Iranian studies (Persian: ايرانشناسی Īrānšenāsī), also referred to as Iranology and Iranistics, is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the history, literature, art and culture of Iranian peoples. It is a part of the wider field of Oriental studies.
Iranian studies is broader than and distinct from Persian studies, which is the study of the modern Persian language (known as Farsi or Parsi to Iranians) 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 Iranian peoples, such as Azeris, Kurds, Lurs, Gilakis, Talysh, Tajiks, Pashtuns, Ossetians, Baluchis, Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans, Parthians, Sogdians, Bactrians, Mazandaranis, etc.
The medieval Iranian 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 prior to the Arab conquests. In this sense Ferdowsi's nationalistic approach can be contrasted with that of Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, the famous ninth-century Iranian historian whose History of the Prophets and Kings reflects a more specifically Islamic perspective. Ferdowsi's work follows earlier semi-historical works such as the lost Sasanian-era Khwaday-Namag.
Persian historiography strictly speaking begins with 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 Mongolian conqueror Timur (Tamerlane; 1370–1405).
Among the most prominent scholars of Iranian Studies in Iran during the twentieth century may be counted Badiozzaman Forouzanfar, Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub, Zabihollah Safa, Mojtaba Minovi, Mohsen Abolqasemi, Ahmad Tafazzoli, and Alireza Shapour Shahbazi. The Loghat-nameh of Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda is the largest comprehensive Persian dictionary ever published, in 15 volumes (26, 000 pages).
European scholarly interest in Iranian language and civilization dates back to the late eighteenth century, with the emergence of comparative Indo-European linguistics and the translation of the Avesta by French scholar Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron. British interest in Persian was spurred by the fact that it was the administrative language of much of India; German scholars were attracted by the purported cultural links with Iran as a fellow "Aryan civilization".
The major European scholarly organization devoted to Iranian Studies is the Societas Iranologica Europea. The London-based Iran Heritage Foundation supports Iranian studies at several universities and sponsors a wide range of public cultural events.
Austria
Institut für Iranistik, Universität WienFrance
Institut d'études iraniennes, Sorbonne nouvelleInstitut supérieur d'études historiques sur l'IranMondes iranien et indien, Centre national de recherche scientifiqueGermany
Institut für Iranistik, Freie Universität BerlinSeminar für Iranistik, Georg-August-Universität GöttingenPoland
Zakład Iranistyki (Department of Iranian Studies), Jagiellonian University, Cracow, PolandZakład Iranistyki UW (Department of Iranian Studies) Warsaw University, Warsaw, PolandScandinavia
Scandinavian Society for Iranian StudiesSpain
Avestan Digital Archive, University of SalamancaUK
British Institute for Persian StudiesArabic and Persian Studies, University of CambridgeCentre for Iranian Cultural Studies, Durham UniversityIran Heritage FoundationOriental Institute, Oxford UniversityInstitute for Iranian Studies at the University of St AndrewsCentre for Iranian Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of LondonThe first major American Iranist was Columbia University Professor A. V. Williams Jackson (1862-1937), a scholar of Indo-Iranian languages who is known for producing a grammar of the Avestan language. During the 1950s Richard Frye developed Iranian Studies at Harvard. An Iranian Studies program was created at UCLA in 1963 in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC) that was established by Wolf Leslau a few years before, in 1959. The doctoral Program at UCLA (now the largest program in North America), was the home institution of Professor emeritus Hanns-Peter Schmidt who used to read Old Iranian and Old Indic (Indo-Iranistik), and is now led by M. Rahim Shayegan who also specializes in Ancient Iran. Other Universities where Iranian Studies are offered include the University of Chicago; Princeton University; Indiana University, Bloomington; and the University of Toronto. The Society for Iranian Studies (now the International Society for Iranian Studies) was founded by a group of Iranian graduate students in 1967 and began producing a journal, Iranian Studies. The field expanded considerably during the 1970s, with a number of Americans having served in the Peace Corps in Iran taking up academic positions. Close relations between Iran and the US facilitated the growth of academic programs as well as the Asia Institute in Shiraz and the American Institute of Iranian Studies.
The 1979 revolution initially reversed this trend; American academic centers in Iran were closed and their assets seized. Over the past three decades, lack of funding and the difficulty of research travel to Iran have been major obstacles to scholars based in North America. Nevertheless, the field has seen some important achievements such as the monumental Encyclopedia Iranica project led by retired Columbia professor Ehsan Yarshater. In recent years several new centers for Iranian Studies have been established, notably at the University of California-Irvine, and the University of Maryland. Iranian Studies "initiatives" have been launched at the University of Toronto and the University of Oklahoma.
