At the crossroads of the Middle East and with a history stretching back to 3,200 BC, Iran has an especially rich heritage that has had a profound - albeit sometimes little-known - influence on the modern world.
The Safavid dynasty, which ruled from the 16th to the 18th century over present-day Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and parts of central Asia, shaped the Persian Empire and subsequently Iranian identity. Historians point out that art from that period showed how their reign also spurred an aesthetic Renaissance similar to the one witnessed in Europe. A permanent exhibition to Islamic art will open at the Louvre in Paris next year featuring such Safavid-era pieces as the Garden of Scents by Sa'adi.
Persians have also excelled in the field of invention, with scientists in ancient times coming up with ground-breaking innovations that continue to be employed today in one form or another.
American academic Arthur Pope, who spent many years studying in Iran, declared that many of the greatest industrial developments were the result of scientific work carried out by the Persians.
One of the earliest inventions was a primitive form of air-conditioning. It is believed that as far back as 3,000 BC building design incorporated a curved roof that helped circulate air through the house, rendering the interior comfortable even in the summer when temperatures can reach 37 degrees Celsius. Later, in about 900 AD, wind towers were developed that were more efficient at sucking air in and out of houses. They remain a feature of many of the country's older buildings. A parallel invention, the windmill, was first used in Iran for milling grain as early as the 7th century AD.
It was probably trial and error that led to the first ice house in Iran, but the system was simple. By filling a shallow north-facing pond with water on a winter evening and building adobe walls around the south, east and west sides, the pond would freeze overnight. The ice could be cut up and stored underground until summer when it was used to refrigerate food and cool drinks. Indeed, there have been some claims that ice cream was also invented in Iran.