History of Iran

Iran, previously known as Persia to the Wes, is one of the oldest civilizations of the world. They were once a major empire of their own, but were overrun and invaded by Mongols, Arabs, Seljuk Turks, and others. In Iran, the official language is Farsi or Persian; however; there are various national and ethnic groups. The majority of Iranians consists of the Fars, yet, the Azaris, Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Lors, Turkmens and Baluchis are other groups that also live in Iran. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, immigration was very low and there weren’t many Iranians in the country. Before the 1970s, Iranians traveled to Canada for economic and educational opportunities. However, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution removed the monarchy from power and brought the Islamic government to power, immigration rates increased. Therefore, the majority of Iranians came to Canada in the 1980’s, escaping religious and political harassment. Not only that, but they were also escaping cultural and social cruelty forced by the Islamic Republic of the Iran-Iraq War. In the 1990’s, an increasing number of Iranians and political immigrants came to Canada as entrepreneurs or investors, and the majority of them resided in urban areas. On another note, Iran was ruled by many Dynasties in its time (Achaemenid Dynasty, Parthian Dynasty, Sassanian Dynasty, Safavid Dynasty, Zand Dynasty, Qajar Dynasty, Pahlavi Dynasty). More modernly in Iranian history, nationalist uprisings against the Shah began as well as the formation of a limited constitutional monarchy.