri, February 2001

The materials on this site are registered with the Copyright Office. Nothing on any of the pages of this website may be reproduced in any fashion except by written permission of the author. Links to these pages and conventionally cited scholarly quotations, however, can be made.

Copyright infringement: Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)
                                            Iran Chamber Society
                                   Iraj Jamshidi

Introductory Note:

The cultures of Central Asia and Iran share a number of remarkable features. They are Islamic, albeit Sunnite and Shi'ite, and they enjoy a common cosmology and mythology. Additionally, they share the same early history. Indeed, until the rise of the Western Turks and the subsequent coming of the Turks and Mongols to Central Asia, the primary population of the region was Iranian. As descendants of the earlier Indo-European peoples, they followed the teachings of Zoroaster and worshiped his God, Ahura Mazda.

From the foregoing, we can conclude that any social, political, or ideological study of the early history of this region must take this common heritage into consideration. To respect the shared values of the Iranian and the Central Asian peoples, therefore, shared materials are accessible from both the Iran and Central Asia pages. The more recent events, however, appear under either "Central Asia" or "Iran".

This web page covers a vast area from Africa to India and from Kazakhstan to the Persian Gulf. It also contains diverse subjects dealing with the history, literature, and the arts of the region. Check out the "Menus" at the top of this page for a comprehensive listing of all areas covered. Details about the contents are available from the pages within the "Special Features Menu," the "Iran Menu," and the "Central Asia Menu."

Problems with links, please email: Webmaster