Surveys Iranian history and culture and its contribution to the civilization of the world. Covers religious, philosophical, political, economic, scientific and artistic elements in Iranian civilization.

I.B.Tauris in association with the Iran Heritage Foundation Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire has been acclaimed as one of the most intellectually exciting books about late antique Persia to have been published for years. It proposes a convincing contemporary answer to an age-old mystery and conundrum: why, in the seventh century ce, did the seemingly powerful and secure Sasanian empire of Persia succumb so quickly and disastrously to the all-conquering armies of Islam? In her bold solution to this enigma, Parvaneh Pourshariati explains that the decentralized dynastic system of the Sasanian ruling hierarchy in fact contained the seeds of its own destruction. This confederacy, whose powerbase relied on patronage and preferment, eventually became unstable, and its degeneration sealed the fate of a doomed dynasty.

This catalogue publishes the British Museum's collection of Gandhara sculpture. It illustrates and describes 680 objects, and where possible includes comparisons and literary references. The catalogue also contains an extensive bibliography as well as concordances and indexes.

Shows and describes examples of Persian calligraphy, glass, tile, pottery, lacquer, books, paintings, jewelry, textiles, sculpture, and architecture

"The present volume is a companion and sequel to Early Mesopotamia and Iran: contrast and conflict c. 3500-1600 BC, Later Mesopotamia and Iran: tribes and empires 1600-539 BC, and Mesopotamia and Iran in the Persian period: conquest and imperialism 539-331 BC." -- Library of Congress.