Published in Iran - Social interactions and entertainment - 23 Feb 2026 08:21 - 11
Which Was the Greater Power in History?
Throughout history, two Asian empires expanded across vast territories and reshaped the known world:
the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan, and the Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus the Great.
The key question is: which one was more powerful and more influential?
1 Territorial Expansion
The Mongol Empire reached approximately 24 million square kilometers in the 13th century, making it the largest contiguous land empire in history. It stretched from East Asia to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
In contrast, the Achaemenid Empire, at its height under Darius the Great, covered about 5 to 5.5 million square kilometers, extending from the Indus Valley to Egypt and parts of Greece.
Conclusion: In terms of sheer land area, the Mongol Empire was significantly larger.
2 Military Power
The Mongols
Highly mobile cavalry-based army
Advanced battlefield communication
Psychological warfare tactics
Decimal military organization system
Within a few decades, they conquered China, Persia, Russia, and parts of Central Europe.
The Achaemenids
Multi-ethnic, well-organized army
Strong naval forces
The Royal Road system for rapid troop movement
The Achaemenids combined military strength with long-term administrative stability.
Conclusion: In terms of speed and aggressive expansion, the Mongols had the advantage.
3 Governance and Civilization Building
The Achaemenids
Religious and cultural tolerance
Advanced taxation and administrative systems
Satrapy (provincial governance) structure
The Mongols
Secured trade routes, boosting the Silk Road
Facilitated cultural and technological exchange between East and West
However, early conquests were marked by large-scale destruction
Conclusion: In governance and sustainable state-building, the Achaemenids were more structured and enduring.
4 Longevity
The Mongol Empire fragmented into several khanates after the death of Genghis Khan, gradually losing unity.
The Achaemenid Empire remained unified for over two centuries until it was conquered by Alexander .
Final Assessment
If the standard is rapid military expansion and territorial size, the Mongol Empire stands unmatched.
If the standard is administrative sophistication, governance, and long-term civilizational impact, the Achaemenid Empire demonstrates greater depth.
Both empires were monumental forces in world history — one built on lightning-fast conquest, the other on structured imperial governance.
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Comments (11)
The Achaemenid Empire was conquered by Alexander
The Mongol Empire was not conquered by anybody!
There is nobody remaining from Achaemenid dynasty!
There are still living princes from Genghis Khan dynasty!
Islamic Republic of Iran is the first truly Persian ruled county since Arab Conquest! Before that for more than 1500 years Iran was ruled by Arabs and Turks!
😂 That's right! The empire was huge back then, but today Mongolia is just a small part of that territory. History changes and even the most powerful empires eventually shrink - but Genghis Khan's legacy lives on! No tomb
Iran was ruled by Arabs and Turks! Nice Joke 👏
Much of modern-day Turkey was historically part of the routes used by cavalry and armies from ancient Persia, including during the Achaemenid Empire. 😅
Never forget that the Mongols were savages, and the Iranians were authentic.
Yutukaron . Maybe you are right , we have been ruled by Turks during ling periods , I am a turk originally as well but we can’t deny Persian cultural effect on every Turk dynasty even Ottomans . It was as deep as they talk Persian in court as well as writing poems in Farsi even by Ottoman Sultans .
There are no connection between Mongol people and Azari ones like me . We are Azari Iranians with deep ties with Persian culture as it was dominant for 2500 years in a vast area .before Turkic migration.
At last , I am not into racist talks at all , we are all Middle Easterns with various cultural ties , we should focus on our ties instead of our differences.
Mongols ruled Iran, pers did not rule Mongolia!
Persians needen’t rule Mongolia as it is a desolate place , Persians ruled Mongols by their culture , language, bureaucracy etc ….. it shows who had the upper hand in civilisation.
Persian language and culture was integrated into Turkic, Arabic, Mongol world, just because, we/they are not nazis, we do not care about the nationality and did not force assimilation upon those whom we conquered! that is why Greek still speaks Greek, Pers still speaks Persian! We were accepting and Open minded Culture! Also Pers is not a superior culture! Pers took Greek Gods, Arabic Alpahbet, Turkic Traditions, even iranian Shiisim came from Turkic Safavids! So it is both way culture share! Just like influence of indian culture to British! pers were always conquered and ruled! Turks, Mongols always ruled!