Combining travelogue with in-depth historical reflection, this looks at the cultural heritage and present nuclear crisis in Iran. A source of Western civilization, it may be destroyed by its main beneficiary. This tour of Iran explores the rich history of this pivotal country: the Achaemenians (Cyrus/Darius/Xerxes), the Sasanians, the Zoroastrian religion of 2,500 years ago; the Islamic period, the Safavids, and the Revolution which dethroned the Shah and made Iran an Islamic Republic. The Islamic idea is caught by observations of the well of the Hidden Imam and of its expression through the architecture, tiles and calligraphy of historical mosques.