The American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS)Columbia University, Center for Iranian StudiesFoundation for Iranian StudiesHarvard University, Iranian StudiesILEX FoundationInternational Society for Iranian StudiesIran Heritage Foundation AmericaMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Iranian Studies GroupOhio State University, Middle East Studies CenterSan Francisco State University, Persian StudiesQuinnipiac University, Center for Iranian Research and AnalysisStanford University, Moghadam Program in Iranian StudiesUniversity of Arizona, Persian and Iranian StudiesUniversity of California-Irvine, Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and CultureUniversity of California-Los Angeles, Iranian StudiesUniversity of Chicago, Iranian Pre-Historic ProjectUniversity of Maryland, Roshan Center for Persian StudiesUniversity of Oklahoma, Center for Middle East StudiesUniversity of Texas at Austin, Center for Middle Eastern StudiesUniversity of Toronto, Iranian Studies InitiativeUniversity of Virginia, Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and CulturesUniversity of Washington, Persian and Iranian StudiesIranian Studies (LIT Verlag)The Anthropology of Persianate SocietiesAbstracta IranicaActa IranicaAnalytica IranicaArchäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und TuranArs OrientalisFarhang-i KermanCritique: Critical Middle Eastern StudiesIndo-IranicaIndo-Iranian Journal (Previous publisher page, current publisher)Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies [1]Iran Analysis Quarterly (ISG Journal)Iranica Antiqua edited by Department of Near Eastern Studies of Gent UniversityIran & the CaucasusIranian StudiesIran-nameh: Armenian Journal of Oriental StudiesIranshinakhtIran ShenasiIranica AntiquaIranistische MitteilungenThe Journal of the Anthropology of the Contemporary Middle East and Central Eurasia (ACME)[2]Namah-i FarhangistanMajallah-yi ZabanshinasiManuscripta Orientalia (includes articles on Persian manuscripts etc.)Namah-i FarhangistanPersica. Jaarboek van het Genootschap Nederland-IranRahavardStudia IranicaZabanshinasi(Some of these authors have also written articles for the Encyclopædia Iranica)
The Yarshater lectureship is today the most prestigious honor in the field.
Majid AdibzadehIraj AfsharLeonardo AlishanJaleh AmouzgarAzartash AzarnoushMehrdad BaharShaul BakhashDaryoosh AkbarzadehTouraj DaryaeeAli Akbar DehkhodaKaveh FarrokhNasser Takmil HomayounAhmad Karimi-HakkakPedram KhosronejadJalal MatiniShahrokh MeskoobMehdi MohagheghKhosrow NaghedBagher NajafiAfsaneh NajmabadiEbrahim PoordavoodMohammad-Amin RiahiZabihollah SafaAlireza Shapour ShahbaziDariush ShayeganM. Rahim ShayeganShahram ShivaAhmad TafazzoliAlireza TaghdarrehHassan Taqizadeh (1878-1970)Parviz VarjavandEhsan YarshaterAbdolhossein ZarrinkoobAbbas Zaryab KhoiVasily Abaev (1900-2001) - Ossetian scholar of Iranian languagesErvand Abrahamian (b. 1940) - Armenian scholar of modern Iranian historyRouben Abrahamian (1881-1951) - Armenian scholar of Iranian languagesLudwig Adamec - American orientalistAbraham Anquetil-Duperron (1731-1805) – French translator of Zoroastrian textsAli Ansari (b. 1967) – British-Iranian scholar of modern Iranian history and politicsArthur Arberry (1905-1969) - British orientalistForster Arbuthnot (1833-1901) - British translator of classical Persian textsKambara Ariake (1876-1952) - Japanese poet and translator of Persian literatureEdwin Arnold (1832-1904) - British poetMatthew Arnold (1822-1888) - British poetJames Atkinson (1780-1852) - British translator of ShahnamehPeter Avery (1923-2008) British scholar of Persian history and literatureHarold Bailey (1899-1996) - English scholar of Iranian languagesWarwick Ball (b. 1951) - Australian archaeologistKonstantin Balmont (1867-1942) - Russian translator of Persian literatureGiosafat Barbaro (1413-1494) - Venetian diplomat and travellerColeman Barks (b. 1937) - American poetVasily Bartold (1869-1930) - Russian scholar of