Iran has had an outsized influence in the Middle East since ancient times. The Persian empire figures prominently in several books of the Old Testament, primarily because of King Cyrus’ role in permitting the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Jerusalem temple. Since then several dynasties have ruled Persia, extending their influence throughout the region. Iranian languages are spoken, not only in Iran proper, but in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Even the Ottoman Turks adopted elements of Persian culture, which carried considerable prestige and conferred legitimacy on their rule.
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