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Why iran people call themselves Aryan
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It might surprise you, but the word **"Iran"** is actually just a modern version of the word **"Aryan."** When people in Iran call themselves "Iranian," they are literally using the word "Aryan." The relationship isn't just a coincidence; it's a direct linguistic and historical evolution that stretches back thousands of years.

### 1. The Etymology: From *Arya* to *Iran*

The word "Iran" comes from the Old Persian word **"Airyanem,"** which meant "Land of the Aryans." Here is how the name evolved through different eras of Persian history:

* **Ancient (Avestan):** *Airyanem Vaejah* (The expanse of the Aryans)
* **Middle Persian (Sassanid Era):** *Ērān* (Meaning "of the Aryans")
* **Modern Persian:** *Irān*

### 2. Why They Use the Term

For Iranians, "Aryan" was originally an **ethnocultural self-designation**. Unlike the 19th-century European misuse of the word (which turned it into a racial theory), the original meaning for ancient Iranians and Indians (Indo-Iranians) was roughly **"noble," "peer,"** or **"free person."**

* **Ancient Kings:** In the 6th century BCE, Darius the Great described himself in stone inscriptions (the Behistun Inscription) as: *"I am Darius... a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, of Aryan lineage."*
* **Distinction:** It was used to distinguish their culture and language from neighboring groups, whom they called *Anarya* ("Non-Aryan").

### 3. Why it Changed from "Persia" to "Iran"

For centuries, the Western world called the country **Persia**. This was an "exonym"—a name given by outsiders (specifically the Greeks), based on the region of *Pars* (Fars).

In **1935**, the Iranian government under Reza Shah Pahlavi officially requested that the international community use the name "Iran." The goal was two-fold:

1. **Reclamation:** To use the name the people had actually used for themselves for millennia.
2. **Unity:** "Persia" only refers to one ethnic group (the Persians), whereas "Iran" (Land of the Aryans) was seen as an umbrella term that included all the diverse groups in the region, like Kurds, Lurs, and Baluchis.

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**Important Note on Context:**
It's helpful to distinguish the **Iranian** use of the word from the **Nazi** misappropriation of it. In an Iranian context, the term is thousands of years older than 20th-century racial ideologies and refers to a specific linguistic and cultural heritage shared between the peoples of the Iranian plateau and Northern India.

Would you like me to look into how the "Aryan" identity differs between Iranian history and ancient Indian Vedic history?