Shahanshahi calendar

The Shahanshahi calendar (Persian: گاه‌شماری شاهنشاهی, romanized: Gāhshomāri-ye Shāhanshāhi, lit. 'Imperial Calendar') was the official calendar of Pahlavi Iran from 1976 to 1978. It was declared as the official calendar of Iran on March 14, 1976, following a joint session of the National Consultative Assembly and the Senate. Prior to this, the Solar Hijri calendar was used as the official calendar of the country. This legislation changed the epoch of the solar calendar from the Hijrah to the coronation of Cyrus the Great. According to this calendar, the year 1 of the Shahanshahi era corresponds to 559 BCE, and the year 2500 of the Shahanshahi era coincides with 1942 CE.

Adoption

The idea of changing the epoch of the Iranian calendar was not new to the Pahlavi government. As early as 1967, Mohammad Farahmand proposed the idea to Hushang Ansary, who was then Iran's Ambassador to the United States and later became Minister of Tourism and Information. The idea, as proposed by Mohammad Farahmand, argued that the calendar used by Iranians was not a Persian calendar and therefore a disgrace to Iranian identity. Farahmand insisted that Iranians should have their own distinct calendar. He suggested that the most appropriate event to mark the beginning of a truly Iranian calendar would be the coronation of Cyrus the Great. Farahmand believed that the world would understand and applaud this choice, as Cyrus was not only a great king but also the first ruler to introduce a concept of human rights, exemplified by the Cyrus Cylinder.