---
product_id: 647275010
title: "A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind"
price: "€ 38.72"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 5
url: https://www.desertcart.ie/products/647275010-a-history-of-iran-empire-of-the-mind
store_origin: IE
region: Ireland
---

# A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind

**Price:** € 38.72
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- **What is this?** A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind
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## Description

Buy A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind by Axworthy, Senior Lecturer and Director of Centre for Persian and Iranian Studies Michael online on desertcart.ae at best prices. ✓ Fast and free shipping ✓ free returns ✓ cash on delivery available on eligible purchase.

Review: Gostei bastante. O autor foi muito bem sucedido em escrever um livro didático e de leitura fácil em relação a um país que tem uma história extensa, cheia de personagens e informações. Também gostei de o enfoque não ser somente em reis e batalhas, há informações sobre sociedade, as várias religiões que se formaram na Pérsia e um capítulo somente sobre poesia persa. O enfoque dado aos diversos períodos históricos é equitativa, porém é um bom livro para se entender todo o complexo contexto do Irã atual (o texto da versão que eu comprei, capa comum, termina em meados de 2015) de uma forma resumida e concisa.
Review: Before I read this book I basically knew three things about Iran: (1) There was an ancient Persian empire centred on the same basic geographic area as modern Iran, (2) modern Iran is the implacable adversary of the United States, the west in general, and Israel, and (3) Iranian culture and history is different from that of the surrounding Arab world. But how we got from the ancient empire of the Medes and Persians to the modern Islamic republic and its Ayatollahs, I had no idea. So I decided to fill this gap in my knowledge, looked up some books online, found this one highly recommended, and purchased it. I’m very glad I did. In this book, Michael Axworthy tells the story of Iran (Persia) from the Achaemenid Empire of sixth century B.C. to the present-day Islamic Republic. Obviously, when you are narrating a 2,600 year history in the space of 315 pages, there is going to be a lot of summarising, and I certainly got the sense, as I was reading this book, that there is a lot more than could be said! Nonetheless, for a person like me, who was almost entirely ignorant about the sweep of Iranian/Persian history, this book was the perfect place to start, and it has whetted my appetite to pursue the subject and learn more. Of course, the story of modern Iran is developing all the time. This book was originally published in 2007 and an epilogue was added in 2016. Now the story has moved on yet again, and five years from now it may well be completely different. But every book of history has to end somewhere, and the interested reader who wants to pursue the story will have no difficulty finding further sources. Without hesitation, I give this book five stars out of five.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #21,651 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #47 in Other Eastern Religions & Sacred Texts #52 in Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts #62 in Religious History |
| Customer reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (142) |
| Dimensions  | 15.24 x 3.43 x 23.37 cm |
| Edition  | Revised, Updated |
| Grade level  | 8 and up |
| ISBN-10  | 0465098762 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0465098767 |
| Item weight  | 476 g |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 384 pages |
| Publication date  | 24 May 2016 |
| Publisher  | Basic Books |
| Reading age  | 13 years and up |

## Images

![A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/914LUPPyvML.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by J***O on 29 July 2021*

Gostei bastante. O autor foi muito bem sucedido em escrever um livro didático e de leitura fácil em relação a um país que tem uma história extensa, cheia de personagens e informações. Também gostei de o enfoque não ser somente em reis e batalhas, há informações sobre sociedade, as várias religiões que se formaram na Pérsia e um capítulo somente sobre poesia persa. O enfoque dado aos diversos períodos históricos é equitativa, porém é um bom livro para se entender todo o complexo contexto do Irã atual (o texto da versão que eu comprei, capa comum, termina em meados de 2015) de uma forma resumida e concisa.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by T***N on 7 August 2025*

Before I read this book I basically knew three things about Iran: (1) There was an ancient Persian empire centred on the same basic geographic area as modern Iran, (2) modern Iran is the implacable adversary of the United States, the west in general, and Israel, and (3) Iranian culture and history is different from that of the surrounding Arab world. But how we got from the ancient empire of the Medes and Persians to the modern Islamic republic and its Ayatollahs, I had no idea. So I decided to fill this gap in my knowledge, looked up some books online, found this one highly recommended, and purchased it. I’m very glad I did. In this book, Michael Axworthy tells the story of Iran (Persia) from the Achaemenid Empire of sixth century B.C. to the present-day Islamic Republic. Obviously, when you are narrating a 2,600 year history in the space of 315 pages, there is going to be a lot of summarising, and I certainly got the sense, as I was reading this book, that there is a lot more than could be said! Nonetheless, for a person like me, who was almost entirely ignorant about the sweep of Iranian/Persian history, this book was the perfect place to start, and it has whetted my appetite to pursue the subject and learn more. Of course, the story of modern Iran is developing all the time. This book was originally published in 2007 and an epilogue was added in 2016. Now the story has moved on yet again, and five years from now it may well be completely different. But every book of history has to end somewhere, and the interested reader who wants to pursue the story will have no difficulty finding further sources. Without hesitation, I give this book five stars out of five.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by G***O on 10 May 2023*

A good book usefull to start knowing Iran history.

## Frequently Bought Together

- A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind
- Iran: A Modern History
- The Persians: Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Iran

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*Product available on Desertcart Ireland*
*Store origin: IE*
*Last updated: 2026-03-06*