| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Persia | modern day Iran- did not become Iran until 1935 |
| Dynasty | a succession of rulers from the same family |
| Achaemenid Dynasty | or Persian empire from 550 to 336 BC- the ruling dynasty of Persia started by Cyrus the Great |
| Persepolis | ancient capital city of the Achaemenid Dynasty built by Darius (distant cousin of Cyrus the great) |
| Cuneiform | ancient writing system of Mesopotamia and Persia- wedged shape characters impressed in clay tablets (Cyrus Cylinder) |
| CIA | central intelligence Agency for USA |
| SAVAK | National Intelligence and security organization, the CIA of Iran |
| Mullah | : a Muslim learned in Islamic theology and sacred law, sometimes function the way our mayors do |
| Depraved | immoral or wicked |
| Majlis | Iran's parliament |
| White Revolution | 192, the Shah's attempt to quiet the people from rebelling for economic and political reform, creates land reform, profit sharing, literacy corps instead of army, women's right to vote |
| The Shah of Iran | Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the last monarch of Iran, took the throne in 1941 |
| Evin Prison | Iran's biggest and most feared notorious prison in Tehran |
| Ayatollah | : means "sign of God" is a learned prestigious scholar who has a significant following, inspires, writes, teaches, highest honor in Shia branch |
| Fatwa | : a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority |
| Cleric | a priest or religious leader in any religion |
| Clergy | the body of all people ordained for religious duties |
| Monarchy | a form of government with a monarch at the head- a member of the royal family, usually a shah, queen, or king (Iran was for 2,500 years) |
| Licentious | unprincipled in sexual matters |
| Dissident | a person who opposes official policy |
| Chador | a large piece of dark cloth, worn by Muslim women, wrapped around the head and upper body to leave only the face exposed |
| Theocracy | : gov't by a god regarded as the ruling power or by officials claiming divine sanction |
| Fundamentalist | a person who has rigid adherence to religious principles and is often intolerant of other views, often opposes secularism |
| Ramadan | the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset |
| Martial Law | military gov't that suspends ordinary law |
| Political Asylum | the protection granted by a nation to someone who has left his native country as a political refugee |
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