ABARKĀVĀN, late Sasanian name of Qešm (q.v.) island in the Straits of Hormoz. It occurs in this form (Balaḏorī, Fotūḥ,…

ĀJĪL, an assortment of nuts (pistachios, almonds, and hazelnuts being the most common), roasted chickpeas and seeds such as watermelon,…

ANJOMAN-E ZARTOŠTĪĀN (the Society of Zoroastrians), designation of formally instituted Zoroastrian associations in Iran (mainly in Kermān, Tehran, and Yazd),…

ANṢARĪ, ʿALĪ-QOLĪ KHAN MOŠĀWER-AL-MAMĀLEK (1247-1319 Š./1868-1940), a career diplomat under the late Qajars. He was the son of Mīrzā Ḥasan…

ARMENIANS OF MODERN IRAN. Armenians can be found in almost every major city of Iran, engaged in a variety of…

ARVAND-RŪD, name given to the river Tigris in some passages in the Mid. Pers. books (Zātspram 6.20, 34.7; Pahlavi Vd….

BĀBĀ KŪHĪ, popular name of Shaikh Abū ʿAbdallāh Moḥammad b. ʿAbdallāh b. ʿObaydallāh Bākūya Šīrāzī, Sufi of the second half…

ČAHĀRŠANBA-SŪRĪ (usually pronounced Čāršamba-sūrī), the last Wednesday of the Persian solar year, the eve of which is marked by special…

IRĀNŠAHR, an encyclopedic collection of articles published in the 1960s under the auspices of the UNESCO National Commission in Iran,…

HEDAYAT, MOḴBER-AL-SALṬANA i. LIFE AND WORK Hedayat (Figure 1) belonged to a distinguished family, several members of which had served…

GĪLĀN v. HISTORY UNDER THE SAFAVIDS Gīlān has traditionally been considered by its local population as a land of two…

FORŪGĪ, MOḤAMMAD-ḤOSAYN Khan Ḏokāʾ-al-Molk (b. Isfahan, 15 Rabīʿ II 1255/27 June 1839; d. Tehran, 11 Ramażān 1325/19 October 1907), poet,…

FORṢAT-AL-DAWLA (b. Shiraz,Ṣafar 1271/November 1854, d. Shiraz, 10 Ṣafar 1339/23 October 1920), pen name of the poet, scholar, and artist…