Persia, Iran, and the Persian Gulf: A Brief History of Names Persia, Iran, and the Persian Gulf: A Brief History of Names By Fouad Kazem A campaign has been recently launched. Many Iranians from all stripes, fascists, monarchists, nationalists, reformists, liberals, even some leftists, and some religious hardliners, whether in Iran or abroad, have been swept up by a nationalistic fervor. And, what, you may ask, is the root cause of this rare moment of unity among Iranians? It is the fact that an atlas published by the National Geographic (in 2004) included in parentheses the words "Arabian Gulf" next to the "Persian Gulf". That is why there is a campaign to convince the world about the name of the "Persian Gulf". It is a fact that by all historical accounts the Persian Gulf has always been called the "Persian Gulf", in most recorded history. It is also true that in the same region there is the "Sea of Oman", and next to that there is the "Arab Sea". There is no reason to change the name of "Persian Gulf" to the "Arab Gulf", for that would create more confusion.

However, should those interested in Iran's progress and democracy focus their time and energy on teaching everyone in the world about the name of a gulf? Would it not be more productive to devote efforts to make the historical connections between Iran, Iranian, Farsi, and Persian? Would it not make more sense to study the basic facts of Persian and world history we can change the present and work towards a better future? At this point, the vast majority of non-Iranians do not even know that Iranian, Farsi, and Persian are synonymous words referring to the same civilization and language. At best they think Persia is a region larger than Iran; at worst they think Persian is a civilization that disappeared along with the Hittites (who used to live in today's Turkey) or Babylonians (who used to live in today's Iraq). They think Farsi is a new dialect remotely related to Persian. They think Persian is a type of cat, a style of rug, or a flying carpet from somewhere exotic in the East. Basic facts of Persian history need to be clarified, before we focus on teaching people about the name of the Persian Gulf.

Even if we succeed in convincing everyone in the world (including every Saudi Sheikh in his Harem) to use the name "Persian Gulf", the connection of that name with Iran will still be problematic in the minds of many. To be clear, in Persian we call the Persian Gulf, Khalije "Fars". Persia's government in 1935 asked the world to stop using the word, "Persian" and use the word "Iranian" instead (1). And yet in English we want it to be called the "Persian Gulf". Why the confusion over the names Persian and Iranian? For the last 2600 years, up to the year 1935, following a naming convention that was started by the ancient Greeks, in all Western languages today's Iran was known as "Persia", a word that was different from the word used in Persian, which was always "Iran". There are many other examples of such naming conventions in the world. Indians call their country "Bharat", Egyptians call their land "Missr", in Finland they call their country "Suomi", the Japanese call their country "Nihon", and Germans call their country "Deutschland" (2).

By the same token, the language of Persia (Iran) has always been internationally known as Persian. The naming conventions for Persia (aka Iran) changed in 1935. The suggestion for the name change from Persia to Iran is said to have come from the Persian ambassador to Germany, who was a Nazi sympathizer. In 1935 Germany was ruled by Hitler. Aryanism was equated by the Nazis as the highest level of human civilization, in an article of faith based on a vulgar Hegelian hyperbola. Apparently the Persian ambassador was persuaded by his Nazi friends that Persia would be better off as an ally of Nazi Germany. Moreover, he became convinced that the country should be called by its Persian name, Iran, in Western languages. This was to signal a new beginning and bring home to the world the new era in Iranian history, one that would emphasize the Aryan aspect of its people. The name Iran is a cognate of the old word Aryan.

The Persian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent out a memo to all foreign embassies in Tehran, requesting that the country be called "Iran." Unfortunately "Iran" sounded alien to non-Iranians, and many failed to recognize its connection with the historic Persia. Some (Westerners) thought that it was perhaps one of the new countries like Kuwait or Jordan carved out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, or like "Pakistan", carved out of India. Even today many confuse Iran with Iraq. The confusion has been made worse by the usage of the word Farsi, which is the Persian word for Persian, just as "Deutsch" is the German word for German. To make matters worse, for marketing purposes Rumi and other Persian poets are presented by American book publishers as Sufi poets and not as Persian poets (3). It is generally known that Dante was Italian and Shakespeare was British. But most Americans know Rumi as a "Sufi poet" from somewhere in the East, as if Sufi were a nationality.

As the references in a large body of European texts (Examples: texts by Schopenhauer, Nietzche, Hegel, Montesquieu, etc.) indicate, Persian civilization has been very well known in European philosophy and culture for centuries. For today's Persians (Iranians), the name "Iran" refers to a rich and historic civilization. For most non-Iranians, Iran is a country in the Middle East with a more or less Islamic identity, and with no clear connection with the historic "Persia". Let us look at another interesting example: the name of the Caspian Sea. Today in most Middle Eastern languages including Persian and Turkish, the Caspian Sea is called the Sea of the Khazar. The name refers to the Khazar people who inhabited an area extending from the Caucus Mountains to Central Ukraine from the 5th to the 13th century and whose civilization disappeared after successive attacks by the Mongols. The Khazars were a Turkic people who had originated in Central Asia. In the beginning, the Khazars believed in Shamanism, spoke a Turkic language, and were nomads.

Later, the Khazars adopted Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, and settled in cities and towns that they built throughout the north Caucasus and Eastern Ukraine. The Khazars had a tradition of religious tolerance. Kiev, the capital city of modern Ukraine, was largely founded by the Khazars. Kiev is a Turkic name (K�i = riverbank + ev = settlement). The Hungarian-Jewish writer, Arthur Koestler, argued in his carefully researched work, The Thirteenth Tribe (1976) that large portions of the Khazars converted to Judaism. He also documents that the Khazars were forced to migrate to Eastern Europe under attacks from the East by the Mongols in the 13th Century. Through an interesting twist of history, Westerners today refer to the Caspian Sea with the old Latin name for the historic city of Qazvin (in today's Iran), while Persians and Turks refer to it as the Sea of the Khazar, named after a proud civilization that disappeared long ago. Superficial isolated discussions about the name of the Persian Gulf are misplaced. They distract us from more basic problems.

If something is to be done from a naming point of view to promote a better understanding of Persian culture and history, it would be far more sensible to officially change the name of Iran back to Persia, Farsi and Iranian back to Persian, in all Western languages; That can be achieved through a campaign that will educate people about Persian civilization in a clear progressive manner, through a dialogue that will highlight Persia's contributions to the world, without attacking, or claiming superiority over other peoples of the Middle East: the Arabs, the Turks, the Jews, the Armenians, the Kurds.

