Country Crossword: Iran

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Across
  1. 4. Military officer killed in a drone strike by the United States.
  2. 7. Meaning "Freedom Tower" in Persian, this marble structure was based off a design by Hossein Amanat.
  3. 13. Abbasid caliph who founded the Bayt al-Hikma, or House of Wisdom.
  4. 16. Often referred to as the Napoleon of Persia for his military campaigns throughout the Middle East and West Asia.
  5. 17. Mosque built under Abbas the Great upon moving his capital to Isfahan to avoid Ottoman attacks.
  6. 18. Major tourist center known as the City of Gardens among Iranians.
  7. 19. Remnants of the capital of the Elamite Kingdom, abandoned after being attacked by Assyria.
  8. 20. Spicy sausage dish commonly eaten as a fast-food item.
  9. 21. Fundamentalist revolutionary who founded the modern-day Islamic Republic of Iran.
  10. 22. Collection of literature written by Zoroaster, founder of Zoroastrianism.
  11. 25. Former military officer considered the father of modern Iran. He is best known for his social, political, and economic reforms, but was forced to abdicate in the Anglo-Soviet Invasion.
  12. 26. In this novel written by Sadegh Hedayat, a man confesses the murders he committed to a shadow shaped like a bird of prey.
  13. 31. Highest volcano in Asia. According to Zoroastrianism, a tyrannical king named Zahhak who had snakes growing from his shoulders is chained inside.
  14. 32. Iranian president killed in a plane crash in 2024.
  15. 35. Largest adobe structure on the planet.
  16. 38. The oldest rug in the world, created around 400 BCE.
  17. 39. The national epic of Iran, written by Ferdowsi, detailing its history up to the Muslim conquest.
  18. 41. Dish created by Persian Jews commonly served on Shabbat.
  19. 42. Founder of the Zand Dynasty.
Down
  1. 1. Ruins of the capital of the Achaemenid Empire.
  2. 2. Collection of poems written by Hafez, best known for its ghazals, or love poems. One of these was written entirely in Arabic, not Persian.
  3. 3. Shrine containing the remains of the eighth Imam of Shia Islam.
  4. 5. Monastery built by Armenian Christians forcibly settled by Abbas the Great.
  5. 6. Onions, spinach, and eggs all are used to make this dish.
  6. 8. Possibly the oldest bazaar in the Middle East, and still functioning in 2024.
  7. 9. Whipped eggs folded with potatoes and herbs.
  8. 10. Deep forests south of the Caspian Sea, possibly from the Mesozoic, that were jointly requested to become world heritage sites by Ian and Azerbaijan.
  9. 11. Considered Iran's spiritual capital.
  10. 12. Palace constructed by Shams Pahlavi, sister to the last Iranian monarch. It was closed in 2020 to give much-needed repairs.
  11. 14. This site contains the remnants of a Zoroastrian temple and the "Prison of Solomon."
  12. 15. Led the expansion and unification of the Achaemenid Empire.
  13. 23. Capital of Iran.
  14. 24. City home to the shrine of Fatima Masuseh, a descendant of Muhammad.
  15. 27. Founder of the Sasanian Empire.
  16. 28. Palace used by the Qajar Dynasty
  17. 29. Cave dwellings likely constructed by people fleeing invasions by the Mongols.
  18. 30. One of the largest salt caves in the world, created from salt diapirs that formed in the Precambrian.
  19. 33. Capital of the Safavid Empire.
  20. 34. This city has been mentioned in records since 3000 BCE, but most of its buildings come from the 20th Century.
  21. 36. Founder of the Achaemenid Empire.
  22. 37. Desert that contains kaluts, or mound-like cliffs.
  23. 40. Bridge described by Arthur Pope and Jean Chardin as the culmination of Persian architecture, built in 1650.