A Brief Overview and Overlaps with A Moment of Silence (1977–2025)
1977 (In the Play)
Shiva falls asleep.
1979: Iranian Revolution
The government changed from a monarchy under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi to an Islamic Republic led by Ayatollah Khomeini.
1980 (In the Play)
Shiva wakes to a changed Iran.
1980-1988: Iran-Iraq War
The longest war of the 20th century, causing massive human losses on both sides, including civilian casualties from missile and chemical attacks.
1983 (In the Play)
Shiva wakes to learn of personal and national changes, falls asleep.
1987 (In the Play)
Shiva wakes, Sheida seeks refuge in France.
1988-1998: Chain Murders
A series of murders and disappearances of certain Iranian intellectuals who had been critical of the government.
1989–1997
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani served as president, pursuing a neoliberal economic policy aimed at reconstruction and modernization after the Iran–Iraq War.
1990s: Art Flourishes
Various art scenes flourished, from war films to lyrical pop music, as artists continued to push back against censorship and explore new forms of expression.
Around 1998 (In the Play)
Hasti and Sohrab receive mysterious phone threats. Hasti works on her play, “Goodbye Until I Don’t Know When.”
1997–2005
Mohammad Khatami served as president, promoting social and political reforms aimed at greater civil liberties, rule of law, and cultural openness.
2001
A Moment of Silence is written by Mohammad Yaghoubi.
2005
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president pursuing a socially conservative platform and met by growing political frustration.
June 2009
Mass protests erupted following the contested presidential election, leading to widespread repression by the government
2010s: Street Art
Long practiced traditions of street art such as works by Black Hand, the “Iranian Banksy,” often highlighted social issues, such as women’s rights to enter sports stadiums.
2016
A Moment of Silence translated into English by Torange Yeghiazerian and Mohammad Yaghoubi.
2022: Women, Life, Freedom Movement
Women led mass protests across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
2023
Yaghoubi revised A Moment of Silence in response to Iran’s women’s movement, reflecting his belief that women are at the forefront of social change.
Visual Timeline
This timeline of events was created by Princeton students Ava Kronman ’26, Marlie Kass ’27, and Twyla Colburn ’27, and edited by Q-mars Haeri, postdoctoral research associate in Princeton’s Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies. View the timeline as a PDF