The Persian rug, the Persian cat, the Persian Empire, the Persia that Alexander the Great was so proud to have defeated, the Persia that the Greek historian, Herodotos, wrote about in his world classic, The Persian Wars, the Persian civilization that Hegel wrote about in his world classic, Philosophy of History, Scheherazade who told stories to the Calif of Baghdad in the tales of A Thousands and One Nights, Ibn-e Sina (aka Avicenna) whose works of medicine were taught in Europe for centuries, Hafez who was admired by Goethe, the great astronomer and poet, Omar Khayyam, Rumi (Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi) were all Persians, they were from Persia, the same country that has been known in the West as Iran since 1935, through a strange accident of history. In Western Europe, after long periods of warfare and violence (culminating in the savagery of World War II), they finally opted for cooperation among nations and the formation of a European Union. A time may come when the peoples of the Middle East will overcome the existing cultural backwardness and live in harmony and rich cultural exchange with each other.

They will learn to collaborate with each other and not claim superiority over each other. (1) cf. Article by Ehsan Yarshater, professor at Columbia University in New York and editor of the Encyclopedia Iranica. (2) Deutschland, Germany, and Allemagne all refer to the same country in different languages: German, English, and French. (3) Presumably because these publishers believe pointing out Rumi's national origins will dampen the sales efforts. ... Payvand News - 03/25/16 ... -- Iran and Persia - Are They the Same? Are They The Same? The Difference Between Persia and Iran Map of Iran and Central Asia The names Iran and Persia are often used interchangeably to mean the same country. Iran is the legal name. Persia , was an ancient kingdom within Iran. Iran came to be known as Persia in the West thanks to classical Greek authors during whose time Persia was the dominant kingdom in Iran. To call all of Iran 'Persia', would be like calling all of Britain 'England'.

The name 'Persia' comes from 'Pers' which is in turn the European version of 'Pars' - an area that is today a province of Iran (see the map at the bottom of this page ). 2,500 years ago, when the present provinces of Iran were kingdoms [at one time Iran (then Airan) consisted of 240 kingdoms*], Pars was known as Parsa, and the kings of Parsa established an empire that came to be known in the West as the Persian Empire - the largest empire the world have ever known to that point. In those days, Parsa was the dominant kingdom of all the Iranian or Aryan kingdoms. [*Note: According to the Middle Persian (Pahlavi) Kï¿½rnï¿½mak-i Ardeshir-i Pï¿½pakï¿½n / Kï¿½rnï¿½mag-ï¿½ Ardashï¿½r-ï¿½ Babagï¿½n, Book of the Deeds of Ardashir son of Babak / Babag, the Book of Deeds, "there were in the territory of Iran two hundred and forty princes" at the beginning of Parthian rule of Iran/Airan.

The dominant kingdom of Iran has at various times been Balkh (Bactria) , Mada (Media) , Parsa (Persia) , Parthava (Parthia) and then Persia again. The king of the dominant kingdom was called king-of-kings (shah-en-shah in modern terms) - an emperor.] Evolution of the Name Iran Iran is a relatively modern contraction of the name Airyana Vaeja (the ancient homeland of the Airya or Aryans ). Over time, Airyana Vaeja became Airan-Vej, then Eran-Vej or Airan-Vej (the Parthians and Sassanians had a slightly different pronunciation), then Eran or Airan, and finally Iran. Location of Ancient Iran While we do not know the precise location of the originl Aryan homeland, Airyana Vaeja , the Central Asian lands that are today part of Tajikistan , north-eastern Afghanistan , and southern Uzbekistan - all east of the northeast corner of present day Iran - are strong candidates. For a more detailed discussion on the possible location of Airyana Vaeja, please see our page on the Location of the Aryan Homeland, Airyana Vaeja .

Map showing Iran and Central Asia and the possible movement of the Persian-Aryans culminating in the formation of Persia Growth of Iran & Formation of Persia Migration of Ancient Iranians & Growth of Greater Iran From Airyana Vaeja the original Aryan homeland (possibly quite small in size and extent), the Aryans migrated to surrounding lands. In doing so, they formed fifteen additional kingdoms listed in the Avesta, the Zoroastrian scriptures, in a book called the Vendidad. We therefore call these kingdoms the Vendidad Nations . Coincidentally or otherwise, we find that the migrations extended along the Aryan Trade Roads known commonly as the Silk Roads. [ Click here for a map of the sixteen Aryan nations .] Since the Vendidad's list of nations does not include two Aryan kingdoms, Parsa (Pars/Pers/Persia) or Mada (Media), we are left to conclude that these nations had not been formed - at least as autonomous kingdoms or nations in the fashion of the other sixteen lands - at the time the list was assembled.

Even Iranian legends such as those contained in the poet Ferdowsi's epic, the Shahnameh or Book of Kings, do not mention Persia or Media during the early legendary phase. Instead, Pars/Persia is mentioned in Shahnameh later in history in connection with the invasion by Alexander. In the early Iranian history phase, the Shahnameh makes first mention of a greater Iranian nation, an empire, during the reign of King Feridoon . While the Shahnameh does not mention Persia during the reign of King Feridoon, his sons married the daughters of the King of Yemen (we presume this is the same Yemen as the one in the south of the Arabian peninsula) thereby forming an alliance between ancient Iran and Yemen. Feridoon's Iranian Empire stretched from the borders of China to the borders of Europe (say up to Greece), and was large enough for it to be divided and administered by his three sons. Ferdowsi appears to locate Feridoon's capital as being in the southern Caspian coastal region, in or near Sari (in present-day Mazandaran, west of Gorgan, Golestan).

Despite its lateral size, Feridoon's ancient Iranian Empire does not appear to have extended its western borders in width to include the later southwest land where Parsa would eventually be located, for we do not find mention in the Shahnameh of lands south of what is today Kurdistan and perhaps Lorestan (Narwan?). During the reign of the subsequent Kayanian dynasty (Zarathushtra lived during the reign of Kayanian King Vishtasp) which assumed dominance over the Aryan nations, the Shahnameh no longer has the capital of Greater Iran located near Sari, but rather in Balkh (Bactria) , in the north of Afghanistan today. Extent of Iran. Aryana Ancient Airyana Vaeja grew to become a federation of nations that classical Greek historian and geographer Strabo called Aryana/Ariana (Avestan Airyana). Strabo describes the different kingdoms/nations that constituted Aryana describing its borders as stretching from the Indus to Persia-Media - linked, as he noted, by a common language native to the groups (and we might add, trade/commerce and other cultural ties such as religion).

