US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to end Iranian civilization. The debate on the issue continues. Iran’s 6,000-year-old civilization is one of the oldest in the world. It has managed to defeat all invaders, from Alexander to the cruel Genghis Khan and Trump. The biggest blow to the Iranian empire came around 330 BC. At that time, Alexander’s conquest campaign had begun from Greece. Alexander invaded Iran and defeated the Achaemenid dynasty. This ended the Achaemenid Empire that had lasted for more than 200 years. Alexander’s campaign was not limited to victory. He ordered the burning of the city of Persepolis in a drunken frenzy. He then extensively destroyed some of the country’s other cultural and religious sites.
However, he adopted Persian dress and court culture. After Alexander, his successors also ruled the country for a few years. But the Iranians rose up again. Iran also witnessed widespread destruction during the Mongol rule between 1219 and 1258. The Mongol invasions led by Genghis Khan and his grandson Hulagu were one of the bloodiest events in the country’s history. Millions of people died during this time. Many major cities were destroyed. The irrigation system was destroyed. It took the country 800 years to recover from that situation. After initially wreaking havoc, the Mongols adopted the country’s administrative system and built architecture in the Persian style. They patronized the country’s scholars. In modern times, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a special forces unit, has frequently drawn comparisons between the country’s 6,000-year-old civilization and that of modern Western powers, claiming that it forced Trump to bow down due to its strong leadership and willpower.
