The Encyclopaedia of Iran

The Encyclopaedia of Iran is the first detailed encyclopaedia in the Persian language, designed to be a comprehensive and reliable reference to all fields of human knowledge, considering the current and anticipated needs of Persian speakers - in Iran and outside. After The Persian Encyclopaedia, the first volume of which was published in 1953 by the late professor, Mosaheb, Persian speakers have not had access to a general knowledge encyclopaedia that addresses their modern needs in all scientific disciplines. Therefore, the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopaedia decided to compile The Encyclopaedia of Iran in thirty volumes and about fifty thousand articles, along with pictures and maps. This work enjoys expert contributors eminent in their fields, and its three volumes have been published so far. The volumes will be published in print, and then the electronic and online versions will be developed.

The articles in The Encyclopaedia of Iran are authored or translated primarily in an average size (not too long) and provided from three principal sources: 1. accurate information related to the science, technology, and human achievements in the world, excluding Iran and the Islamic countries; this considerable section is extracted from reputable foreign encyclopaedias such as Hachette, Americana, Encarta, Iranica, Britannica, Brockhaus, Columbia, Larousse, and other reliable encyclopaedias. When compiling an article is not possible or necessary, the most relevant article is translated into Persian from reliable sources. Translated articles make up about three-fifths of the content. 2. The specific information related to the Islamic world is extracted, summarized, and rewritten from another work compiled in the CGIE (The Great Islamic Encyclopaedia). The leading experts in the field perform this task, and the category constitutes nearly one-fifth of the total articles. 3. The third category consists of articles related to pre-Islamic and contemporary Iran and, in general, articles that are not included in the work scope of The Great Islamic Encyclopaedia but recognized as appropriate to the audience of The Encyclopaedia of Iran. For this purpose, several scientific departments have been founded whose duty is to compile articles related to Iran. This category includes one-fifth of the content. The various sources from which articles are selected and the vast amount of information that has been provided in the long years of activities in the CGIE are the basis for a relatively broad scope of the work for The Encyclopaedia of Iran. Seeking experts’ opinions is necessary for compiling such a comprehensive work in which all aspects of human knowledge are reflected. Thus, The Encyclopaedia of Iran benefits from the cooperation and consultation of specialized councils and experts, inside or outside the CGIE, and regularly arranges consultative meetings.