In some ways the concept is similar to the umbrella Hellenic nation where when the Greek-speaking people moved or even asserted their independence from one another, they still maintained a sense of shared identity. Aryana eventually extended from Central Turkey in the west to the Taklamakan Desert in the east, from the mid-Caspian region in the north (the northern borders of the various countries with names ending in -stan) to the Persian Gulf and the western Indus delta in the south. As we had mentioned earlier, this region at one time included 240 kingdoms. The borders of present-day Iran are a greatly contracted version of Aryana engineered mainly by the British and the Russians who successively carved of portions in their expansions of the British and Russian Empires. The British and Russian engineering of Iran's borders followed in the footsteps of the earlier Arab invasion and then Ottoman expansion both of which effectively removed the Tigris-Euphrates basin (Eastern Iraq today) from the Greater Iranian domain.

Formation of Persia A ninth century (844) BCE inscription that recorded a successful military expedition by Assyrian King Shalmaneser III (859-824 BCE) in the north-central Zagros ranges south of Lake Urmia (in the northwest corner of today's Iran), states that Shalmaneser exacted tribute from twenty-seven 'kings' or chieftains of Parsua. Several authors feel that the name Parsua was a precursor to the name Parsa (Persia). From that time on, we find that inscriptions containing the name Parsua, Parsumash / Parsamash or Parsuash gradually located this group(s) further south. Another Assyrian inscription states that Shalmaneser's successor, King Shamsi-Adad (823-810 BCE) destroyed 1,200 towns or settlements in Parsua in the region of present day Kermanshah some three hundred and fifty kilometres south of Lake Urmia.

An eight century Assyrian inscription from the time of King Sennacherib (705-681 BCE) tells us that in 690 or 691 BCE the Parsumash and Anzan (Anshan), i.e. Persians allied with the Elamites, attacked the Assyrian city of Halule. The 7th Century BCE Assyrian inscriptions of Sennacherib's grandson, King Ashurbanipal (668 - c. 627 BCE) also mentions the nation of Parsamash or Parsumash which by then was apparently located along the western slopes of the Zagros and Bakhtiyari mountains bordering on Elam and perhaps extending as far south as the region around present-day Masjed-e Soleyman. [The city-state of Susa (today called Shush) was a part of Elam.] Elam is some hundred kilometres south of Kermanshah and is, together with Lorestan, in the mid-western border region of Iran today.

Chishpish / Teispes (675-640 BCE) an early king of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persian kings - the first recorded Persian dynasty - as well as subsequent Achaemenian kings including Cyrus, referred to themselves as kings of Anshan. Anshan (Anzan) is said to have been a former Elamite city and state to the southeast of Elam and possibly bordering Pars where the Parsa/Parsi established their eventual homeland. If the connection between Parsua, Parsumash / Parsamash or Parsuash and Parsa/Pars/Pers/Persia is correct, then we do have what appears to be a south-eastern movement by the Persians some thousand kilometres from Urmia to Pars. If the Persians were indeed migrants, then where was their original home? Greek historian Herodotus (c. 485-420 BCE ) in his Histories notes 7.62: "The Medes had exactly the same equipment as the Persians; and indeed the dress common to both is not so much Persian as Median. They had for commander Tigranes, of the lineage of the Achaemenids.

These (the Medes & Persians) were called anciently by all people Aryans." Herodotus (485 - 420 BCE ) says that the Median (and Persian) association as Aryans was already 'ancient' in relation to the mid-first millennium BCE, the time when he lived. The Persian (Parsa/Parsi) kings themselves declare their Arya (Aryan) lineage in their inscriptions. Today, in the north-western Afghan province of Herat, anciently called Aria (Arya), we find a people called the Parsiban (Parsi-ban could be a derivative of the older Parsa-van, meaning 'people of the Parsa/Parsi'. We are inclined to draw some connections between to two Parsis rather than ascribing this homonym to coincidence. The Persian migration theory is not universally accepted. There are those who believe that the Persians were autochthonous or aboriginal to the region of Pars. If so, the lack of mention of Parsa/Pars in both the Vendidad list of nations and the early Shahnameh, and well as the predominance of pre-Parsa Elamite artefacts in the Pars area beg a reasonable explanation.

The Parsua, Parsumash / Parsamash or Parsuash will also need to be re-identified. Persian Rise to Dominance Over the Aryan Nations About 2,500 years ago, the Parsa (Persians) rose to power to became the dominant Aryan kingdom. Dominance amongst the Aryans groups passed from the Medes to the Parsa (Persians) when the Achaemenian king Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II) established the Persian Empire in the sixth century BCE by bringing the nations within the Aryan Empire ruled by the Medes under overall Persian rule. The dominance of the Aryan federation of nations had passed from Feridoon's dynasty (in Gorgan-Mazandaran, i.e. central-north Aryana) to the Kayanians (in Balkh i.e. mid-eastern Aryana) to the Medes (in north-west Aryana) and now to the Persians (in south-western Aryana). Cyrus then added surrounding non-Aryan countries to his Persian Empire - especially countries to the west of Persia and Media.

In this manner, the Persian Empire grew to include lands that extended from the lower Indus valley in the southeast corner, to Central Asia in the northeast, to Babylon in the centre, Egypt and Ethiopia in the southwest, and Asiatic Greece in the northwest. By the time Cyrus had finished putting together the Persian Empire, it had become the largest empire the world had ever known to that point in history. The Achaemenid Persian Empire came to a close at the hands of Alexander of Macedonia in 330 BCE. A general of Alexander's established the Seleucid Empire which ruled over the previous Persian Empire until the Seleucids were overthrown by the Aryan Parthians in 248 BCE. Dominance of the Iranian (Aryan) nations now passed on the the Parthians . Parthia was a kingdom located in the northeast of present day Iran (around today's Khorasan province). Parthian rule lasted until it was replaced by the Persian Sassanian dynasty in 226 CE. The Persians thus resumed dominance of Iran until they were yet again overthrown - this time by the Arabs. The old noble and great Iran thus died, perhaps forever. It continues to live, however, in many hearts.

First Use of the Name Iran As we had noted at the outset of this article, the name of the original Aryan homeland, Airyana Vaeja, evolved into Airan-Vej, then Eran-Vej or Airan-Vej (the Parthians and Sassanians had a slightly different pronunciation), then Eran or Airan, and finally Iran. Classical Greek geographer Strabo , called the collection - the federation - of nations united by the Aryan language (and we add commerce, culture and religion), Aryana/Ariana (Avestan Airyana - the Aryan nation). That concept of autonomous nations or kingdoms within a greater Iranian nation or empire - and one ruled by a king-of-kings had existed from the earliest times in Aryan history. We find the first use of the modern derivative of Aryana, Eran or Airan, in the rock inscriptions of the Persian Sassanian kings (who ruled from 226 to 651 ACE). These inscription can still be seen at Naqsh-e-Rustam , a historical site containing royal tombs, and some 12 km northwest of the ancient Persian capital city of Persepolis in Pars.

