Iran: Timeline

View chronological details of Jewish life and presence in Iran.

586 BCE
In 586 BCE, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the First Temple, and forcibly exiled thousands of Jews from their ancestral homeland of Judea to Mesopotamia, where they endured displacement and captivity before establishing communities that later flourished under Persian rule.
642
The Battle of Nahavand marks a decisive turning point in the Arab-Muslim conquest of Persia, leading to the collapse of Sasanian rule and the gradual establishment of Islam as the dominant religion, while Jewish communities came under Muslim governance with dhimmi status.
634 – 1255
Islamic rule forces Jews to pay a poll tax and wear a yellow patch signifying their Jewish religion, distinguishing them as a minority group in a majority Muslim society.
1258 – 1336
Jewish settlements destroyed throughout Persian lands as Mongols take control.
1501
Safavid Dynasty takes over, spreads idea that non-Muslims are unclean. Jews are forced to proclaim themselves “Jadid-al-Islam” (New Muslims).
1661
Iranian authorities issue an edict giving Jews freedom of religion and the freedom to practice their religion as they wish.
1839
The entire Jewish community of Mashhad is forced to convert; many keep Judaism in secret.
1898
First “Alliance Israelite” school established in Tehran. Sixty years later, there were thirty-four Alliance schools and thirty-eight other Jewish schooling options for children.
1908
Iranian state grants Constitutional rights to the country’s three main religious minorities: Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians. Jews are given the power to elect one member to the Iranian parliament.
1950
Under Mohammad Reza Shah, many Jews enter the middle class; the community numbers about 60,000 to 80,000 and the Shah grants Israel de facto recognition as a state.
1979
The Islamic Revolution; community leader Habib Elghanian is executed in May, and Jews begin fleeing.
2012
The Iranian government releases a census stating there are 8,756 Jews in Iran.
1999
Thirteen Jews in Shiraz are arrested on false charges of spying for Israel.