Six questions about a kingdom that changed its name, a word you say over a chessboard, and the spice in your kitchen — the real history behind the country in today’s headlines.
Your first question:
For most of recorded history, Westerners didn’t call this country “Iran” at all. Then, in the spring of 1935, its ruler sent a formal request to foreign governments asking them to switch. What did the world call the country before that?