In the inscriptions, King Ardeshir I (226-241 ACE) is referred to as king of kings of Eran. This was when the Persian Sassanian dynasty displaced the Parthian Ashkanian kings as the Aryan king-of-kings. It was usual that when such a coup took place, for the various Aryan nations or kingdoms to assert independence from central authority and for the rebellion to be met with a strong response from the coup leader to consolidate power. Ardeshir's son and successor King Shahpur (241-272 ACE) moved to consolidate dominance as king of kings over the other Aryan /kingdoms nations and to rebuild the Aryan Empire to its former extent under the Achaemenid Persians. His inscriptions refer to Eran and An-eran i.e. Aryan and non-Aryan kingdoms, the latter being nations such as Syria and Cilicia. The words Eran-shahr meaning 'place of the Aryans' was also used by the Sassanians in describing the Iranian nation. These words would evolve to Iran-shahr.

Continued Western Use of the name Persia for Iran The West, influenced as it was by Greek and Latin literature, continued to call Eran 'Persia', presumably out of habit or because the rulers of Iran were Persians. That Western tradition continued into the last century until the reign of Iranian king, Reza Shah, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. In 1935 CE, Reza Shah asked those countries with whom Iran had diplomatic relations, to stop using the name Persia and to formally refer to his country as Iran. Some Euro-centric map-makers and authors ignored this formal request and continued to use Persia as the name instead of Iran. Iranian Capital Moves to Tehran At this time, Pars (Arabized as Fars - see below), the ancient seat of the Persian Empire, was now a province like any other province within Iran. Pars was no longer the seat of the Iran's capital anyway, since in the years following the Arab invasion of Iran, a 17th century CE Safavid dynasty king made his residence in the north-central Iranian town of Tehran. Later, in 1795 CE, the subsequent Qajar dynasty kings formally made Tehran Iran's capital, a position Tehran has held since then.

That move finally brought to an end even a nominal notion of Pars (Persia) being the seat of the greater Iranian government. Local kingdoms ruled by kings eventually became provinces ruled by governors. Pars and Fars Map of Modern Iran showing Pars / Fars In the 7th century CE, the Arabs conquered Iran and converted the mainly Zoroastrian population to Islam. The Arabs pronounced the name Pars as Fars (because Arabic does not have the 'p' sound) and this version of the name has persisted even after the departure of the Arabs. The more authentic name is Pars and not Fars. In the map of modern Iran at the right, the province of Fars (old Pars or Parsa) can be seen in the bottom-centre or southern Iran. Parsi and Farsi Similarly as with Pars, the word 'Parsi' meaning 'of Pars' or 'Persian' was mispronounced by the Arabs as 'Farsi' [As with the names 'English' or 'German', Parsi can mean the language of Pars, or a person from Pars (it is used as a last name), or for that matter, anything from Pars].

While the words Parsi and Farsi are synonymous, today the Arabized name Farsi is used to mean the Persian language. The initial wave of Zoroastrian refugees who fled to India after the Arab invasion of Iran, now use of the authentic name 'Parsi' as their ethnic group name. Renaming Persia Renaming Persia Persians Are Not Arabs Persians Are Not Arabs we explain the difference Persian New Year Persian New Year Read More Renaming Persia Persia, What’s in a name? The name Persia is actually a Latin derivation used mainly by Westerners to describe the region roughly equivalent to that of present day Iran . In truth during the rise and fall of the Persian Empire the land was known to its people as 'Aryanam', which is equated to the current “ Iran ” in the proto - Iranian language . During the reign of the Sassanids it became Eran – meaning "land of the Aryans". Aryan: Aryan by definition meant anyone speaking any of the Indo-European languages, including that of the Iranians .

Unfortunately, with the rise of Hitler in the 1930’s, "Aryan" came to be associated with the Nazi definition: being of Non-Jewish Caucasian descent, especially the blue eyed, blond haired Nordic races that Hitler himself favored and hoped to make a master race. Iran VS Persia: In fact, in 1935, Dr Hjalmar Schacht, the Nazi Economics minister noted the Aryan origin of the Persians and encouraged the Persian Reza Shah Pahlavi to ask foreign delegates to use the term Iran, "land of Aryans" instead of Persia. As the New York Times explained at the time, "At the suggestion of the Persian Legation in Berlin, the Tehran government, on the Persian New Year , March 21, 1935, substituted Iran for Persia as the official name of the country. Defenders of the name change, point to its use by the Greek historians citing that "Aryan" means "noble". Many also felt that calling something or someone Persian was dated and somewhat restrictive.

There was a need to unify the people of this land under one nation, Iran , thus encompassing the other ethnicities, such as the Kurds or Turks, residing in former Persia . In its decision it was influenced by the Nazi revival of interest in the various Aryan races, cradled in ancient Persia . As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs set forth in its memorandum on the subject, 'Perse,' the French designation of Persia, connoted the weakness and tottering independence of the country in the nineteenth century, when it was the chessboard of European imperialistic rivalry. conjured up memories of the vigor and splendor of its historic past." Name Change This change however, evoked much opposition and confusion as Persians felt that the term damaged their cultural heritage and aligned them with pro Nazi sentiment. Additionally, all too often Iran was confused with their neighboring Arab state of Iraq, so much that during World War II, Winston Churchill called to enforce continuation of the term of Persia when dealing with political documentation. Even today, in an effort to separate themselves, those opposed to the current government in Iran continue to refer to themselves as Persian .

In 1959, the work of Professor Ehsan Yarshater, editor of Encyclopedia Iranica, propagated a move to use Persia and Iran interchangeably which was approved by Mohammad Reza Shah. Share : Iran Chamber Society: When "Persia" became "Iran" Geography of Iran When "Persia" became "Iran" This article is a part of "Persia or Iran" by Professor Ehsan Yarshater, published in Iranian Studies, Vol. XXII, No.1, 1989. In 1935 the Iranian government requested those countries which it had diplomatic relations with, to call Persia "Iran," which is the name of the country in Persian. The suggestion for the change is said to have come from the Iranian ambassador to Germany, who came under the influence of the Nazis. At the time Germany was in the grip of racial fever and cultivated good relations with nations of "Aryan" blood.

It is said that some German friends of the ambassador persuaded him that, as with the advent of Reza Shah, Persia had turned a new leaf in its history and had freed itself from the pernicious influences of Britain and Russia, whose interventions in Persian affairs had practically crippled the country under the Qajars, it was only fitting that the country be called by its own name, "Iran." This would not only signal a new beginning and bring home to the world the new era in Iranian history, but would also signify the Aryan race of its population, as "Iran" is a cognate of "Aryan" and derived from it. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent out a circular to all foreign embassies in Tehran, requesting that the country thenceforth be called "Iran." Diplomatic courtesy obliged, and by and by the name "Iran" began to appear in official correspondence and news items. At first "Iran" sounded alien (for non-Iranians), and many failed to recognize its connection with Persia.

