{"id":84472,"date":"2024-10-06T08:53:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T08:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/?p=84472"},"modified":"2026-01-17T14:31:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T14:31:35","slug":"why-persia-became-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/why-persia-became-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Persia Became Iran: The Story Behind the Name Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 1935<\/strong>, Persia<\/strong> officially became Iran<\/strong>, marking a pivotal cultural and political change. This decision, led by Reza Shah Pahlavi<\/strong>, aimed to strengthen national identity by embracing the term “Iran<\/strong>,” which locals had used for centuries. While “Persia<\/strong>” was a term favored by Western nations<\/strong>, reflecting the Persian Empire<\/strong>‘s historical influence, “Iran<\/strong>” stems from the word “Aryan,” connecting directly to the nation’s ancient roots<\/strong>. This move was part of a broader effort to modernize the country<\/strong> and promote a unified sense of pride among its citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shift from “Persia” to “Iran” often sparks curiosity. People still refer to “Persia” when thinking of the ancient empires and the rich history of the region, whereas “Iran” is used in reference to the modern nation. But what drove this name change, and why was it important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we explore the reasons behind Persia’s transformation into Iran and the significance of this historical decision<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persia: An Ancient Exonym<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name \u201cPersia<\/strong>\u201d has been used by the Western world for centuries to refers to Iran. It originates from \u201cParsa<\/strong>,\u201d a region in southwestern Iran, home to the founders of the Persian Empire<\/strong>, with Cyrus the Great<\/a><\/strong> in the 6th century BC. Even though the term “Parsa” referred to a specific region, Greek historians have extended it to describe the entire empire, and this usage stayed in the western languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, \u201cPersia\u201d was largely an exonym: a name given by outsiders. Internally, the people of the region referred to their land as something different. Indeed, for thousands of years, names like “Aryanam<\/strong>” (in the proto-Iranian language), “Iranzamin<\/strong>” (Land of Iran), or simply “Iran<\/strong>” were used by people themselves to describe their homeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Did Persia Become Iran<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1935<\/strong>, Persia officially changed its name to Iran<\/strong>, marking a shift in how the country presented itself to the world. The change was initiated by Reza Shah Pahlavi<\/strong> to better align with the nation’s native identity, as “Iran” means the Land of the Aryans<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Name Change in 1935<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Ancient
Ancient Persia (Old Iran)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s in 1935 that Persia<\/strong> officially became \u201cIran<\/strong>\u201d. That change was decided by Reza Shah Pahlavi<\/strong>, the king of the country at the time. During a Nowruz<\/a><\/strong> gathering on the 21st<\/sup> of March 1935, Reza Shah<\/strong> requested that foreign delegates start using the term \u201cIran\u201d in all their official correspondences instead of \u201cPersia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Iranshahr
The inscription of Shapur I at the Naqsh-e Rustam Cube of Zoroaster<\/strong> is written in three languages: Middle Persian, Parthian, and Middle Greek. In this inscription, Shapur refers to his realm as “Iran”<\/strong> and “Iranshahr”<\/strong>. In the Parthian and Greek texts, the terms Aryan<\/strong> and Arian-xshathra<\/strong> are used, respectively.
