Hey guys I hope you are doing well Today I would like to talk about a language which is very very ancient but it has not changed much since then This language is Persian. Persia is a mystery to many people It was one of the most ancient empires and its language, Persian, is among the oldest But we rarely know much about it Some people even often confuse it with Arabic I started to learn Persian out of curiosity and I can say it was one of the
most eye-opening experiences Learning Persian has not only allowed me to communicate with people and travel to Iran but also serves as a linguistic
bridge to a rich ancient civilization that has contributed to art,
science, literature and philosophy So, Today, let's discover the
history of this language together Persian, or Farsi to its native speakers belongs to the Iranian branch of
the Indo-Iranian language family Which is a subfamily of the Indo-European group "Persian" and "Farsi" refer to the same language but their usage and context differ based
on linguistic and geographical contexts "Persian" is the English term for the
language and has been used historically in the West to describe the
language spoken in Persia In academic, international, and formal contexts It covers more ground, since
"Persian" as a language includes types like Farsi in Iran Dari in Afghanistan and Tajik in Tajikistan "Farsi," on the other hand, is
the native name for the language and is derived from the word "Pars,"
referencing the region of Persis In informal or cultural contexts,
especially among Iranians and the diaspora "Farsi" might be more commonly used If you are a Persian native speaker write in the comment and tell
me which name you prefer and why This language is spoken by
around 110 million people primarily located in the
Middle East and Central Asia This number does not include diaspora communities especially sizable ones in the US In Iran, around 70% to 75% of
the population speaks Persian While Iran is home to many ethnic
minorities, each with its own language a small percentage of its people
speak Persian as a second language Farsi remains the official language for
education, publications, news, media and government administration In Afghanistan, Dari is spoken
by around 15-20 million people In Tajikistan, the language, known as Tajik is spoken by around 9.5 million people
which is the majority of the population The ancient Iranian peoples belong to
a larger group called the Indo-Iranians who are a subgroup of the Indo-European family The Indo-Iranians initially
lived in the Eurasian Steppe before they began their migrations By around 2000 BCE, two main groups
had emerged from the Indo-Iranians The Indo-Aryans, who moved
towards the Indian subcontinent and the Iranians who migrated
to the Iranian plateau It's important to note that these
migrations were not singular events but took place over centuries The ancient Iranian religions evolved over time Zoroastrianism became a main belief
during the time of the Achaemenid empire and continued after that In terms of language, each of these
tribes had its own dialect or language This added to the variety
of languages in ancient Iran Avestan is the ancient language of the
Avesta the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism The main language was old
Persian and is known primarily from inscriptions on monuments and coins This empire was vast stretching from Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) to Egypt and as far as the Indus Valley Old Persian wasn't just a language it showed the empire's power and rich culture The cuneiform script was
used for these inscriptions You can see this in the carvings at Persepolis a big city back then Two significant examples of Old Persian
writings are the Behistun Inscription and the Cyrus Cylinder Famous kings like Darius the Great and
Xerxes had the Behistun Inscription made What's amazing about it is that it has
the same writing in three old languages Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian This shows the mix of languages in
the area and how old and important these writings are The late 4th century BCE witnessed
the rise of Alexander the Great With his conquest of the Achaemenid Empire Greek culture and Hellenistic influences
started mixing into Persian art, governance
and language After the death of Alexander the Great his vast territories were
divided among his generals leading to the formation of several kingdoms One of these, called the Seleucid
Empire, was started by Seleucus who was one of Alexander's generals This empire took over many places that
used to be in the Achaemenid Empire including lots of areas in what we now call Iran During the Seleucid era, Greek
and Persian cultures mixed starting the Hellenistic period in those lands The Seleucid's mainly spoke Greek,
and they spread Greek administrative cultural, and intellectual
traditions throughout their domain Cities like Ctesiphon and Seleucia founded or expanded under the Seleucid dynasty became melting pots of Greco-Persian culture Following the Old Persian stage, the
language evolved into Middle Persian which was spoken during the
Parthian and Sassanid Empires During the Parthian time, their land was vast stretching from the Euphrates in the
west all the way to the Indus in the east This expansive territory facilitated
the fusion of diverse linguistic and cultural elements Mithridates I, who ruled around 171–132 BCE expanded the Parthian land and spread