Some (Westerners) thought that it was perhaps one of the new countries like Iraq and Jordan carved out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, or a country in Africa or Southeast Asia that had just been granted independence; and not a few confused it with Iraq, itself a recent entity. As time passed and as a number of events, like the Allied invasion of Iran in 1941 and the nationalization of the oil industry under Prime Minster Dr Mohammad Mosaddeq, put the country in the headlines, the name "Iran" became generally accepted, and "Persia" fell into comparative disuse, though more slowly in Britain than in the United States. Iran: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Facts, Guide & Travel/Holidays/Cities Historic Nuclear Deal Goes into Effect Geography Iran, a Middle Eastern country south of the Caspian Sea and north of the Persian Gulf, is three times the size of Arizona. It shares borders with Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The Elburz Mountains in the north rise to 18,603 ft (5,670 m) at Mount Damavend.

From northwest to southeast, the country is crossed by a desert 800 mi (1,287 km) long. Government Iran has been an Islamic theocracy since the Pahlavi monarchy was overthrown on Feb. 11, 1979. History The region now called Iran was occupied by the Medes and the Persians in the 1500s B.C. , until the Persian king Cyrus the Great overthrew the Medes and became ruler of the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire, which reached from the Indus to the Nile at its zenith in 525 B.C. Persia fell to Alexander in 331–330 B.C. and a succession of other rulers: the Seleucids (312–302 B.C. ), the Greek-speaking Parthians (247 B.C. – A.D. 226), the Sasanians (224–c. 640), and the Arab Muslims (in 641). By the mid-800s Persia had become an international scientific and cultural center. In the 12th century it was invaded by the Mongols.

The Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), under whom the dominant religion became Shiite Islam, followed, and was then replaced by the Qajar dynasty (1794–1925). During the Qajar dynasty, the Russians and the British fought for economic control of the area, and during World War I, Iran's neutrality did not stop it from becoming a battlefield for Russian and British troops. A coup in 1921 brought Reza Kahn to power. In 1925, he became shah and changed his name to Reza Shah Pahlavi. He subsequently did much to modernize the country and abolished all foreign extraterritorial rights. Iran - Country Profile - Islamic Republic of Iran - Persia Flag of Iran Background: Historically known as Persia, Iran was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, which was frequently invaded. Iran's hereditary monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled the country in 1979 after decades of corrupt and authoritarian rule, and mounting religious and political unrest. Exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to lead an Islamic revolution and formed the world's first Islamic republic the same year.

An eight-year war with Iraq followed. In the elections of 1992 and 1996, former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani's support increased and at the presidential election of 1997 Mohammad Khatami, Rafsanjani's cultural adviser, succeeded him. Khatami promised greater freedom and tolerance and was supported mainly by women, younger voters and intellectuals. In June 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former mayor of the capital, Tehran, and famous for his conservative approach and for rolling back reforms put in place by modernists before him was elected president. He has not been shy of confronting the West and has pushed ahead with a national nuclear programme that has brought international condemnation. (Source: IRIN) Ethnic groups: Persians 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%. Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%; Sunni Muslim 9%; Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%.

Languages : Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other. Literacy: 80% Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur. Agriculture products: Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar. Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, armaments. Currency: Iranian Rial (IRR) Historical Country Names - Nations Online Project Historical Country Names keywords: geography, historical country names, former country names, history, place name changes, historical maps List of formerly used country names and names of countries which have ceased to exist. Name changes of countries, dependencies, geographical and other regions of particular geopolitical interest.

Today Abyssinia The Ethiopian Empire spans a geographical area of today Ethiopia, Eritrea , and Djibouti ,and included parts of Northern Somalia , Southern Egypt , Eastern Sudan , Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia . Abyssinia was an empire that existed for more than 800 years, from circa 1137 (beginning of Zagwe Dynasty) until 1974 when the Ethiopian monarchy was overthrown in a coup d'etat. Afars and Issas Territory formerly known as French Somaliland, the French colony was renamed to the French Territory of Afars and Issas (1967 - 1977),the territory became independent in 1977, known today as Djibouti. formerly a British protectorate became independent in 1966 as the Kingdom of Lesotho. formerly a British protectorate became independent in 1966 as Republic of Botswana. Democratic Republic of the Congo Benadir a coastal region of Somalia; covering most of the Indian Ocean coast of the country, from the Gulf of Aden to the Juba River, formerly part of Italian Somaliland.

Biafra, Republic of (named after the Bight of Biafra) today part of Bophuthatswana - nominal republic and homeland for Tswana-speaking people, 1949 reincorporated into British Bechuanaland (region) incorporated into the Cape Colony (1895) British East Africa or East Africa Protectorate British protectorate from 1890 until 1920 Kenya , Tanzania , Uganda , and parts of Somalia (Jubaland) Cape Colony, 1795-1797 British colony, 1803-1806 colony of the Batavian Republic (Netherlands), since 1910 part of Central African Republic Kenya Colony The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British crown colony in 1920.

Ciskei (Republic of Ciskei)- homeland for Xhosa-speaking people, 1994 reincorporated into Dahomey ; (the Republic of Dahomey; in French: République du Dahomey), was a former French colony andpart of French West Africa until independence in 1960, in 1975 the Republic of Dahomeychanged its name in Benin. Dan Ho Me was an ancient Kingdom located in the south of today Benin. French Guinea was a French protectorate in West Africa, after independence from France in 1958 it became today Mali French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia and Niger, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire, Upper Volta and Dahomey . Mauritania , The Gambia , Senegal , Niger , Mali , Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Burkina Faso and Benin.

German East Africa (German: Deutsch-Ostafrika) a German colony from 1885 until 1919 which included Burundi, Rwanda and Tanganyika (the mainland part of present Tanzania), an area almost three times the size of Germany today. German East Africa colony ended with the defeat of Imperial Germany in World War I. With the Treaty of Versailles the territory was divided between Britain (Tanganyika.), Belgium (Ruanda-Urundi), and Portugal (to become part of Mozambique). Hausaland, consisted of seven independent city-states: Biram, Daura, Gobir, Kano, Katsina, Rano, and Zaria.

Italian East Africa (former name for Italian possessions in eastern Africa) Kaffraria, former name for Transkei Katanga - 1960, Belgium granted independence to the Congolese province of the Mali Federation, was a country in West Africa 1959-1960, formed by a union between Malawi Portuguese East Africa (Província Ultramarina de Moçambique) Mozambique or Portuguese East Africa (officially the State of East Africa) for almost 500 years a Portuguese Colony, 1498–1975.

