Dāyerat al-Ma‘āref-e Fārsī: se-jeldī Persian 2025

The Persian Encyclopedia, commonly known as the Mosaheb Encyclopedia, is the first modern Persian-language encyclopedia. It was initiated by the Franklin Publishing Corporation and prepared under the supervision of Gholamhossein Mosaheb. This three-volume work, created through the extensive collaboration of Iranian authors, translators, and editors, is regarded as one of the most significant achievements in Persian reference publishing.

Initially, the Franklin Corporation intended to produce a Persian translation of the one-volume Columbia–Viking Encyclopedia, but after reviewing it, Mosaheb concluded that a simple translation would not meet the needs of the Iranian readership. He proposed a new plan that added more than 10,000 original entries on various aspects of Iranian and Islamic history and culture; some entries from the Encyclopaedia of Islam were also translated and included. The first volume was published in 1966. After Mosaheb stepped down, Reza Aghsa took over as editor-in-chief, and the second volume appeared in two parts in 1977 and 1995.

From the outset, the encyclopedia was compiled according to strict scholarly principles: the selection and length of entries, terminology, transliteration of names, abbreviations, cross-references, and orthography were all established within a coherent, uniform system. This methodological rigor set a new standard for Persian reference works.

The Persian Encyclopedia contains 43,000 entries, including 23,000 translated or adapted entries, 11,000 original entries on Iran and Islam, and numerous cross-references.

The principal editors of the project were Gholamhossein Mosaheb, followed by Reza Aghsa. Distinguished scholars and contributors—including Ahmad Aram, Fereydoun Badraei, Mostafa Mogharebi, Iraj Afshar, Daryoush Ashouri, Abbas Zaryab Khoei, Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub, Mohammad Moein, Ehsan Yarshater, and many others—played key roles in the creation of this landmark work.