Introduction

Iran has functioned for at least 5,000 years as a state and the centre of an empire. During this considerable period its boundaries with its neighbours have been relatively fluid (Fig. l . l ) .1 Nonetheless, despite the powerful influences working against the need for hard and fast borders, of which Islam is perhaps the principal one, contemporary Iran under both the Pahlavi regime and the Islamic republic has adopted very clear policies towards defining and protecting state territory.