Iranian studies
an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the history, literature, art and culture of Iranian peoples, a part of the of Oriental studies
Iranian studies (Persian: ايرانشناسی Irânšenâsi), also referred to as Iranology and Iranistics, is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the research and study of the civilization, history, literature, language, art and culture of Iranian peoples. It is a part of the wider field of Oriental studies.
Iranian studies is broader than Persian studies, which is the study of the Persian language and literature specifically. The discipline of Iranian Studies focuses on broad trends in culture, history, language and other aspects of not only Persians, but also a variety of other contemporary and historical fellow Iranian peoples, such as Kurds, Lurs, Gilakis, Talysh, Tajiks, Pashtuns, Ossetians, Baluchis, Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans, Parthians, Sogdians, Bactrians, Khwarazmians, and Mazandaranis.
In medieval Iran
The medieval Persian poet Ferdowsi, author of the Iranian national epic the Shahnameh, can be considered the founder of Iranian studies in the sense that in his work he made a deliberate effort to highlight Persian culture and Iranian civilization. Ferdowsi's work follows earlier semi-historical works such as the lost Sasanian-era Khwaday-Namag.
An important work of Persian historiography is the Tarikh-i Mas'udi of Abulfazl Bayhaqi (995-1077), whose fluent prose style was highly influential on subsequent Persian literature. Persian historical writing reached its peak two centuries later with the Jami al-Tawarikh of Rashīd al-Dīn Fadhl-allāh Hamadānī (1247–1318). Other important historical works include the Tarikh-i Jahangushay by Ata-Malik Juvayni and the Zafarnamah of Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi, a history of the Persianized conqueror Timur (Tamerlane; 1370–1405).
In modern Iran
Twentieth-century scholars in Iran associated with this field include Badiozzaman Forouzanfar, Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub, Zabihollah Safa, Mojtaba Minovi, Mohsen Abolqasemi, Ahmad Tafazzoli, Alireza Shapour Shahbazi, and Fereydoon Joneydi.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Iranian studies” as an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the history, literature, art and culture of Iranian peoples, a part of the of Oriental studies. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the history, literature, art and culture of Iranian peoples, a part of the of Oriental studies. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1367176. The Library of Congress control number is sh85067916. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1077, 1247, 1318 and 1370.
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This entry incorporates text from “Iranian studies” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.