the Parthian language and culture A remarkable artifact of this
period is the Nisa inscriptions They provide a glimpse into
Parthian daily life, beliefs and how different languages
and cultures mixed together The Sassanid era was equally influential Founded by Ardashir I The Sassanid Empire sought to revive
the glory days of the Achaemenid Empire Ardashir's efforts to centralize governance
and standardize administrative processes directly impacted the status of Middle Persian This administrative language is called "Pahlavi" Its script, derived from Aramaic became the primary medium for
various official inscriptions religious Zoroastrian texts and scholarly writings,
safeguarding traditions and stories The influence of Zoroastrian priests
during this period cannot be overstated Their central role in religious,
educational, and administrative matters ensured that Middle Persian flourished Khosrow I is a significant
figure from the Sassanid period He established the Academy of Gondishapur Which became an intellectual hub, drawing
scholars from various parts of the world Here, numerous Greek, Indian, and other
works were translated into Middle Persian This added many new words and
ideas to the Persian language The 7th century CE was a
big turning point for Persia The Rashidin Caliphate's armies entered
the lands of the Sassanid Empire This changed not just the religion of the area but also the way people spoke and wrote Arabic, the main language
of Islam and the new rulers started mixing with Persian over centuries Thousands of Arabic words were
assimilated into Persian vocabulary When the Arabic script was
adopted, it wasn’t 100 % compatible with the Persian language, as the
Arabic alphabet consists of 28 alphabets Persians added 4 more alphabets to
compensate for more authentic Persian sounds However, this wasn't a one-way street The Persians, with their deep history and culture,
really helped make the Islamic Golden Age shine A standout scholar of this era was
Razi, a polymath of the highest order He made major contributions to medicine,
with his notable work 'Kitab al-Hawi' combining ideas from Greece,
India, and early Arabic sources This book even made waves in Europe Another thinker, Farabi, wrote mostly in Arabic but was deeply shaped by Persian insights He often worked on translations and
explanations of Aristotle's works This mix of Persian ideas with Islamic
learning made Persian even more important in the Islamic world In the time from the 9th to the 13th centuries the powerful Abbasid Caliphate
came into the picture Leaders like Harun al-Rashid
and Al-Ma'mun really valued Persian scholars
and officials They even set up a special
place for learning in Baghdad called the Bayt al-Hikma
or House of Wisdom It was like a big library or university where lots of smart people
came to share knowledge Here, the knowledge of ancient
Persia merged with Greek thought as texts were translated into Arabic However, it was during the Samanid
Empire that the Persian Renaissance truly took shape Under the Samanids, Persian became
the official language of the state and lots of great books and poems were written Poets like Rudaki, often considered
as the pioneer of Persian poetry Rudaki's poems not only
captured the feelings of his era but they also played a big part
in rebuilding the Persian language which had been overshadowed
after the Arab influences Another significant literary
achievement of this period was 's "Shahnameh"
(The Book of Kings) An epic poem that preserved and celebrated Iran's pre-Islamic history and culture
in Persian language and identity Particularly, Ferdosy´s commitment to
preserving ancient legends and the purity of the Persian language set
the tone for future generations As time moved into the Classical Persian era from the 13th to the 19th centuries CE the area saw the dramatic
impact of the Mongol invasion The dynasties which came to power after
the Mongol invasion marked another era for the history of the Persian language During the time of the Timurid
Empire and the Safavid Dynasty places like Samarkand and Herat
became melting pots of Persian art philosophy, and literature A standout figure was Avicenna, known as Ibn Sina He wrote 'The Canon of Medicine', a
medical encyclopedia which was referenced for centuries both in the East and the West His philosophical works merged Greek
philosophy with Islamic thought laying the groundwork for a lot of
Islamic philosophy that followed This deep passion for literature
and learning only grew stronger during the Ilkhanate era Persian became the lingua franca
of their court and administration During this time, some of the
biggest names in Persian literature came into the time light Saadi, with his standout
works "Bustan" and "Gulistan," explored the values and everyday life of people Hafez wrote beautiful ghazals that
talked about love and the spirit And you can't forget Rumi , the Sufi mystic showing just how deep and rich
Persian culture and writing can be The 16th century marked the rise of the Safavids establishing Shia Islam's dominance in Iran This era experienced a renaissance
of the Persian language especially under the influential
reign of Shah Abbas I He transformed Isfahan into
a magnificent cultural hub This period was also a golden
age for Persian literature With Shah Abbas I's patronage, poets and