Iranian historySafvet Bašagić (1870-1934) - Bosnian poet and translator of Persian literatureWilliam Beeman - American anthropologistGertrude Bell (1868-1926) - British archaeologist and travellerIsrael Benjamin (1818-1864) - Jewish-Romanian travellerÉmile Benveniste (1902-1976) - French scholar of Iranian languagesAlexandre Bennigsen (1913-1988) - Soviet scholar of Islamic studiesLaurence Binyon (1869-1943) - British poet and scholar of Persian artIsabella Bird (1831-1904) - British explorerMary Bird (1859-1914) - British missionary and travellerAdrian Bivar - British numismatist and archaeologistWipert von Blücher (1883-1963) - German diplomatFriedrich von Bodenstedt (1819-1892) - German translator of Persian literatureFranz Bopp (1791-1867) - German scholar of Iranian languagesHerman Bosman (1905-1951) - South African writer and translator of Persian literatureClifford Bosworth (b. 1928) - British orientalistFrançois de La Boullaye-Le Gouz (1623-1669) - French travellerMary Boyce (1920-2006) - British scholar of Iranian languagesJohn Boyle (1916-1978) - British scholar of Iranian historyYuri Bregel (b. 1925) - Israeli scholar of Central Asian studiesPierre Briant (b. 1940) - scholar of Achaemenid EmpireEdward Browne (1862-1926) - British orientalistHeinrich Brugsch (1827-1894) - German orientalist and travellerCornelis de Bruijn (1652-1726) - Dutch travellerMartin van Bruinessen (b. 1946) - Dutch IranologistRichard Bulliet (b. 1940) - American scholar of Islamic societyEugène Burnouf (1801-1852) - French orientalistRichard Burton (1821-1890) - British explorer and translator of Persian literatureCarlo Cereti (b. 1960) - Italian IranologistJean Chardin (1643-1713) - French travellerFrançois Charmoy (1793-1869) - French orientalistCharles Chipiez (1835-1901) - French IranologistWilliam Chittick (b. 1943) - American translator of early Islamic textsAleksander Chodźko (1804-1891) – Polish diplomat and IranologistArthur Christensen (1875-1945) - Danish orientalist and scholar of Iranian philology and folkloreJerry Clinton (1937-2003) – American scholar of Persian poetryJuan Cole (b. 1952) - American scholar of Islamic and Baha'i studiesGeorges Contenau (1877-1964) - French orientalist and archaeologistHenry Corbin (1903-1978) – French scholar of Islamic StudiesPascal Coste (1787-1879) - French architect and travellerEdward Cowell (1826-1903) - British translator of Persian poetryGeorge Curzon (1859-1925) - British statesmanMuhammad Dandamayev (b. 1928) - Daghestani scholar of Iranian historyElton Daniel – American IranologistJames Darmesteter (1849-1894) – French orientalistDevin Deweese (b. 1956) - American scholar of Central Asian studiesManeckji Dhalla (1875-1956) - Parsi scholar of ZoroastrianismIgor Diakonoff (1915-1999) - Russian scholar of Iranian languagesJane Dieulafoy (1851-1916) - French archaeologist and explorerMarcel Dieulafoy (1844-1920) - French archaeologistJohannes Dorn (1805-1881) - German orientalistJacques Duchesne-Guillemin (1910-2012) - French scholar of Iranian languagesGeorges Dumézil (1898-1986) - French scholar of Iranian languagesLouis Dupree (1925-1989) - American archaeologistNancy Dupree - American scholar of Afghan historyEdward Eastwick (1814-1883) - British diplomat and orientalistCyril Elgood (1893-1970) - British physicianGevorg Emin (1918-1998) - Armenian poet and translator of Persian literatureRonald Emmerick (1937-2001) - Australian scholar of Iranian languagesNaum Faiq (1868-1930) - Assyrian writer and translator of Persian literatureAlexei Fedchenko (1844-1873) - Russian explorerEdward FitzGerald (1809-1883) - British translator of Rubaiyat of Omar KhayyamEugène Flandin (1809-1889) - French painter and travellerRichard Foltz (b. 1961) Canadian scholar of Iranian historyAlexander Freiman (1879-1968) - Polish-Soviet scholar of Iranian languagesRichard Frye (b. 1920) - American scholar of Iranian and Central Asian StudiesAlfons Gabriel (1894-1976) - Austrian geographer and travellerFrancesco Gabrieli (1904-1996) - Italian orientalist and translator of Persian literatureAntoine Galland (1646-1715) - French orientalistHeinz Gaube (b. 1940) German Orientalist, Archeologist, and Professor of the Iranian Culture and LanguagesAndrzej Gawroński (1885-1927) - Polish translator of Persian literatureWilhelm Geiger (1856-1943) - German scholar of Iranian languagesKarl Geldner (1852-1929) - German scholar of Iranian languagesIlya Gershevitch (1914-2001) - Russian-British scholar of Iranian languagesRoman Ghirshman (1895-1979) – French archaeologistJamshid Giunashvili (b. 1931) - Georgian Iranologist, linguist, researcher, author, and diplomatGherardo Gnoli (1937-2012) - Italian orientalistArthur de Gobineau (1816-1882) - French diplomat and novelistAndré Godard (1881-1965) - French archaeologist and architectRuy Gonzáles de Clavijo (d. 1412) - Spanish travellerAntonio de Gouvea (1575-1628) - Portuguese travellerOleg Grabar (1929-2011) - French-American archaeologist and scholar of art historyAlojz Gradnik (1882-1967) - Slovenian poet and translator of Persian literatureRobert Graves (1895-1985) - British translator of Persian literatureGeorg Grotefend (1775-1853) - German epigraphist and philologistGafur Gulom (1903-1966) - Uzbek translator of Persian literatureLev Gumilev (1912-1992) - Russian translator of Persian literatureRichard Hallock (1906-1980) - American orientalistJaakko Hämeen-Anttila (b. 1963) - Finnish scholar and translator of Persian literatureJonas Hanway (1712-1786) - English traveller and historianCharles-Joseph de Harlez de Deulin (1832-1899) - Belgian orientalistSven Hedin (1865-1952) - Swedish explorerEdmund Herzig (b. 1958) - British professor in Iranian studiesWalther Hinz (1906-1992) - German scholar of Iranian languagesXavier de Hell (1812-1848) - French geographer and travellerWalter Henning (1908-1967) - German scholar of Iranian languagesThomas Herbert (1606-1682) - English travellerEric Hermelin (1860-1944) - Swedish translator of Persian literatureJohannes Hertel (1872-1955) - German scholar of ZoroastrianismErnst Herzfeld (1879-1948) – German archaeologistMichael Hillmann (b. 1940) - American scholar of Persian literatureErnst Hoeltzer (1835-1911) - German photographer and engineerRudolf Hoernlé (1841-1918) - German-British scholar of Iranian languagesFrank Holt - American archaeologistAlbert Houtum-Schindler (1846-1916) - German engineer and orientalistMartijn Houtsma (1851-1943) - Dutch orientalistKerson Huang (b. 1928) - Chinese-American physicist and translator of Persian literatureThomas Hyde (1636-1703) - English orientalistHitoshi Igarashi (1947-1991) - Japanese scholar of Persian literatureVladimir Ivanov (1886-1970) - Russian scholar of Persian literature and Iranian languagesToshihiko Izutsu (1914-1993) - Japanese scholar of Islamic studiesAbraham Jackson (1862-1937) - American IranologistClara Janés (b. 1940) - Spanish translator of contemporary Persian poetryPierre Jaubert (1779-1847) - French diplomat and orientalistAnthony Jenkinson (1529-1610) - English explorerWilliam Jones (1746-1794) - English philologistFerdinand Justi (1837-1907) - German scholar of Iranian languagesEngelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716) - German physician and travellerHelene Kantor (1919-1993) - American archaeologistAlexander Kazembek (1802-1870) - Russian scholar of the Bábí movementNikki Keddie (b. 1930) - American scholar of Iranian historyJean Kellens (b. 1944) - Belgian scholar of Iranian languagesHeidemarie Koch (b. 1943) - German scholar of Iranian historyDaniel Komissarov (1907-2008) - Russian scholar of Persian literatureAugust Kościesza-Żaba (1801-1894) – Polish diplomat and scholar of Kurdish languageAmélie Kuhrt (b. 1944) - British scholar of history of ancient Near EastAnn Lambton (1912-2008) - British scholar of Iranian historyArnold Landor (1865-1924) - British explorerCornelis Langenhoven (1873-1932) - South African translator of Persian literatureLouis-Mathieu Langlès (1763-1924) - French