IRAN-NAMEH

 

IRAN-NAMEH, a journal of Oriental studies, founded in Yerevan, Armenia, in May 1993 by Garnik S. Asatrian as a scholarly monthly publication in Armenian language, dealing with various issues of the Oriental world in general, Persia in particular. As the first academic publication of such a character, not only in the Caucasian region, but also in the republics of the former Soviet Union, Iran-nameh was welcomed and duly appreciated by the academic circles in the West as well. Thirty-eight issues have been published since then. The first thirteen issues were in 20 to 24 pages, but the following ones appeared as joint quarterly volumes with 100 to 120 pages each until 1999. Then Iran-nameh became an annual journal and contained also contributions in Russian in a separate section named “Russian Pages.” In 1996 the Journal was incorporated into the framework of the Caucasian Centre for Iranian Studies in Yerevan, representing, along with the Iran and the Caucasus (q.v.), one of the leading activities of that center.

The editorial board is made up of four groups, each one responsible for a major area of study covered by the journal. They include the Iranian world, Arab countries, Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the ancient Near East. The section dealing with Armenian studies includes scholars and specialists not only from Armenia, but also from Persia and European countries.

The scope of the Journal ranges from history and ethno-linguistics to folklore and socio-demographic issues, from culture and literature to religion and regional political developments of the Iranian world and the Near East. Special attention is paid to the study of various Iranian peoples and their history, culture, and language. Thus, a dozen series of articles have already been published about Kurds, Ṭālešis, Pashtuns, Gurān (q.v.), Zāzās, Baluch (see BALUCHISTAN i), Ossets, Tāts, Lors and Baḵtiāri (q.v.), Azeris (see AZERBAIJAN i), and others, under the rubric of “Iranian Peoples and Tribes.” Another section, titled “Old and Middle Iranian Literature,” is devoted mainly to original studies in Armenian of Middle Iranian literature (e.g., Mādayān ī wizārišn ī čatrang, Šahristānī-hā ī Ērān, Ayādgār ī Zarērān, q.v.). It also contains the Armenian translations of articles written by well-known Western scholars of Iranian and Oriental studies. Each issue of the Journal has about five to seven comprehensive reviews and notes about various books and publications, mostly those in Western languages, Russian, and Persian. The Journal also reports on the activities of the above-mentioned center, including seminars and workshops, and participation in international and domestic conferences.

A “Publication Series of Iran-Nameh” was established in 1994 within the framework of the journal, as the format of the journal itself was not suitable for lengthy contributions. So far, more than twenty brochures by Armenian and foreign scholars have been published.

 

Bibliography:

Ḥabib Borjiān, “Markaz-e Irān-šenāsi dar Qafqāz wa entešārāt-e ān,” Par 16/7, 2001, pp. 45-47.

(Vahe Boyajian)

Originally Published: December 15, 2006

Last Updated: March 30, 2012

This article is available in print.
Vol. XIII, Fasc. 5, pp. 530-531

Cite this entry:

Vahe Boyajian, “IRAN-NAMEH,” Encyclopædia Iranica, XIII/5, pp. 530-531, available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/iran-nameh-2 (accessed on 30 December 2012).