Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Over nine-hundred years after the Shahnama defined Iranian identity, the specter of 20th century European imperialism sparked furious discussions about how to best protect the Iranian nation – and who that nation belonged to. In 1925, after years of leading Iran to ruin, the Qajar dynasty was overthrown by Reza Shah Pahlavi. The new Shah declared to international actors in 1935 that he was not the Shah of Persia, but the Shah of Iran and they should only refer to his country as ‘Iran’. Reza Shah’s request was rooted in trying to gain historical legitimacy for his nation. Western nations promptly adopted the name change, but Reza Shah’s declaration evoked a far more mixed response among non-Persians in Greater Iran. The Afghan historian Ahmad Ali Kohzad denounced the name change as a Persian attempt to claim ownership of Greater Iran in its entirety, bitterly opining “the name of the total was given to a part.”
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Images Used:
Music Used:
Doug Maxwell - Arabian Nightfall (Sting):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bRzD...
If any of the images or songs are yours, please let me know I will amend them. Please don't report me straight away!
Over nine-hundred years after the Shahnama defined Iranian identity, the specter of 20th century European imperialism sparked furious discussions about how to best protect the Iranian nation – and who that nation belonged to. In 1925, after years of leading Iran to ruin, the Qajar dynasty was overthrown by Reza Shah Pahlavi. The new Shah declared to international actors in 1935 that he was not the Shah of Persia, but the Shah of Iran and they should only refer to his country as ‘Iran’. Reza Shah’s request was rooted in trying to gain historical legitimacy for his nation. Western nations promptly adopted the name change, but Reza Shah’s declaration evoked a far more mixed response among non-Persians in Greater Iran. The Afghan historian Ahmad Ali Kohzad denounced the name change as a Persian attempt to claim ownership of Greater Iran in its entirety, bitterly opining “the name of the total was given to a part.”
FREE NEWSLETTER:
https://mailchi.mp/a69f93be6c66/hikma-history-newsletter
- Become a Patron for as little as a dollar a month to vote on upcoming and keep the movement going!
patreon.com/user?u=12397811
Massive thank you to our Patreons:
Elman
TheBactrianGambler
Preston P
Adam
Mohammad
Areeb
Awais
Omar
Farid
Ibrahim
Ari
Joshua
Haseeb
Nahid
Amir
Mahmoud
Joel
CoreBard
- Join our social media community:
Twitter:
twitter.com/HikmaHistory
Instagram:
instagram.com/hikmahistory
Facebook:
facebook.com/HikmaHistory
Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hikma...
#persia #iran #irannews
Images Used:
Music Used:
Doug Maxwell - Arabian Nightfall (Sting):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bRzD...
If any of the images or songs are yours, please let me know I will amend them. Please don't report me straight away!
