Sheep - Iran

Aside from the dense forest of Northern Iran, the nation is resigned to an arid climate. This poses problems for Iran’s growing need for clean water. In the past, Iranian communities relied on qanāts to provide water for drinking or irrigation. Qanāts are a combination of vertical shafts and aqueducts built to deliver water from aquifers.

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Ovis aries - Sheep, being ruminates, are even-toed animals. Their weight is carried evenly by the third and fourth toe as opposed to odd toed animals such as horses, whose weight is usually carried solely on the third toe. Sheep were one of the first animals to be domesticated by humans and were able to provide meat, milk, and wool. Sheep wool is currently the most widely used animal fiber in the world. Iran was the first country to make use of the sheep and is one of the world’s leading nations in raising sheep.

Barberry - Iran

Berberis vulgaris - Native to the lower mountains of Western Asia, the barberry shrub is cultivated world wide. It is a deciduous shrub producing 20 to 30 scattered stems, each being approximately 3 meters in length and dropping at the ends to produce an arch effect. It is a food source to several bird species, especially in the winter when other foods are unavailable. Cattle, goats, and sheep also browse on the shrub. Birds and rodents are the primary agents for dispersing barberry seeds. 

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The Achaemenid Empire, or First Persian Empire, was centered in Iran and was founded by Cyrus the Great. The empire stretched from the Balkans to the Indus Valley and from Kyrgyzstan to Egypt. At the height of the Achaemenid Empire, its population exceeded 50 million people, estimated to being over 40% of the world’s total, the highest share of global population of any empire. The First Persian Empire reigned supreme from 550 to 330 BC, and fell to the invasion of Alexander the Great of Macedonia.

Historical Flags of Asia

The Seljuk Empire ruled over a vast territory stretching from the Hindu Kush to Eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf. The empire existed from 1037 until 1194.The Mughal Empire reigned over Northern India for almost 300 years. It was established when Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the Battle of Panipat in 1526.The Mughal Empire was displaced by the British East India Company and in 1858 was placed under direct control of the British Crown. Taejo Yi Seong-gye founded the Great Joseon Kingdom in 1392. The kingdom survived several invasions from China and Japan. Despite constant struggles against more powerful neighbors, it endured until 1897.The standard of Cyrus the Great, founder of the First Persian Empire, consisted of the Derafsh-e Shahbaz-e-Talayi, a golden falcon with wings spread and holding an orb in each talon.