Persia, the mighty cradle of civilization.
While the origins of those inhabiting modern-day Iran are still very much an open question, one theory posits that in an attempt to find new water sources and better farmlands, a group of Aryans migrated south from wide swaths of Europe to settle in Persia around 2000 BC. Around 500 BC, Cyrus the Great united much of Medes, Anatolia, and Egypt to establish an empire that stretched from the Aegean Sea to the Indian River. After the death of King Cyrus at the hand of Queen Tomyris of the Massagetae during battle on the empire's eastern border, Persian leaders shifted their focus west to expansion in the Mediterranean.
Special Units: Muslim Cavalier, Persian War Elephant
Civilization Bonus: Stone +20%, Attack Up
Civilization Special: Build Speed