Not many states could counter the attacks of the legions of the Roman empire and gain victories the way Persia did. Ancient Persian cities, aqueducts and irrigation systems are still considered overwhelming. The works of Persian poets and artists constitute a part of the cultural heritage, e.g. classical Persian miniature paintings, which are often considered the most perfect masterpieces of the world art. The Shahnameh poem by Ferdowsi represents a vast and colourful epos, and it also gave rise to a number of legends, including a legend about a king who valued its each line above rubies.

However, despite the worldwide fame of Persian poets and commanders, the history of this ancient land still keeps many secrets. The book “Persia: the history of the undiscovered land” attempts to solve these riddles.

The work of A.B. Gromov and S.N. Tabai is the first in the new series of the Islamic Culture Research Foundation and the Sadra publishing house, “Traces of times”. The book is well formatted and contains numerous illustrations, which makes the reading easy and compelling.