orientalistChristian Lassen (1800-1876) - Norwegian-German orientalistGilbert Lazard (b. 1920) - French IranologistAlbert von Le Coq (1860-1930) - German archaeologist and explorerRichard Le Gallienne (1866-1947) - British poetLeevi Lehto (b. 1951) - Finnish poet and translator of Persian literatureJan Leopold (1865-1925) - Dutch poet and translator of Persian literatureRoger Lescot (1914-1975) - French scholar of Kurdish literatureGuy Le Strange (1854-1933) - British IranologistReuben Levy (1891-1966) - British scholar of Persian literatureFranklin Lewis - American scholar of Persian literatureLeonard Lewisohn (b. 1953) - American scholar of Persian literatureLawrence Lockhart (1890-1975) - British IranologistDavid Lorimer (1876-1962) - British scholar of Iranian languagesPierre Loti (1850-1923) - French novelist and travellerHeinz Luschey (1910-1992) - German archaeologistJustin McCarthy (1859-1936) - Irish politician and translator of Persian literatureRobert McChesney (b. 1944) - American scholar of Iranian historyDenis MacEoin (b. 1949) - British scholar of Islamic studiesDavid MacKenzie (1926-2001) – British scholar of Iranian languagesWilferd Madelung (b. 1930) - German scholar of Islamic studiesJohn Malcolm (1769-1833) - Scottish statesman and historianJoseph Marquart (1864-1930) - German scholar of Iranian languagesNicholas Marr (1865-1934) - Georgian orientalistBoris Marshak (1933-2006) - Soviet archaeologistHenri Massé (1886-1969) - French IranologistJean de Menasce (1902-1973) - French scholar of Middle Eastern studiesEduard Meyer (1855-1930) - German scholar of Iranian historyLloyd Miller (b. 1938) - American scholar of Iranian musicLawrence Mills (1837-1918) - British scholar of Persian languageVladimir Minorsky (1877-1966) – Russian orientalistEugen Mittwoch (1876-1942) - German scholar of Islamic studiesJulius von Mohl (1800-1876) - German orientalistJacques de Morgan (1857-1924) - French archaeologistGeorg Morgenstierne (1892-1978) - Norwegian scholar of Iranian languagesJames Morier (1780-1849) - British diplomat and novelistJames Morris (b. 1949) - American scholar of Islamic studiesJames Moulton (1863-1917) - British scholar of ZoroastrianismFriedrich Münter (1761-1830) - German-Danish orientalistDavid Nalle (1924-2013) - American diplomat and orientalistStepanos Nazarian (1812-1879) - Russian-Armenian orientalistAmnon Netzer (1934-2008) - Israeli IranologistReynold Nicholson (1868-1945) – English orientalistCarsten Niebuhr (1733-1815) - German-Danish explorerBasil Nikitin (1885-1960) - Russian diplomat and orientalistTheodor Nöldeke (1836-1930) - German scholar of Iranian languagesTheofan Noli (1882-1965) - Albanian diplomat and translator of Persian literatureAnatoly Novoseltsev (1933-1995) - Russian orientalistHenrik Nyberg (1889-1974) - Swedish IranologistAlbert Olmstead (1880-1945) - American orientalistIosef Oranski (1923-1977) - Soviet scholar of Iranian languagesOdoric of Pordenone (1286-1331) - Italian travellerWilliam Ouseley (1767-1842) - British orientalistXavier de Planhol (b. 1926) - French scholar of geography of IranGerman Plisetsky (1931-1992) - Russian translator of Persian literatureJulius Pokorny (1887-1970) - Austrian linguistJakob Polak (1818-1891) - Austrian physicianArthur Pope (1881-1969) - American scholar of Persian art and architectureRobert Ker Porter (1777-1842) - British diplomat and explorerDavid Price (1762-1835) - British orientalistHenry Rawlinson (1810-1895) – British orientalistThomas Rees (1890-1977) - Welsh diplomat and translator of Persian literatureEdward Rehatsek (1819-1881) - British translator of GulistanJohn Richardson (1740-1795) - English philologistCharles Rieu (1820-1902) - Swiss orientalistMichael Roaf - British archaeologistFrederick Rolfe (1860-1913) - British translator of Persian literatureGeorge Roos-Keppel (1866-1921) - British scholar of Pashto languageEdward Ross (1871-1940) - British orientalistOlivier Roy (b. 1949) - French scholar of Islamic studiesSteven Runciman (1903-2000) - British scholar of Iranian historyAndré du Ryer (1580-1660) - French orientalistJan Rypka (1886-1968) - Czech IranologistEduard Sachau (1845-1930) - German orientalistGulrukhsor Safieva (b. 1947) - Tajik IranologistOliver St John (1837-1891) - British civil servant and travellerRoger Savory - Canadian scholar of Iranian historyHans Schaeder (1896-1957) - German IranologistIsidor Scheftelowitz (1875-1934) - German scholar of Iranian historyAnnemarie Schimmel (1922-2003) - German scholar of SufismKlaus Schippmann (1924-2010) - German archaeologistErich Schmidt (1897-1964) - German-American archaeologistRüdiger Schmitt (b. 1939) - German scholar of Iranian languagesArved von Schultz (1883-1967) - German geographerPaul Schwarz (1867-1939) - German orientalistDavid Shea (1777-1836) - Irish translator of Persian literatureLoiq Sher-Ali (b. 1941) - Tajik IranologistAnthony Shirley (1565-1635) - English travellerEvan Siegel (b. 1954) - American translator of Iranian history literatureGarcía de Silva Figueroa (1550-1624) - Spanish diplomat and travellerNicholas Sims-Williams – British scholar of Iranian languagesProds Skjaervo (b. 1944) - Norwegian IranologistMarek Smurzyński (1954-2009) - Polish translator of Persian literatureSvatopluk Souček - Czech orientalistFriedrich von Spiegel (1820-1905) – German translator of Zoroastrian textsAloys Sprenger (1813-1893) - Austrian orientalistFreya Stark (1893-1993) - British explorerAurel Stein (1862-1943) - German-British archaeologistAlexander Stephen (1850-1908) - British translator of Persian literatureRoger Stevens (1906-1980) - British diplomat and scholar of modern Iranian historyMatthew Stolper (b. 1944) - American orientalistDavid Stronach - (b. 1931) Scottish archeologistJosef Štýbr (1864-1938) - Czech translator of Persian literaturePercy Sykes (1862-1945) - British diplomat and travellerBoris Tageev (1871-1938) - Russian explorer and orientalistJean-Baptiste Tavernier (1650-1689) - French travellerWheeler Thackston (b. 1944) - British translator of Persian literatureJean de Thévenot (1633-1667) - French travellerCyril Toumanoff (1913 – 1997) - Russian-born American historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armenia, Iran and the Byzantine Empire.Kamilla Trever (1892-1974) - Russian scholar of Iranian historyAlexander Tumansky (1861-1920) - Russian scholar of Babi movementHaljand Udam (1936-2005) - Estonian translator of classical Persian literatureEdna Underwood (1873-1961) - American translator of Divan of HafezPietro Della Valle (1586-1652) - Italian travellerÁrmin Vámbéry (1832-1913) - Hungarian travellerFrancis Vernon (1637-1677) - English travellerNikolay Veselovsky (1840-1918) - Russian archaeologistMirko Vidović (b. 1940) - Croatian scholar of ZoroastrianismHeleen Weerdenburg (1944-2000) - Dutch scholar of ancient Persian historyStuart Welch (1928-2008) - American scholar of Persian artEdward West (1824-1905) - British translator of Zoroastrian textsGeoffrey Wheeler (1897-1990) - British scholar of Central AsiaEdward Whinfield (1836-1922) - British translator of Persian literatureGeorge Wickens (1918-2006) - Canadian IranologistGeo Widengren (1907-1996) - Swedish scholar of Iranian languagesJosef Wiesehöfer (b. 1951) - German scholar of classical historyHenry Wilberforce-Clarke (1840-1905) - British translator of Persian literatureArnold Wilson (1884-1940) - British civil sevant and expert on Persian GulfJan Witkiewicz (1808-1839) - Polish diplomat and orientalistFritz Wolff (1880-1943) - German scholar of Persian literatureJohn Woods (b. 1938) - American scholar of Iranian historyDenis Wright (1911-2005) - British diplomat and scholar of modern Iranian historyFrancis Xavier (1506-1552) - Portuguese missionary and translatorRobert Zaehner (1913-1974) - British scholar of Eastern religionsIvan Zarubin (1887-1964) - Soviet scholar of Iranian languagesValentin Zhukovski (1858-1918) - Russian orientalistHelen Zimmern (1846-1934) – German-British translator of Shahnameh