See also: Portugal Sahara Occidental, Spanish name for Senegambia (region; former name of the confederation of Senegal and Gambia) Songhay (Songhai), in the 16th century a major empire of the Western Sudan, in the region of South-West Africa (SWA, German: Deutsch-Südwestafrika), a German colony from 1884-1915 Spanish West Africa (former name for Ifni and Spanish Sahara) Stellaland, Republic of; annexed by the Boers later British Bechuanaland, incorporated into the Cape Colony (1895) Tanganyika Territory, united with the islands Zansibar and Pemba it became Togoland (British Togoland), since 1957 part of Transkei (former Kaffraria and one of ten "black homelands" and nominal republic, in Southeast of ) Transvaal or ZAR - Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek; today the Province Limpopo of Ubangi-Shari (Oubangui-Chari) a former French territory in central Africa, whith independence on 13 August 1960 the country became the

 Central African Republic Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa was formed on 31 May 1910 as a parliamentary union of the four self-governing British colonies: the Cape of Good Hope Province (Cape Province; previously Cape Colony), Natal Province (Natal Colony), the Orange Free State Province (Oranje Vrij Staat/Orange River Colony) and the Transvaal Province (Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek/Transvaal Colony).

The Union came to an end in 1961with a new constitution and became the "Republic of South Africa". Zaire, changed its name in 1997 to Zanzibar (island, east off the coast of Tanzania) a former protectorate of Britain. Zanzibar gained independence in1963 united with Tanganyika, today it is a semi-autonomous part of Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) or Transvaal colony; today the Limpopo province of Abkhazia (Region name is still in use) Bactria (Bakhtria) historical region of Greater Iran, located between the Hindu Kush mountain range and the Amu Darya (Amu river). The region was the birthplace of Zoroastrianism (Mazdaism) and later, also hosted Buddhism before becoming Muslim after the 7th century. The Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Afghanistan with the remains of two huge standing Buddha statues which were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

Circassia was located east of the Black Sea and west of the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region, it was the mountainous territory of the Circassians (Adyghe), it was wiped from the map in the late 19th century whenRussia conqueredthe Caucasus region. All Circassians were displacedfrom their homeland. Historians refer to the displacement of the Adyghe people by the Russian Empire to "the inventing of the strategy of modern ethnic cleansing and genocide". Circassia was situated north of today Georgia in the southern half of Russia's Krasnodar Krai, south of Kuban River,as well as in the Beshtau, an isolated mountainous region in Stavropol Krai, and in todays Russian Republics of Adygea, Karachay–Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and North Ossetia–Alania, in south west Russia . East Turkestan; Eastern Turkestan; Chinese Turkestan Part of western China (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region ) Kashmir (region) is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent.

Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the Vale of Kashmir, the valley between the GreatHimalayas (in northeast) and the Pir Panjal mountain range (in southwest). Today the term Kashmir refers to a larger area that includes the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (including the Kashmir valley and Jammu and Ladakh), the Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan and the Azad Kashmir provinces, and the Chinese-administered regions of Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract. state during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, it is the ancient name of Cyprus Dilmun, mentioned in ancient texts as a trade partner of Mesopotamia, although the exact location of Dilmun is unclear, it is associated with Bahrain , the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia , Qatar , Oman and nearby coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf. Galilee, Galilea is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country.

See: Map of Israel Judea, Judäa,(region) Hebrew: יהודה was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BC (Assyrian rule) to the 2nd century AD, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt. Muscat and Oman, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman until 1970 North Yemen or Yemen Arab Republic was a country from 1962 to 1990 in the western part of what is now Yemen. Ottoman Empire the Turkish empire, established in northern Anatolia by Osman I (Osman Gazi Khan) at the end of the 13th century and expanded by his successors to include all of Asia Minor and much of southeastern Europe. After setbacks caused by the invasion of the Mongol ruler Tamerlane (Timur) in 1402, the Ottomans captured Constantinople (today Istanbul) in 1453, and the empire reached its zenith under Suleiman the Magnificent (ruled 1520 to 1566).

At the height of its power, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Empire controlled territory in southeastern Europe, southwestern Asia, and North Africa. It had greatly declined by the 19th century and collapsed after World War I. also known as the Trucial States, Trucial Oman, and the Trucial Shaykdoms Tylos, was referredby the Greeks to today Bahrain United Arab Republic (UAR) The United Arab Republic or U.A.R., was a union between Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961, when Syria seceded from the union. Egypt continued to be known officially as the "United Arab Republic" until 1971. The President was Gamal Abdel Nasser. During most of its existence (1958–1961) it was a member of the United Arab States, a confederation with North Yemen.

Egypt , Syria , Yemen Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) The Yemen Arab Republic, also known as North Yemen, was a country from 1962 to 1990 in the western part of what is now Yemen, its predecessor was the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (1918–1962), also known as the Kingdom of Yemen, its capital was at Taiz (Ta'izz). Yemen __Eastern Asia Cathay, (English) Cathay is the Anglicized version of "Catai" the name used for northern China, and an alternative name for: Choson, Chosen the Korean peninsula today split into Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) Formosa (island) Dutch Formosa, period of a colonial Dutch government (1624–1662), the Dutch East India Company established its presence on Formosa to trade with China and Japan and to prevent Portuguese and Spanish trade and colonial activities in East Asia. Spanish Formosa, a Spanish colony established in the north of of the island (1626–1642).

Taiwan Great Korean Empire was the name of the Korean empire that existed on theKorean Peninsula, from the Proclamation of the Korean Empire in October 1897 to the Annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910. The Great Korean Empire was an absolute monarchy with a constitution. Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) Kingdom of Tungning (1662 - 1683) The kingdom was founded by Koxinga (official name: Zheng Chenggong),on the island of Formosa. Koxinga was born in Hirado, Japan to Zheng Zhilong, a Ming dynasty admiral-pirate-merchant, and his Japanese wife. The Kingdom of Tungning was run by the Zheng family, supporting the Ming Dynasty in mainland China which was replaced by the Manchu-ruled Qing Dynasty in 1644. Koxinga wanted to use the island as a base of operations to train its Ming military forces and recapture the mainland from the Manchus. Hedied in 1662 six month after the conquest of Formosa.

His son Zheng Jing ruled the next 20 years from its court at Tainan. Annam, Anam (1883-1954) French protectorate in Central Vietnam Ayutthaya, Kingdom of; (Siam) covered Thailand , half of Cambodia , most of Laos and large areas of present day Myanmar (Burma) Bengal, region in the northeast of South Asia today divided between Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), and the India n federal stateWest Bengal. Balochistan or Baluchistan a region on in the Iranian Plateau in Southwest Asia, named after the local Baloch tribes of Persian origin. part of the region is now the province Balochistan in Pakistan , other areas of the region were part of today's Iran and Afghanistan . Baluchistan States Union existed between1952 and1955 in southwest British North Borneo, former British protectorate and crown colony, occupies the northern tip of the island of Borneo.

