country_of_citizenship qara iskander
___MASK1___ (, also , ; ' ), also known as Persia , officially the Islamic Republic of ___MASK1___ (' ), is a sovereign state in Western Asia . It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia , the " de facto " Nagorno - Karabakh Republic , and ___MASK67___ ; to the north by the Caspian Sea ; to the northeast by Turkmenistan ; to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan ; to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of ___MASK7___ ; and to the west by ___MASK82___ and Iraq . Comprising a land area of , it is the second - largest country in the Middle East and the 18th - largest in the world . With 82 . 8 million inhabitants , ___MASK1___ is the world ' s 17th - most - populous country . It is the only country with both a Caspian Sea and an Indian Ocean coastline . The country ' s central location in Eurasia and Western Asia , and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz , make it of great geostrategic importance . Tehran is the country ' s capital and largest city , as well as its leading economic center . ___MASK25___ (, or ; '; '), officially known as the Republic of ___MASK25___ ('; ') is a country in Western Asia , bordered by ___MASK82___ to the north , Iran to the east , Kuwait to the southeast , Saudi Arabia to the south , Jordan to the southwest , and Syria to the west . The capital , and largest city , is Baghdad . The main ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds ; others include Assyrians , Turkmen , Shabakis , Yazidis , Armenians , Mandeans , Circassians , and Kawliya . Around 95 % of the country ' s 36 million citizens are Muslims , with Christianity , Yarsan , Yezidism , and Mandeanism also present . The official languages of ___MASK25___ are Arabic and Kurdish . ___MASK72___ ( tr . " Hayastan "), officially the Republic of ___MASK72___ ( tr . " Hayastani Hanrapetut  yun "), is a sovereign state in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia . Located in Western Asia on the " Armenian Highlands ", it is bordered by ___MASK82___ to the west , Russia and Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to the east , and Iran and Azerbaijan ' s exclave of Nakhchivan to the south . ___MASK82___ , officially the Republic of ___MASK82___ ( Turkish : ), is a transcontinental country in Eurasia , mainly in Anatolia in Western Asia , with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe . ___MASK82___ is a democratic , secular , unitary , parliamentary republic with a diverse cultural heritage . ___MASK82___ is bordered by eight countries : Greece to the west ; Bulgaria to the northwest ; Georgia to the northeast ; Armenia , the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to the east ; and Iraq and Syria to the south . The Aegean Sea is to the west , the Black Sea to the north , and the Mediterranean Sea to the south . The Bosphorus , the Sea of Marmara , and the Dardanelles , which together form the Turkish Straits , divide Thrace and Anatolia ; they also separate Europe and Asia . ___MASK82___ ' s location has given it geopolitical and strategic importance throughout history . ___MASK67___ , officially the Republic of ___MASK67___ , is a country in the South Caucasus region , situated at the crossroads of Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe . It is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east , Russia to the north , Georgia to the northwest , Armenia to the west and Iran to the south . The exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east , Iran to the south and west , while having an 8 km border with ___MASK82___ in the north west . " Abu Nasr " Qara Yusuf Nuyan ( died 1420 ) was the ruler of the Kara Koyunlu dynasty ( or " Black Sheep Turkomans ") from c . 1388 to 1420 , although his reign was interrupted by Tamerlane ' s invasion ( 1400  1405 ). He was the son of Qara Muhammad . The Kara Koyunlu or Qara Qoyunlu , also called the Black Sheep Turkomans , were a Shi ' a Oghuz Turkic tribal federation that ruled over the territory comprising present - day ___MASK67___ , Armenia ( 1406 ), northwestern Iran , eastern ___MASK82___ , and northeastern Iraq from about 1375 to 1468 . Qara Iskander ibn Yusuf ruled the Kara Koyunlu or Black Sheep Turcoman tribe from 1420 - 1436 . His struggles with the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh show that he was a brave leader , but he was not able to continue developing what he inherited from his father Qara Yusuf and his reign saw the decline and attenuation of the Kara Koyunlu .