| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Persia | Modern day Iran. Did not become Iran until 1935 |
| Dynasty | A succession of rulers from the same family |
| Achaemenid | Dynasty-also know this as the Persian Empire, ruling dynasty 550-336 BC started by Cyrus the Great. |
| Persepolis | ancient capitol city of the Achaemenid Dynasty, built by Darius |
| Cuneiform | a script used by cyrus the great |
| 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 |
| 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 | immortal or wicked |
| Majlis | Irans Parliment |
| White Revolution | 1962, 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 and most 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 |
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