and a popular Azerbaijani film was released in 1979 about his life. In modern Iran, due to the rise of nationalism in the 20th century, and renewed interest in pre-Islamic Iran, Babak Khorramdin was rediscovered during the reign of Reza Shah, and is celebrated as a national hero. However, Babak remains a controversial figure in the Islamic Republic, whose idolization is criticized by some Shia clerics. References Sources 790s births 838 deaths Iranian Zoroastrians Iranian rebels 9th-century executions by the Abbasid Caliphate 8th-century Iranian people 9th-century Iranian people Rebels from the Abbasid Caliphate Khurramites Azerbaijan under the Abbasid Caliphate Converts to Zoroastrianism