Synopses & Reviews
Iran’s complex, violent military history encompasses two world wars, foreign intervention, anti-government revolts, border disputes, a revolution, a war against Iraq that lasted over eight years, and its desperate quest to become a nuclear power.
Following his award-winning book, Shadows in the Desert, which explored the military history of ancient Persia, in Iran at War Kaveh Farrokh turns his attention to modern Iran's wartime history. Beginning with the Safavid dynasty of the 16th and 17th centuries, he traces Iran’s political and military progress to its dramatic turning point in 1979. In doing so, Farrokh demonstrates how Iran’s current bellicosity on the world stage was shaped by centuries of military defeat and humiliating foreign influences from the likes of Russia and Great Britain.
Including illustrations and photographs, this book provides an unparalleled investigation into the bloody history of modern Iran.
Synopsis
Following his award-winning book on the history of ancient Persia,
Shadows in the Desert, Kaveh Farrokh goes on to examine Iran's wartime history from the Safavid dynasty of the 16th and 17th century through to the 1979 Revolution and beyond. He shows how the early military successes of Iran were followed by centuries of defeat, as the external influences of nations like Russia and Britain began to shape the internal history of Iran.
Farrokh then goes on to unravel the complex, violent military history of Iran in the 20th century, which encompasses two world wars, regional movements, foreign intervention, anti government revolts, conflicts on the Soviet border, a revolution and a war against Iraq that lasted over eight years. Illustrated with contemporary illustrations and photographs, this book provides an unparalleled investigation into the bloody martial history of Iran.
About the Author
Dr. Kaveh Farrokh was born in Athens, Greece, in 1962 and emigrated to Canada in 1983. Kaveh has collected data and primary sources on Sassanian cavalry for 18 years resulting in travels to locations such as Naghshe-Rustam (Iran). He has given lectures and seminars in the University of British Columbia and the Knowledge Network Television Program of British Columbia and has written articles for various journals. Kaveh obtained his PhD in 2001 from the University of British Columbia where he specialized in the acquisition of Persian languages. He is currently a learning and career specialist in Langara College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He acted as a historical advisor on the film Cyrus the Great, and has appeared on the History Channel documentary as an expert on the Persian Empire.