Arya (Iran)

Arya was a name used by people in Iran a long time ago, even before Islam. Iranians called themselves Arya, which means they were part of a special group. This name was tied to their family roots, the language they spoke, and the god they worshipped named Ahura Mazda.

Back then, being Arya also meant belonging to a place called Eran Shahr, which means "Aryas' land." Arya was different from Anarya, a word for places and people who were not part of their group.

Later, after Islam came to Iran, people stopped using Arya much. But during a time called the Iranian Renaissance, the name Eran came back, referring to a larger area known as Greater Iran. Today, the word Iranian comes from Eran, which itself came from the older name Arya.

Origin and delineation of the term

See also: Aryan and Indo-Iranians

The word Arya, used by ancient Iranian people, likely comes from an older, unrecorded language called Proto-Iranian. This word was also used by people in Ancient India, where it appeared in their sacred writings called the Vedas.

The Proto-Indo-Iranian people were travelers who lived in the wide grasslands of Eurasia during a time called the Middle Bronze Age. Over time, these groups split into different cultures. Some moved into India and became known as Indo-Aryans, while others moved into areas we now call Greater Iran. In Greater Iran, the Arya developed their own special identity. Their sacred book, the Avesta, tells stories of their beginning, their kings, and their belief in a supreme being named Ahura Mazda. These stories helped them feel united as a group, different from others around them.

Avestan period

See also: Avestan period

The Avesta, a collection of important writings for Zoroastrianism, is our main source for learning about old Iran. The places mentioned in the Avesta show that the Aryas lived in the eastern parts of Greater Iran. Scholars believe the Avesta was written over many centuries, mostly before the 5th century BCE, because it does not mention the Persians or Medes.

The Avesta uses the word Arya to describe the people. It appears in many forms, such as airyia (singular), airyas (plural), and others. One important place name is Airyanem Vaejah, meaning "the Arya expanse." Another name, Aryoshayana, refers to areas around northern Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The Avesta also talks about the lands of the Aryas and their neighbors, like the Turyas from beyond the Oxus river.

Stories in the Avesta tell of battles between the Aryas and their enemies, the Turyas. These tales became important in later Iranian books and helped shape Iranian identity. The hero Kavi Xosrau is remembered for defeating a Turyan king with the help of the Aryas. These stories are also found in famous Iranian epics like the Shahnameh.

Achaemenid period

During the time of the Achaemenid Empire, the name Arya was first written down in history. Kings like Darius the Great and Xerxes I used this name in their writings. These writings showed that Arya meant more than just a name; it was linked to language, family ties, and religion.

One important writing by Darius, called the Behistun inscription, called the Old Persian language "Arya." It also talked about the important god Ahura Mazda as the god of the Aryas. Darius and Xerxes also called themselves "Arya" to show their family history and cultural roots. Historians like Herodotus also mentioned that an old name for the Medes was Arioi, meaning Aryas.

Hellenistic and Parthian period

See also: Ariana

When the Achaemenid Empire ended, Alexander the Great took over, and Greater Iran became part of the Hellenistic world. This helped Greek writers learn more about these eastern lands. A Greek scholar named Eratosthenes wrote about these places in his book Geographica, which is now lost but mentioned by the historian Strabo in his own book Geographica. They talked about a place called Ariana, home to the Aryas, covering much of eastern Greater Iran.

Later, the Parthian period began when the Iranian Parthians took control of most of Greater Iran. Though they brought back some Iranian traditions, they also mixed in Greek culture. During this time, the name Arya was still used, especially in a place called Bactria, to refer to the Bactrian language. This shows that the name Arya continued to be important for describing Iranian languages.

Sassanian period

See also: Iran (word)

During the Sassanian period, Iranian culture and religion grew very strong. Important leaders and religious figures helped shape this time. The word Arya was used in different ways, showing links between leaders and religion.

Arya was used together with another term, Mazdayasna, showing how closely politics and religion worked together. Later, Arya became part of names like Eran and Eran Shahr, which meant "king of kings of the Aryas" and "king of kings of the dominion of the Aryas." Over time, these words changed from being linked to people to being seen as place names.

Islamic period

See also: Shu'ubiyya and Iranian Intermezzo

After the Islamic conquest of Iran, the word Arya and its related forms were no longer used. This change might have happened because people thought these words were linked to the old Zoroastrian religion.

In the 9th century, there was a new feeling of pride among Iranian people, and several local Iranian leaders took power. During this time, words like Eran and Eran Shahr became popular again, but they were used to talk about places rather than people. The Persian word irâni (meaning "Iranian") came from the word irân ("Iran"). This Persian word replaced the older word Arya and became the name for Iranian people, influencing the English word "Iranian" and similar words in other languages.

Modern period

See also: Iranian nationalism

During modern times, Iran began to focus more on its ancient history before Islam. This grew with the rise of Iranian nationalism. In 1935, Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, changed the country's name in international letters from Persia to Iran. Later, his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi used the title Aryamehr (meaning "light of the Arya" in Persian), which brought back the old name Arya after many years since the Sassanian period.