The term “Iran”<\/strong> originates from Middle Persian and was first associated with Ardashir I, the founder of the Sasanian Empire. At Naqsh-e Rustam and on Ardashir’s coins, he is titled “Ardashir, King of Kings of Aryans (Iran)”<\/strong>. Both “Iran”<\/strong> (Sasanian Pahlavi) and “Aryan”<\/strong> (Parthian Pahlavi) were used to refer to the collective Iranian peoples, deriving from the proto-Iranian term Arya<\/strong>. Historically, the Sasanian dynasty<\/a> was the first to politically use the term “Iranshahr” to denote the empire, whereas earlier records only referenced the lands of the non-Aryans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

To understand his decision, one has to get a bit more familiar with the first Pahlavi king and father of the last Iranian king Mohammad Reza Shah<\/strong>. Coming from a modest background, Reza Pahlavi joined the military early where he gradually rose in power, fed by a strong ambition for its country. It\u2019s in 1921, with a coup d\u2019Etat, that Reza Shah became king, marking the end of the Qajar dynasty<\/a><\/strong>. He then immediately began large-scale reforms to make his country enter modernity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Dinar
The name “\u0112r\u0101n” (Pahlavi inscription: \ud802\udf60\ud802\udf69\ud802\udf6b\ud802\udf60\ud802\udf6d) on a Dinar of Ardashir I, the founder of the Sasanian Empire. The complete Pahlavi inscription on the coin reads: “Mazdayasna, Ardashir, King of Kings of \u0112r\u0101n, who possesses a lineage from Yazdan.”<\/strong>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Indeed, Reza Shah<\/strong> had the sense that the country was late into modernity compared to Western countries and he wanted to change how Persia was perceived. Hence, he decided to change the name to \u201cIran\u201d to break away from the country\u2019s colonial image and negative images associated with \u201cPersia\u201d because of the ruling the previous Qajar kings, which were perceived by the West as decadents, in debt, and in decline.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The
The names “\u0112r\u0101n” (\ud802\udf60\ud802\udf69\ud802\udf6b\ud802\udf60\ud802\udf6d) and “An\u012br\u0101n” (\ud802\udf60\ud802\udf6d\ud802\udf69\ud802\udf65\ud802\udf60\ud802\udf6d) are inscribed on a Dinar of Shapur I, son of Ardashir and the second Sasanian King of Kings. The complete Pahlavi inscription on the coin reads: “Mazdayasna, the divine Shapur, King of Kings of \u0112r\u0101n and An\u012br\u0101n, who possesses a lineage from Yazdan.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For Reza Shah, “Persia” symbolized the past, while “Iran” was a name for the future. By adopting this name, Reza Shah also wanted to create a new sense of national identity, rooted in ancient history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why \u201cIran\u201d?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Iran's
Iran’s History<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The name \u201cIran<\/strong>\u201d has indeed deep historical roots. It derives from “Airyan<\/strong>,” meaning \u201cthe land of the Aryans.\u201d This name appears in the ancient Avesta texts (the sacred writings of Zoroastrianism<\/a><\/strong>) and later on in the inscriptions from the Achaemenid Empire<\/strong>, where rulers referred to their land as belonging to the Iranians. During the Sassanid<\/strong> period, the term “eran<\/strong>” was also used to refer to both the people and the empire.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The
The term “\u0112r\u0101nshahr” written in Book Pahlavi script.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Thus, when Reza Shah<\/strong> chose \u201cIran,\u201d he was reconnecting the country with its own historical identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persia and Iran: The Confusion Continues<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Iran's
Iran’s Map<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Although the name change was official in 1935, both \u201cPersia<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cIran<\/strong>\u201d continued to be used. In fact, during World War II<\/strong>, Winston Churchill asked the Iranian government to use \u201cPersia\u201d again to avoid confusion between Iran and Iraq, which were both occupied by the Allies. This request was accepted for the duration of the war, but after the conflict ended, \u201cIran\u201d remained the dominant name in official use.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Iranian
Iranian geographical, cultural, and civilizational realm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Later, in 1959, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi<\/strong>, Reza Shah\u2019s son, also announced that both \u201cPersia\u201d and \u201cIran\u201d could be used interchangeably in formal correspondence, allowing some flexibility in how the country was referred to, especially in cultural and historical contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today: Persia vs. Iran<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today, \u201cIran<\/strong>\u201d is the official name of the country, but \u201cPersia<\/strong>\u201d is still commonly used when referring to its ancient empire, rich history, and cultural heritage. Many Iranians also prefer the name \u201cPersia\u201d as they think it reflects best the country\u2019s glorious past, while \u201cIran\u201d is used more in political and modern-day contexts. It\u2019s interesting to note that since the establishment of the Islamic Republic on the 1st<\/sup> of April 1979, the country\u2019s full name is \u201cJomhuri-ye Esl\u00e2mi-ye Ir\u00e2n<\/strong>\u201d, which translate to \u201cIslamic Republic of Iran<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n