An intermezzo is defined as a brief interlude (a period of time between events or activities). This period of history is sometimes called the Iranian Intermezzo because it was a brief break between the rule of the Abbasid Arabs and that of the Selijuq Turks. The term Iranian Intermezzo represents a period in Persian history that saw the rise of various indigenous Persian Muslim dynasties on the Iranian plateau. The Iranian Intermezzo has always been recognized as a period of major importance for the formation of Islamic civilization, both politically and intellectually. In linguistics and literature, the Persian period was characterized by the rise of the Persian-speaking court, thus leading to the literary beginnings of the classical Persian language and its acceptance as the second main Islamic language of high culture. This development of the Persian language in turn led to the writing in Persian of many of the greatest works of poetry, philosophy, biography, history, and religion of Islamic civilization. However, at the same time, Arabic remained a major literary language and the oldest Persian works were based on translations from the Arabic language. The Islamization of Iran was a long process through which Islam was gradually accepted by the majority of the Iranian population. During the Umayyad period under Arab influence, only a small portion of the Iranian population converted to Islam. With its mix of Persian and Arab rulers, the early Abbasid period resulted in an increase in the percentage of Muslims in the dynasty's population. When Persian Muslims began to rule the country, the Muslim population increased from low in the mid-9th century to nearly 100% by the end of the 11th century. The... middle of paper ...... is believed to have spread Sunni Islam. Islamic architecture and Islamic/Persian culture were spread to the heart of Central Asia by the Samanids. After the first complete translation of the Quran into Persian, the population of the Samanid Empire began to accept Islam in significant numbers. The Buyid dynasty made a deliberate effort to revive the symbols and practices of the Sasanian dynasty of Persia. For example, starting with their king Adud al-Dawla, they used the ancient Sasanian title Shahanshah which literally means "king of kings". After the three Buyid brothers invaded and captured Baghdad, their caliphs were no longer important. They were also Shia and some of them encouraged and built Shia shrines in the city; but the great visits of Persian pilgrims to the Shiite shrines of Iraq, which led to such Persian influence in the region, did not begin until much later..