3 ms·

Wikipedia is a good place to start but I would not consider it authoritative. Lot of dogs in the fight over the history of Iran, specially the past couple of ce

Wikipedia is a good place to start but I would not consider it authoritative. Lot of dogs in the fight over the history of Iran, specially the past couple of centuries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_iran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_iran For the academic treatment, I highly recommend Encyclopædia Iranica: http://www.iranicaonline.org/pages/about http://www.iranicaonline.org/pages/about A request for you: please call it as we have called it for millennia: Iran.

jcranmer 7y ago
> A request for you: please call it as we have called it for millennia: Iran. I've met quite a few (ethnic) Iranians who have told me off for referring to it as Iran instead of Persia, but that may well be more tied up with recent history than ancient history.
- eternalban 7y ago
  You are correct. The impolite answer is that they count on their new compatriots' lack of knowledge to dodge the I-rain-ian [sic] label. Historically, only enemies of Iran refer to it as Persia. The British, for example, remain quite keen to call us that.
  - kamyarg 7y ago
    I second this and would like to add that Persians are one of dozen of ethnicities that make up Iran including Turks/Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Baluchs, Turkmens, Lors/Lurs, etc. [1] Referring to it as Persia/Persians is akin to ignoring vast majority of the people living there imho. "Iran" has been the term people used inside to refer to the land/people for a very long time, but Shah officially requested the change from foreign governments in 1935.[2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnicities_in_Iran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnicities_in_Iran [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Iran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Iran
    - eternalban 7y ago
      Stoking ethnic tensions with an eye towards partition, God forbid, is precisely their aim.
  - bwanab 7y ago
    You could return the favor and call them English.
    - eternalban 7y ago
      We have higher standards. :)
dr_dshiv 7y ago
If one wanted to encourage tourism, call it Persia. Many places have a different foreign name than internal name. It isn't (usually) disrespectful.
- eternalban 7y ago
  Persia is a very pleasing sounding name. I am a Persian and quite like it. However, as noted elsewhere, tribal preferences and aesthetics are trumped by a greater love for the totality of the Iranian People, who are not all Persians.

jcranmer 7y ago

> A request for you: please call it as we have called it for millennia: Iran. I've met quite a few (ethnic) Iranians who have told me off for referring to it as Iran instead of Persia, but that may well be more tied up with recent history than ancient history.

eternalban 7y ago
You are correct. The impolite answer is that they count on their new compatriots' lack of knowledge to dodge the I-rain-ian [sic] label. Historically, only enemies of Iran refer to it as Persia. The British, for example, remain quite keen to call us that.
- kamyarg 7y ago
  I second this and would like to add that Persians are one of dozen of ethnicities that make up Iran including Turks/Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Baluchs, Turkmens, Lors/Lurs, etc. [1] Referring to it as Persia/Persians is akin to ignoring vast majority of the people living there imho. "Iran" has been the term people used inside to refer to the land/people for a very long time, but Shah officially requested the change from foreign governments in 1935.[2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnicities_in_Iran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnicities_in_Iran [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Iran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Iran
  - eternalban 7y ago
    Stoking ethnic tensions with an eye towards partition, God forbid, is precisely their aim.
- bwanab 7y ago
  You could return the favor and call them English.
  - eternalban 7y ago
    We have higher standards. :)

dr_dshiv 7y ago

If one wanted to encourage tourism, call it Persia. Many places have a different foreign name than internal name. It isn't (usually) disrespectful.

eternalban 7y ago
Persia is a very pleasing sounding name. I am a Persian and quite like it. However, as noted elsewhere, tribal preferences and aesthetics are trumped by a greater love for the totality of the Iranian People, who are not all Persians.