Apart from last week’s heated rhetoric, many people had difficulty placing Iran on a map—much less understanding that it was the world’s first superpower.



But that it was, 2,500 years ago, stretching from eastern Europe to the Indus River. After military conquest, Cyrus the Great used soft power to expand Persian knowledge throughout its empire by allowing local peoples to maintain their languages, traditions, and religions, Nat Geo’s History magazine explains.



Many of Iran’s world cultural sites, also in the news last week, were built during that time, including columns and majestic doorways (pictured) from Persepolis, the ancient capital.



Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, sign up here or forward to