Name of Iran
In the Western world, Persia (or one of its cognates) was historically the common name used for Iran.[1] On the Nowruz of 1935, Reza Shah officially asked foreign delegates to use the Persian term Iran, the endonym of the country, in formal correspondence. Subsequently, the common adjective for citizens of Iran changed from Persian to Iranian. In 1959, the government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Reza Shah's son, announced that both "Persia" and "Iran" could be used interchangeably, in formal correspondence.[2] However, the issue is still debated among Iranians.[3]
"Persia (name)" redirects here. For other names Persia and other named Persia, see Persia (disambiguation).Recent debate[edit]
In the 1980s, Professor Ehsan Yarshater (editor of the Encyclopædia Iranica) started to publish articles on this matter (in both English and Persian) in Rahavard Quarterly, Pars Monthly, Iranian Studies Journal, etc. After him, a few Iranian scholars and researchers such as Prof. Kazem Abhary, and Prof. Jalal Matini followed the issue. Several times since then, Iranian magazines and websites have published articles from those who agree or disagree with usage of Persia and Persian in English.
There are many Iranians in the West who prefer Persia and Persian as the English names for the country and nationality, similar to the usage of La Perse/persan in French.[24] According to Hooman Majd, the popularity of the term Persia among the Iranian diaspora stems from the fact that "'Persia' connotes a glorious past they would like to be identified with, while 'Iran' since 1979 revolution… says nothing to the world but Islamic fundamentalism."[3]
Official names[edit]
Since 1 April 1979, the official name of the Iranian state is Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران), which is generally translated as the Islamic Republic of Iran in English.
Other official names were Dowlat-e Aliyye-ye Irân (Persian: دولت علیّهٔ ایران) meaning the Sublime State of Persia and Kešvar-e Šâhanšâhi-ye Irân (Persian: کشور شاهنشاهی ایران) meaning Imperial State of Persia and the Imperial State of Iran after 1935.