For centuries, the Western world referred to the ancient land of Cyrus the Great, Darius, and the magnificent empires of old as Persia. Yet, on March 21, 1935—coinciding with Nowruz, the Persian New Year—the government under Reza Shah Pahlavi formally requested that foreign nations and international bodies adopt Iran in official correspondence and diplomacy instead of Persia. This marked a pivotal shift, but it was not a wholesale invention of a new name. Rather, it was a deliberate reclamation of the country’s indigenous identity.
Iran (or its ancient variants like Ērān or Aryānām) has been the self-designation used by the people of the region for over two millennia. The term derives from roots in Old Iranian languages meaning “Land of the Aryans,” reflecting the ethnic and cultural heritage of the Iranian peoples who trace their origins to Indo-Iranian migrations around 1000 BCE or earlier. It appeared prominently in texts from the Avesta (the Zoroastrian scriptures) and was solidified during the Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE) as a designation for the entire realm.
In contrast, Persia was an exonym—an external label coined by outsiders. It stems from Old Persian Pārsa, the name of the southwestern province (modern-day Fars) and the ethnic group (Pars/Persians) that rose to power under the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE). The ancient Greeks, encountering this empire through its Persian rulers, generalized the term to the whole territory as Persis or similar forms. This passed into Latin as Persia and became the standard Western name, carrying romantic and orientalist connotations in European literature and maps.
Iranians themselves rarely used “Persia” to describe their entire country; it referred specifically to the Persian heartland or ethnic Persians, while the broader nation was known as Iran. The 1935 change addressed this mismatch, aligning the international name with the native one.
Reza Shah Pahlavi, who seized power in a 1921 coup and became Shah in 1925, spearheaded this reform as part of his ambitious modernization program. He aimed to transform Iran into a centralized, secular, and powerful nation-state, shedding the weaknesses of the preceding Qajar dynasty (1794–1925). That era had been marked by territorial losses, foreign interference (especially from Britain and Russia), economic decline, and perceptions of backwardness in the West. “Persia” had become synonymous in many foreign eyes with exotic decline, oriental stereotypes, and colonial-era vulnerability.
By adopting “Iran,” Reza Shah sought several interconnected goals:
- Nationalist reclamation: Emphasizing the country’s ancient, pre-Islamic imperial heritage and unity across diverse ethnic groups (Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Baluchis, and others), rather than limiting identity to the Persian province or ethnicity.
- Modernization and sovereignty: Breaking from colonial-imposed imagery to project a forward-looking, independent nation capable of standing alongside European powers.
- Cultural authenticity: Correcting what Iranian officials described as an “etymological and historical inexactitude” in foreign usage, distancing the country from associations of “weakness, ignorance, misery, lack of independence, disorderly condition, and incapacity” tied to the Qajar period.
Some accounts suggest influence from Nazi Germany, given the shared “Aryan” terminology and Iran’s diplomatic ties with Germany in the 1930s (as a counterweight to British and Soviet influence). The Iranian ambassador in Berlin reportedly received suggestions linking the name to Aryan heritage amid Nazi racial ideology. However, historical evidence indicates this was not the primary driver. The shift reflected longstanding nationalist sentiments in Iran, predating significant Nazi outreach, and was framed internally as a matter of self-determination and historical accuracy rather than alignment with foreign racial theories. Claims of direct Nazi orchestration often exaggerate or distort the context; Reza Shah’s regime pursued pragmatic relations with multiple powers, and the name “Iran” had deep indigenous roots unrelated to 20th-century European politics.
The change took effect swiftly in diplomatic circles, though it caused initial confusion—some mistook “Iran” for a new entity similar to recently created states like Iraq. In 1959, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Reza Shah’s son) clarified that both “Persia” and “Iran” could be used interchangeably in formal contexts, acknowledging the cultural resonance of “Persia” in art, literature, and history.
Today, the official name remains the Islamic Republic of Iran, but “Persia” endures in evocative contexts: the Persian Gulf, Persian rugs, Persian poetry, and references to ancient empires. The 1935 decision was ultimately about pride, unity, and self-definition—ensuring the world addressed the nation by the name its people had always used.
About The Author
