Topic summary
Ancient Persia
Extracted from the Wikipedia article History of Iran.
Islamic golden age, Shu'ubiyya movement and Persianization process
The Samanid dynasty led the revival of Persian culture and the first important Persian poet after the arrival of Islam, Rudaki, was born during this era and was praised by Samanid kings. The Samanids also revived many ancient Persian festivals. Their successor, the Ghaznawids, who were of non-Iranian Turkic origin, also became instrumental in the revival of Persian culture.