User:JoshTheRoman/Persia

Persia (: ایران, Irân), officially the Persian Empire (: کشور شاهنشاهی ایران‎,  Keshvar-e Shāhanshāhi-ye Irân), is a  in. It is the nth-most populous country with a population of over 150.8 million people. By area, it is the nth-largest country, spanning tbd square kilometers (tbd square miles). Persia is bordered to the northwest by ; to the north by Transcaucasia and the ; to the northeast by and ; to the east by ; to the southeast by ; to the south by the  and the ; to the southwest by ; and to the west by. The country's central location in and its close proximity to the, gives it vast  importance.

Persia is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, beginning with the emergence of various kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC. Persia was first unified by the  in the seventh century BC, and reached its greatest extent during the  founded by  in the sixth century BC. Stretching from the  to the, it became the largest empire to ever exist in the world at that time. The Persian realm fell to in the fourth century BC, but reemerged shortly after as the, followed by the , which became a leading world power for the next four centuries.

Modern
During the reign of (1587–1629), Persia surpassed the Ottomans in strength, making it the center of science and art in Middle East. This era saw the beginning of mass integration from Caucasian populations into Persian society, as well as mass resettlement of them within the heartlands of Persia itself. Following the death of Abbas I, the realm entered a state of gradual decline caused by internal conflict, continuous war with the Ottomans, and foreign interference. In 1722, Afghan rebels besieged the imperial capital of and deposed, briefly overthrowing the Safavids until Tahmasp II was restored to the throne by Nader Afshar in 1729.