Persophilia
Encyclopedia
Persophilia and Iranophilia refer to the appreciation or interest in Iranian culture, people
or history
. One of the most prominent Persophiles was the British
literary historian E. G. Browne who participated in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution
in 1906.
ian kings because of their governmental policies which gave more rights to the Persians. The earliest use of the word "persophile" may have been by the Royal Numismatic Society
in 1838, it was referring to a king of Marium which is in modern-day Cyprus
. The opposite of Iranophilia is Anti-Iranianism
.
Admiration of the Persians was especially high during the Achaemenid dynasty. For example, Cyrus the Great
was the only Gentile to be considered a Messiah
.
Demographics of Iran
Iran's population increased dramatically during the later half of the 20th century, reaching about 75 million by 2011. In recent years, however, Iran's birth rate has dropped significantly. Studies project that Iran's rate of population growth will continue to slow until it stabilizes above 100...
or history
History of Iran
The history of Iran has been intertwined with the history of a larger historical region, comprising the area from the Danube River in the west to the Indus River and Jaxartes in the east and from the Caucasus, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea in the north to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and Egypt...
. One of the most prominent Persophiles was the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
literary historian E. G. Browne who participated in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution
Iranian Constitutional Revolution
The Persian Constitutional Revolution or Iranian Constitutional Revolution took place between 1905 and 1907...
in 1906.
Origins
Greek leaders who gave themselves Persian titles or names were considered Persophiles, as well as SidonSidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
ian kings because of their governmental policies which gave more rights to the Persians. The earliest use of the word "persophile" may have been by the Royal Numismatic Society
Royal Numismatic Society
The Royal Numismatic Society is a learned society and charity based in London, United Kingdom which promotes research into all branches of numismatics...
in 1838, it was referring to a king of Marium which is in modern-day Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. The opposite of Iranophilia is Anti-Iranianism
Anti-Iranian sentiment
Anti-Iranian sentiment is feelings and expression of hostility, hatred, discrimination, or prejudice towards Iran and its culture, and towards persons based on their association with Iran and Iranian culture...
.
Admiration of the Persians was especially high during the Achaemenid dynasty. For example, Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
was the only Gentile to be considered a Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
.
Notable persophiles
- Peter AveryPeter AveryPeter Avery OBE was an eminent British scholar of Persian and a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge.He contributed to English language work on Persian history and literature, such as The Age of Expansion and Medieval Persia and published Modern Iran...
- Edward Granville BrowneEdward Granville BrowneEdward Granville Browne , born in Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, England, was a British orientalist who published numerous articles and books of academic value, mainly in the areas of history and literature...
- Dick Davis
- Richard Nelson FryeRichard Nelson FryeRichard Nelson Frye is an American scholar of Iranic and Central Asian Studies, and Aga Khan Professor Emeritus of Iranian Studies at Harvard University...
- John LimbertJohn LimbertAmbassador John W. Limbert is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran in the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. He is a veteran U.S. diplomat and a former official at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where he was held captive during the Iran hostage...
- Arthur Upham Pope