The Sassanid era is considered to be one of the most important and influential historical periods in Iran (Persia). Very few empires lived twice and even fewer lived with their former glory and power, one of them was Sassanid dynasty which indeed was the true heir of older Persian empire of Achaemenid dynasty. With its fall, Iranian (Persian) society saw major changes. There are a numbers of reasons why Sassanids with all their power and glory finally saw its end not by its arch enemy the Byzantine empire but by muslim arabs of its southern borders Official Government Links The following websites belong to the various branches of government, or are directly operated by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran: Official site of the Supreme Leader, (Qom office) Presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran - Official website. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent Official language Pahlavi (Middle Persian) State Religion Zoroastrianism Capital Ctesiphon Sovereigns Shahanshah of the Iran (Eranshahr) First Ruler Ardashir I Last Ruler Yazdegerd III Establishment 224 AD Dissolution 651 AD Part of the History of Iran The Sassanid dynasty... Achaemenid empire at its greatest extent The Achaemenid Dynasty (Hakamanishiya in the Old Persian (Avestan ??) language - transliterated Hakamanshee in Modern Persian) - was a dynasty in the ancient Persian Empire. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centred at its capital in Constantinople. ...

Social problems

The society was divided to four classes : the priests, warriors, secretaries, and commoners. The later formed the bulk of the society but nearly all the wealth was in the hands of the higher classes of the society which were scot-free but commoners were subjected to annual taxes, this would put alot of pressure on them specially in drought years which sometimes resulted in mass discontent among people. Rigid social stratification

In the final years of sixth century and beginning of seventh century when Khosrau II was in his ambitious conquest of Byzantine, the taxes had risen dramatically and majority of people were not able to pay due to years of constant Sassono-Byzantine wars had ruined the trade routes and most of the industry. Economic decline was one of the consequences of these fruitless wars. Khosrau II, the Victorious (Parvez), king of Persia, son of Hormizd IV, grandson of Khosrau I, 590 - 628. ...

religin wise, Zoroastrian priests had lost their influence on the people with introduction of Mazdakism, it shattered the beliefs of people in Zoroastrism. Buddhism in the eastern borders of the empire and christianity in the west, also played an important role in this religious unrest. Their call wouldnt be heeded as before among the people. Zoroastrianism was adapted from an earlier, polytheistic faith by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in Persia very roughly around 1000 BC (although, in the absence of written records, some scholars estimates are as late as 600 BC). ... Mazdak was a proto-socialist Persian philosopher who gained influence under the reign of the Sassanian king Kavadh I. He was hanged and his followers were massacred by Khosrau I, Kavadhs son. ...

Sassanids were further weakened by the increasing power of the provincial landholders, and a rapid turnover of rulers. Over a period of fourteen years and twelve successive kings, the Sassanid Empire was weakened considerably, and the power of the central authority passed into the hands of the generals. It took years for a strong king to emerge from a series of coups, but the Sassanids never completely recovered.

Military wise

With problems in administration and the delay of Rostam-e Farokhzad in dispatching army against Arabs, it seemed that everything was in favour of invading muslim arabs. Rostam-e Farokhzad was a Persian general during the mid-7th century AD. This period was the last years of the Sassanid empire - and the first years of the Arabic military conquests after the rise of Islam. ...

While heavy cavalry proved efficient against Roman armies, it was too slow and regimentalised to act with full force against agile and unpredictable light-armed cavalry and rapid foot archers; the Persians who in the early seventh century conquered Egypt and Asia Minor lost decisive battles a generation later when nimble, lightly armed Arabs accustomed to skirmishes and desert warfare attacked them. Hired light-armed Arab or East Iranian mercenaries could have served them much better.

War elephants first seemed to stopped the arab army, but when arab veterans returned from Syrian fronts they found ways to deal with these beasts, so it wasnt anymore a problem for progression of the arab army.

Persian army was defeated in several wars culminating in Battle of Nahavand which was the last major battle of Sassanids and ended the Sassanids in following years with death of Yazdegerd III. Nahavand (also spelled Nahawand in some texts) is a town in Hamadan Province in Iran. ... Yazdegerd III, (also Yazdgird III) (made by God, Izdegerdes), king of Persia, a grandson of Khosrau II, who had been murdered by his son Kavadh II in 628, was raised to the throne in 632 after a series of internal conflicts. ...

See also

Islamic conquest of Iran The Islamic conquest of Iran led to the collapse of the Sassanid Empire, the eventual decline of Zoroastrian religion in Iran, and the birth of Islamic civilization. ...