Burma, changed its name in 1989 to Ceylon in 1972 thename of the country was changed to "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka", in 1978 the name was changed to "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka" Map of Sri Lanka Dutch East Indies (Netherlands East Indies) was the Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalized colonies of the former Dutch East India Company that came under the administration of the Netherlands in 1800. Indonesia East Pakistan, a former province of Pakistan. East Pakistan was created from Bengal Province based on the 'Mountbatten Plan' in what was then British India in 1947. Eastern Bengal was given to the Dominion of Pakistan and became a province of Pakistan by the name East Bengal. East Bengal was renamed East Pakistan in 1956 and later became the country of Bangladesh after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, which took place after the General Elections of 1970.

British West Indies - the colonies of the British in the Caribbean: today the term refers to the British Caribbean overseas territories which are: Anguilla , Bermuda , British Virgin Islands , Cayman Islands, Montserrat , Turks and Caicos Islands. Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark - Norway in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917. US Virgin Islands French West Indies, the French overseas departments Guadeloupe and Martinique , as well as the French Caribbean Départments d'Outre Mer, include the Guadeloupe dependencies of the French part of the island St. Martin and the islands Saint-Barthélemy, Les Saintes, Marie-Galante and La Désirade.

Haiti, the Arawaks name for the island of Hispaniola New Spain (Nueva España) colonial territories of the Spanish Empire in North and Central America, including Somers Islands is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean better kown as New Spain (Nueva España) colonial territories of the Spanish Empire in North and Central America, including Mexico , Guatemala , Belize , El Salvador , Honduras , Nicaragua , Costa Rica and parts of South-West USA New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The settled areas are now part of the Mid-Atlantic States of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut, with small outposts in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The provincial capital, New Amsterdam, was located at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan on upper New York Bay. Today British Guiana was a British colony on the northern coast of South America, what is now the independent nation of Guyana. Capital was Georgetown . Guyana Dutch Guiana (Netherlands Guyana) Dutch colonization of the Guianas began in the beginning of the 17th century.

The colonies of Essequibo and Demerara (Demerary), Surinam, and Berbice were Dutch settlements, trading posts and plantations in the coastal areas ofthe north eastern part of South America, a region which is known as the Guianas, today divided into the countries of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and the north eastern part of Brazil. Capital city was Fort Zeelandia ( Paramaribo ) Venezuela , Guyana , Suriname , French Guiana , and the Amapá province of Brazil. Gran Colombia (1819-1830), the former republic consisted ofthe territories of present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. Inini, an inland territory of French Guiana, its capital was Saint-Élie. New Holland (2), Nieuw Holland, or also known as Dutch Brazil, was a former dutch colony on the northeast coast of Brazil 1630 - 1654. Capital city was Mauritsstad, today part of the city of Recife .

Province of Pernambuco, Brazil Terra de Santa Cruz , in the early 16th century when the Portoguese realized it was not an island but part of a continent they were about to conquer, they renamed it from 'Ilha de Vera Cruz' (Island of the True Cross) to Terra de Santa Cruz (Land of the Holy Cross). Today the region is known as Brazil. Map of Moldova Pridnestrovia (Transnistria) formerly part of the Soviet Union ( Russia ), today a breakaway state of Moldova also known as Transnistria, which claims territory between the Dniester river and the eastern border of Moldova with Ukraine . It declared independence in 1990 but is unrecognised by any United Nations member state. Transnistria is one of four post-Soviet "frozen conflict" zones. (see: Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia) After the dissolution of the USSR, tensions between the newly created Moldova and the de facto sovereign state of Pridnestrovia escalated into a military conflict. Unlike the rest of Moldova Pridnestrovia had not wanted to separate from the Soviet Union.

Because of the Russian military contingent present in Transnistria, the European Court of Human Rights considers Transnistria "under the effective authority or at least decisive influence of Russia". Map of Moldova Prussia, Preussen a former kingdom of the German Empire.Originally a small country on the south eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, under Frederick the Great it became a major European power covering much of modern northeast Germany and Poland. Capital city was Königsberg (today Kaliningrad, Russia), later Berlin . (region; former name for Carpatho-Ukraine) Map of Ukraine Silesia, (in German: Schlesien) historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts in the Czech Republic and Germany, its largest city and capital was Wrocław(Breslau). Poland , the Czech Republic and Germany . Soviet Union (1922 - 1991) short form of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), a former federation of Communist republics occupying the northern half of Asia and part of eastern Europe, capital city was Moscow . 12 constituent republics emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 as independent post-Soviet states.

Armenia , Azerbaijan , Belarus , Estonia , Georgia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Latvia , Lithuania , Moldova , Russian Federation (Russia) , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , Ukraine , Uzbekistan Scotland, the former independent kingdom is today one of four constituent nations which form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, capital city is Edinburgh Iran Chamber Society: Persia, the Thousand-Year-Old Name of Iran Persia, the Thousand-Year-Old Name of Iran By: Pejman Akbarzadeh, 2003 In addition to the political issues of the period and the impulse of approaching Germany and Hitler, which was the main reason for such a change of name at the order of Reza Shah, some people believed that the name of Persia just refers to part of the country from the Iranian point of view; while the name has been associated with our homeland for the foreigners in the past 2600 years. Thus the name of Persia should rather be used in dialogues conducted in European languages and not in discussions with Iranians. That's why the impression created by the name on the foreigners' minds is of significance, instead of its effect on our own minds.

There should be no prejudice about using the name of "Iran" by foreigners on the grounds that we ourselves call our homeland by such a name. In fact, several countries around the world are being called by their indigenous names. "Iran" is an honorable name to Iranian and Persian-speakers, while in the world culture "Persia" represents the ancient culture of the land to non-Iranians. The change of our country's name from Persia to Iran has separated it from its historical and cultural background in the minds of the world people. The number of individuals in the West to whom "Iran" and "Persia" have the same meaning is limited. Unlike the belief of Iranian statesmen in the 30s, today not the connection between "Iran" and the "Aryan Race" is unknown to anyone, but due to the great similarity in the name and European pronunciation of the names of "Iran" and "Iraq", a great number of Westerners, specially the young generation mix up Iran with the newly-founded land of Iraq located to the west of Iran. The close analogy of the two names in the West has obviously been associated with the perception of their having similar identities.

