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About Iranica

The Encyclopædia Iranica is dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent. The academic reference work will eventually cover all aspects of Iranian history and culture, as well as all Iranian languages and literatures, facilitating the entire range of Iranian studies research from archeology to political sciences.

The Encyclopædia Iranica is an international, collaborative research project of the Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation, Inc. In recognition of its high academic achievements, the Encyclopædia Iranica has received financial support, since its inception in the 1970s, from major sponsors, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Persian Heritage Foundation, the International Union of Academies, the Iran Heritage Foundation (London), the Semnani Foundation, the Institute of Ismaili Studies (London), and the Les Amies de l’Encyclopedie Iranica (Paris). Until 2018, the project was carried out at Columbia University, Center for Iranian Studies, recently named Ehsan Yarshater Center for Iranian Studies.

The Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation was established in 1990 with the mission to guarantee the Encyclopædia Iranica’s intellectual independence and ensure its ongoing publication both in digital and print versions.

The Encyclopædia Iranica was, until 2017, overseen by its founder and editor-in-chief, Professor Ehsan Yarshater.

Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia.

Scope

The Encyclopædia Iranica is concerned with all aspects of Iranian history and culture as well as all Iranian languages and literatures. The geographical focus is on Iran and Afghanistan, as well as parts of the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent; however, relations between these societies, their direct neighbors, and other parts of the world are included. The time span covered extends from the dawn of prehistory to the present, but biographies of living persons are not included.

Audience

Encyclopædia Iranica benefits not only those who are interested in Persian life and culture but also students, specialists, and the educated general reader interested in a variety of academic disciplines. The disciplines represented include, but are not confined to: anthropology, archaeology, geography, art history, ethnology, sociology, economics, history of religion, philosophy, mysticism, history of science and medicine, Islamic history, botany, zoology, folklore, development of agriculture and industry, political science, international relations, and diplomatic history.

Authors

Encyclopædia Iranica is an international undertaking and draws on the most authoritative scholarship worldwide to ensure the quality and reliability of its articles. To date over 1,300 scholars worldwide have contributed articles in a variety of languages, including English, Russian, Persian, Turkish, and Chinese. In Volume I alone there were articles by 285 authors.

History

In the early 1970s, Ehsan Yarshater, then Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies at Columbia University initiated the Encyclopædia Iranica project as a comprehensive Iranian Studies reference work. Professor Yarshater’s objective was to provide specialists on Iran with a platform for the publication of research outside highly specialized journals, while giving scholars in related fields, as well as the general public, access to knowledge about the Iranian civilization.

In 1982, the first fascicle of the Encyclopædia Iranica was published. As of August 2020, 16 volumes have appeared in print, with entries ranging from “Āb” to “Kešaʾi Dialect.” In 1996, the Encyclopædia Iranica launched its first website, iranica.com, to provide free access to pdf files of previously published fascicles. In 2009, Encyclopædia Iranica began developing its current website. Since 2010, this website has provided readers with easy access to all entries through full-text searches. As of August 2020, the online version comprised over 8,900 entries, of which about 850 entries are available only on the internet. The Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation is committed to the on-going development of the print and digital versions of the Encyclopædia Iranica as well as, contingent upon adequate funding, open access to the Iranica website. The print edition, however, is currently being prioritized since the long-term preservation of digitally born contents remains a challenge.

Since its inception, the Encyclopædia Iranica project has received funding from independent grant-making agencies, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). In 1990, the non-for-profit Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation was established to guarantee the project’s intellectual independence and secure its long-term viability.

Our Mission

Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation

Professor Ehsan Yarshater, the founder and editor-in-chief of Encyclopædia Iranica (Encycopaedia) until 2017, established the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation, Inc. (Foundation) in 1990. The mission of the Foundation is to ensure the uninterrupted and permanent continuation of the Encyclopædia Iranica as a significant work of reference, archival resource, and data bank covering all aspects of Iranian civilization in its widest temporal and spatial context. Such a resource, even when said to be “complete,” will require not only constant updating, but also the inclusion of new entries to keep abreast of current research.

In the course of the past two decades, the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation has been the largest financial supporter of the Iranica project. It has also successfully augmented its Endowment Fund, and will continue to serve as the main source of financial support for the Encyclopædia Iranica.

The Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) public charity registered in New York State

This monument of scholarship in Iranian Studies is a mine of detailed information, with bibliographical references, on every aspect of Iranian history, thought, languages, and civilization.

Dr. Farhad DaftaryInstitute of Ismaili Studies, in Journal of the American Oriental Society

La premiere fois qu'une encyclopédie pluridisciplinaire sur lʼIran est mise en chantier.

Prof. Jean CalmardUniversity of Paris, in Abstracta Iranica

A real tour de force. There is no project in the entire Middle Eastern field more worthy of support than the Encyclopaedia Iranica.

Prof. Richard N. FryeHarvard University, In Journal of the American Oriental Society

The Encyclopaedia Iranica volumes are the most extensive and important contributions to the study of Islamic and pre-Islamic Iranian history and culture that have been made in this century.

Dr. Prudence HarperCurator Emerita of Ancient Near Eastern Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Encyclopaedia Iranica will be judged as the most significant contribution of our century to the advancement of Iranian studies as a scholarly enterprise.

Prof. Ali BanuaziziBoston College, in International Journal of Middle East Studies

Une grande entreprise.

Prof. Gilbert LazardMembre de l'Institut, in Journal Asiatique

The foremost reference work on Iran ever produced and one of the premier reference works in the humanities published in our time.

Prof. Roy MottahedehHarvard University, in Middle East Journal

The Encyclopaedia Iranica is not just a necessity for Iranists; it is of inestimable value for everyone concerned with the history and culture of the Middle East.

Prof. Richard BullietColumbia University, in International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies

Encyclopaedia Iranica is indispensable for any scholarly work of specialists in the fields of Iranian and Islamic Studies. [It] deserves the highest praise and full support.

Prof. Werner EndeAlbert-Ludwigs-Universitat, in ZDMG