intellectuals were drawn to his court turning it into a literary salon Among these was Saib Tabrizi, a distinguished poet who is often
considered one of the greatest masters of classical Persian literature His poetry, filled with creative
metaphors and detailed visuals captured the sophisticated essence of the era The Safavids were not isolated in their grandeur Their diplomatic endeavors, trade
relations, and military campaigns led to interactions with neighboring regions including the Mughal Empire in India and the Ottoman Empire in Anatoli These exchanges helped spread Persian culture Persian language was highly
esteemed in Mughal India particularly under monarchs such as Akbar who had a deep appreciation
for Persian literary works In the 18th century, Nader Shah,
often called the "Napoleon of Persia showed his military brilliance His battles spread far, even reaching
Delhi in Northern India in 1739 Nader Shah's Influence on Language:
After winning the Battle of Karnal he briefly visited Delhi While his rule is mainly
known for military actions these adventures influenced language As Persian met with other languages, especially in diverse India
they shared words This mix of languages was most noticeable in areas like government, art
and writing For example "Diwan" Originally a Persian word
referring to a collection of poems or an office of administration it became common in several Indian languages
to mean a court or council of rulers "Fauj" A Persian word meaning 'army' which was adopted in many North Indian languages During the Qajar period in Iran, there
were a lot of changes and challenges especially from European countries As Iran interacted more with Europe the Persian language started
to include many new words This included technical words from areas
like engineering, government, and health Words related to things like modern
organizations, communication technology and trains became common in everyday speech (telegraph) was borrowed
directly from the European term (volcano) (otashfeshon) became the term
to describe the geological phenomena drawing from otash (fire) and feshon (to spew) Not only did they borrow
words from other languages but they also gave new
meanings to old Persian words to explain new ideas and things For example, Danishkah (university), which
initially just meant "place of knowledge" was now used specifically for
higher education institutions (bank), adapted from the European word,
became the term for financial institutions while it originally referred to
benches where money changers sat Another example is (which means "daily")
and it began to mean "newspaper" The Qajar period witnessed a literary renaissance Iraj stands out as a figure who straddled
the worlds of classical Persian poetry and modern literary trends His works often highlighted
societal issues, particularly concerning women's rights
and modern education He, along with other poets and writers of his time illustrate the essence of a society at
the crossroads of tradition and modernity The late Qajar era marked the
onset of modernization in Persia which intensified under the Pahlavi dynasty In the early 20th century, under
Reza Shah Pahlavi's leadership there was a strong push to
"re-Persianize" the Persian language The central idea was to foster national pride by going back to the language's roots
and minimizing foreign influences Mohammad Ali Forugi in response to
Reza Shah's demand for an association to coin army words, made an
association and gathering linguists grammarians and literary
figures suggested the foundation of "Academy of Persian Language
and Literature" in Tehran Its task is to revive and promote
the purity of the Persian language The academy delved into ancient Persian scripts looking for words and terms that had
been forgotten but could be reintroduced For example Telegraph: The borrowed term
for telegraph was (telegrāf) The academy proposed the term (door-negār) which literally means 'distance-writer' Phone: The word for telephone was (telefon) based on its Western origin
The academy introduced (gooshi) Which literally translates to 'ear-piece'. Today, "gooshi" is colloquially used
for 'mobile phone' in Iran Many of these newly-coined terms did
not replace the already existing ones but were introduced as alternatives Some of them caught on and
became part of everyday language while others remained less popular While all this was happening,
there were also writers and poets who brought fresh air
to Persian literature Jamalzadeh is one name that stands out He wrote stories in a style
that was new and modern making it easier for everyday people to understand Then there was Sadegh Hedayat best known for his novel (bofe kor)"The Blind Owl" his work dared to tackle
deep, sometimes dark themes And let's not forget Forough Farrokhzad A female poet who wasn't afraid
to talk about her feelings, love and challenges in society Today, Persian continues to evolve Just like the term "café" or
"rendezvous" from other languages Persian has borrowed from English,
French, and other languages Persian is more than just a language It's like a storybook that takes you on a
journey from ancient tales to today's news When you learn Persian,
you're not just learning words You're getting a ticket to a whole new
world of stories, ideas, and history So, why not start with Persian
and see where its magic takes you? I hope you like this video if you like it please give me a like and subscribe See you in the next one bye