Even those differentiating Iran from Iraq, consider Iran as a land bordering the Persian Gulf with oil reserves and an identity almost similar to Arabs having no clear link to the ancient "Persia". A great part of the world countries annual budget is allocated to promotion of their feature on the international scene. The postal stamps recently distributed by the Swiss government across the world might be the best example. Though the country is officially called Switzerland, the stamps bear the name of "Helvetia" as a matter of pride. The country known today as Switzerland was called by the Latin name of Helvetia several centuries ago, which is not used anymore. About 70 years have passed since the name of our homeland changed to Iran in the international arena. Nonetheless, in many occasions, specially on matters related to Iran's history, culture and art, both Iranian and non-Iranian researchers use the name of "Persia" and the adjective of "Persian" instead of "Iran" and "Iranian" respectively, given that the latter words are not associated with any particular concept from historical and cultural points of view.

The name of "Persia" for "Iran" and such combinations as "Persian Carpet", "Persian Gulf", "Persian Miniature", "Persian Garden", "Persian Cat", etc. have been recorded in the world major encyclopedias. In 1935, the Iranian government called on other countries to use Iran and Iranian instead of Persia and Persian respectively in their official correspondence. The two words reflecting the country's entire historical and cultural background overseas gradually disappeared from the Western languages collection of commonly used words, while the adjective of "Persian" is still used to refer to the language spoken in the country. However, following migration of millions of Iranians to Europe, Australia and America in recent years and given the carelessness and ignorance of some Iranian expatriates to the issue as well as the lack of attention by some of the national institutions in charge, specially Iran's Academy of Culture, unfortunately, the word "Persian" commonly used in the European languages, including English, is now replaced by "Farsi", a new name in the literature of West totally failing to describe the historical background of the country and introduce the written works of the Persian men of literature.

Some English periodicals and TV channels both domestically and overseas, a great number of Iranians having websites on the internet, various news agencies, computer companies (specially those producing Persian software), many universities of so-called high reputation and language training centers, are responsible for development of this cultural dilemma which has a growing trend. They are actually manipulated by Iran's enemies. Nonetheless, apparently, no one else is mainly responsible for burying the cultural background of our homeland than us. A few years ago, we started using "Farsi" instead of "Persian". The Tehran-based English-language dailies, TV programs broadcast in English and a program on the International Sahar Network dubbed "Let's Learn Farsi" are examples of using the word. The growing application of "Farsi" instead of "Persian" paved the way for its entry to the world encyclopedias. For instance, Oxford has been adding the following explanation for "Persian" for the past few years: "Now usually called Iranian or Farsi..." It should be noticed that "Farsi" is the indigenous name of the language, while "Persian" is its international equivalent.

Likewise, the indigenous names of German and Greek languages are "Deutsch" and "Ellenika" respectively, while in English they never replace German and Greek. Unfortunately, today Iranian youth are in general unfamiliar with such words as "Persia", "Persian" and even "Persian Gulf". The word "Persia" usually reminds them of Peugeot Persia (!) and Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid or Parseh), the most renowned historical monument worldwide is associated in their minds with a soccer team! The application of "Persia" and "Iran" in European languages has been subject to wide discussion among Iranians, specially the expatriates for quite a while. As usual, it is approved by one group and rejected by another. The wrong impression that "Persia" is the obsolete historical name of Fars province introducing Zoroastrian culture seems to prevail some of our compatriots. Nonetheless, without being influenced by any improper prejudice and given the existing reliable historical and political documents, it is easily proved that "Persia" is simply the English equivalent of "Iran".

According to the available undeniable documents, the word was officially used to refer to Iran between 600 BC up to 1935, while in some cases it has also been used unofficially in European languages and it is not at all exclusive to the Achamenid and Sassanid eras. The present "Iran" is same as "Persia". The revolutions taking place in the history of most nations do not justify changing their historical names. Similarly, the contemporary Egypt is not comparable to the land existing 7,000 years. Likewise, the area and political stance of the present Greece is quite different as compared to 3,000 years ago. Apparently, since mid-80s a few Iranian intellectuals took on to bring to light the issue by publishing some articles in the Iranian periodicals both domestically and overseas. Their objective was mainly to call the attention of the public opinion and the institutions in charge to the issue and provide them with the correct knowledge, which eventually didn't produce any tangible result.

A Professor of Colombia University in New York and Coordinator of Iranica Encyclopedia Ehsan Yarshater, a Professor from South Australian University in Adelaide Kazem Abhari, a Professor from Dublin University Hormoz Farhat and Amir-Rostam Beigi a resident of Huston in the US state of Texas are among the individuals actively involved in the field and the current article is partially based on heir written works. In 1992, a few Iranian expatriates residing Australia, who were involved in cultural affairs, especially Professor Abhari, urged the Academy of Persian Language and Literature in Tehran to issue a statement in defiance of the use of "Farsi" instead of "Persian" in the Foreign Ministry correspondence conducted in European languages. Meanwhile, the authorities of the academy themselves believed that such a change will cause misunderstanding among westerners and make them presume that a new language different from what they were earlier aware of is meant by the word (Farsi). Also turning to the malice displayed by certain circles, the authorities of the academy said they expect the government to watch such malignant measures to counteract the intrigue. Nonetheless, the statement was not welcome and was soon forgotten.

It was only published in the academy's quarterly and a copy of it was sent to some Australian institutes. The officials in charge of the academy didn't pay any attention to what they themselves had declared. Thus the attempts of independent Iranian individuals to the effect were underestimated. In March 1998, Professor Hormoz Farhat drew up a letter on how to take more serious steps in this respect and establish the Persia Society. Once more, the undertaking was delayed because the individuals involved in the project were geographically too far apart from one another. They mainly focused on encouragement of writers, researchers, artists, journalists, editors and publishers to use the word "Persia" when writing about Iran in Western languages. Moreover, they suggested replacing "Farsi" with "Persian" when they refer to the language and using the Gulf instead of the Persian Gulf. Founding "The Persian Gulf Task Force" in 1999 by a group of Iranian expatriate scholars living in Europe and the United States was the latest step taken to the effect, which was relatively successful. They launched widespread promotion through their website on the internet at the following address and managed to attract hundreds of members from across the world.

They managed to take positive steps towards prompting the international media, museums, geographical foundations as well as the historical, cultural and higher education centers to replace "The Gulf" and "Arabian Gulf" with "Persian Gulf" and "Farsi Language" with "Persian Language". The main achievement so far is that despite the effective consequences of the taken measures, no favorable result can be expected without the full support of Iran's government. To protect our national interests as well as the historical and cultural links of our homeland in the international arena, we recommend the use of "Persia" and "Persian" in the European languages. This is just for the sake of our history, civilization, culture, art, language and people. * * * Note: PERSIA is the historical name of Iran in the English, Italian and Spanish languages, while LA PERSE is its French equivalent and its German term is DAS PERSIEN.

Question: Persia is the former name of which country?
Answer: Iran