Film Overview

Shot in over 60 locations in the province of FARS and 5 years in the making, “IRAN, The Forgotten Glory” is the first independent documentary film series taking the audience on a journey into the depths of ancient Persian civilization, capturing the majesty and the splendor of the Achaemenid and Sassanid empires and their influence on world history, religion, art and culture by revealing the ancient tales hidden in the ruins and reliefs which exist today as a testament to their legacy. This package Includes a set of 2 DVDs in all three languages (Persian, English, Spanish).

Part I – Birth of a Nation
52:00 min

This episode narrates the emergence of civilization in the Iranian plateau and the rise of the great Achaemenid Empire whose territory extended from India to the boarders of Europe. Through visiting ancient locations in the province of Fars, such as Pasargadae, Persepolis and Naqsh-i-Rostam (Valley of the Kings), and illustrating the life and deeds of Cyrus-the-Great, Darius and Xerxes, this episode recounts the birth of a nation, the rise of religion, culture, art and the impact of Zoroastrianism within the first great Persian empire and its eventual fall led by Alexander of Macedonia…

Part II – Renaissance of Glory
43:00 min

Following Alexander’s attack, this episode narrates the establishment of the Seleucid and Parthian dynasty over the Iranian plateau followed by the rise of Ardeshir Papakan, a Persian man who rebelled against the Parthians in the name of god and defeated the last Parthian king Artabanus V and established the Sassanid dynasty in 226 A.D. Through visiting the remains of this great empire in Firuzabad, Bishapur and Darab, and demonstrating the life and deeds of Ardeshir, Shapur and Khosro Anushirvan, this episode reveals the cultural, historical and religious context of Iran prior to Islam, and the fall of the Sassanid empire led by the invasion of nomadic Arab tribes and the arrival of Islam…