The ENTIRE History of Iran in 13 Minutes | How the Land of Kings Became the Islamic Republic

In 1971, the Shah of Iran threw a party in the desert beside the ruins of Persepolis. Food was flown in from Paris, kings and presidents came from around the world, and it celebrated two and a half thousand years of Persian kings. Eight years later, the Shah fled Iran in tears, and the monarchy was gone. How did one of the oldest monarchies on earth end up ruled by its clergy? The answer runs through three things: kings, faith and oil. And through a people who rise against their rulers, again and again. This is the complete history of Iran: the qanats, Cyrus the Great and the Cyrus Cylinder, Darius and Persepolis, the wars with Greece, Alexander, the Parthians and the Sasanians, the Arab conquest, Karbala and the birth of Shia Islam, Ferdowsi and the Book of Kings, the Mongols, Rumi and Hafez, the Safavids and Isfahan, Nader Shah and the Koh-i-Noor, the Qajars and the tobacco revolt, the discovery of oil, Reza Shah, Mosaddegh and the 1953 coup, the last Shah, Khomeini and the 1979 revolution, the hostage crisis, the Iran–Iraq War, Woman, Life, Freedom, and the war of 2026. And one tradition older than all of them: Nowruz. CHAPTERS 0:00 The party of the century 0:53 The land and the qanats 1:16 Cyrus the Great 2:04 Darius and the Persian Empire 2:47 The wars with Greece 3:06 Alexander 3:18 Parthians and Sasanians 4:00 The Arab conquest 4:27 Karbala and the Shia 4:50 Scholars and the Book of Kings 5:22 The Mongols 5:35 The poets 5:49 The Safavids 6:17 Nader Shah and the Koh-i-Noor 6:33 The Qajars and the Great Game 6:50 The tobacco revolt 7:04 1906 and oil 7:19 Reza Shah 7:44 Mosaddegh and the 1953 coup 8:02 The Shah's Iran 8:21 Khomeini 8:30 The revolution 9:07 The Islamic Republic and the hostages 9:28 The Iran–Iraq War 9:50 Khamenei, allies and sanctions 10:09 A new generation 10:21 Woman, Life, Freedom 10:34 Strikes, protests and war 11:23 Nowruz 12:00 Thanks for watching Tell us in the comments — which part of Iran's story surprised you most? This documentary is based on historical sources and academic research, and uses illustrated reconstructions to bring the story to life. Some imagery is AI-assisted. #Iran #Persia #IranianHistory #HistoryOfIran #PersianEmpire #CyrusTheGreat #Persepolis #IranianRevolution #MiddleEast #WorldHistory #History #Documentary #HistoryDocumentary