01 Waves
People have left Iran in several periods. Before 1979, many went abroad to study. From 1979 to 1988, revolution, war and political exile drove departures. From the 1990s to the 2010s, people left for family reunification, study and skilled work. Since 2017, economic crisis, protest and war have driven new departures.
- Before 1979
- about 100,000 students abroad in 1977 to 1978 (secondary source)
- 1979 to 1988
- revolution, war and political exile
- 1990s to 2010s
- family reunification, students and skilled migration
- 2017 onward
- economic crisis, protest and war
02 Older diasporas
Some communities abroad are far older than 1979. They include the Parsis of India, the Iranis of Mumbai, the Ajam of the Gulf, communities of Shirazi heritage on the Swahili coast, and Iranians in the shrine cities of Iraq and in the Caucasus.
03 Faiths
The diaspora includes Shi’a and Sunni Muslims, members of Sufi orders, Zoroastrians, Jews, Armenian and Assyrian Christians, Baha’is, Yarsan, Mandaeans and many people who are not religious.
04 Օրացույց
Communities keep Nowruz at the spring equinox, Chaharshanbe Suri, Sizdah Bedar, Tirgan, Mehregan, Yalda and Sadeh. They also keep religious days and days of remembrance.
05 Languages and scripts
| Լեզու | Script | Direction | On this platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persian (Farsi) فارسی | Arab | Right to left | At launch |
| Անգլերեն Անգլերեն | Latn | Left to right | At launch |
| South Azerbaijani (Azerbaijani Turkish) تۆرکجه | Arab | Right to left | Phase 2 |
| Kurdish (Sorani, Kurmanji, Southern Kurdish) کوردی / Kurdî | Arab/Latn | Right to left | Phase 2 |
| Gilaki گیلکی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Mazandarani مازرونی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Luri and Bakhtiari لۊری | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Balochi بلۏچی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Talysh Tolışi | Arab/Latn | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Armenian (Iranian Armenian) Հայերեն | Armn | Left to right | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia) ܣܘܪܝܝܐ | Syrc | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Judeo-Persian | Hebr | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Arabic (Khuzestani and Gulf Arabic) عربي | Arab | Right to left | At launch |
| Turkmen Türkmençe / تۆرکمن | Arab/Latn | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Qashqai قشقایی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Khalaj خلج | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Laki لکی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Lari (Achomi) اچمی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Semnani سمنانی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Tati (Takestani) تاتی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Hawrami (Gorani) هەورامی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Brahui براہوئی | Arab | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Mandaic ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡀ | Mand | Right to left | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Georgian (Fereydani) ქართული | Geor | Left to right | Ըստ պահանջարկի |
| Dari دری | Arab | Right to left | Phase 2 |
| Tajik Тоҷикӣ | Cyrl | Left to right | Phase 2 |