This is a list of geographic names of Iranian origin. This list also includes geographic names which are in part derived from Iranian languages.

Africa

Somalia

;

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

;

Bandar Beyla Bayla ( so, Bandar Beyla, ar, بندر بيلا), is a coastal town along the Guardafui Channel in the northeastern Bari region of Somalia. It is the capital of the Bayla District. History Bayla is located at the headland of Ras Ma'bar (or ''Cap ...

: ; Bandar Qaasim:

Tanzania

;

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...

Tunisia

; Kairouan:The name ( ''Al-Qairuwân'') is an

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

deformation of the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word ''kârvân'', meaning "military/civilian camp".

Caucasus

; Arran ;

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

; Kura River: The name Kura is taken from the name Kurosh which is the Persian pronunciation of the name of the Persian king

Cyrus the Great Cyrus II of Persia (; peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Under his rule, the empire embraced ...

Armenia

;

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

: :The

exonym An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...

''Armenia'' is attested in the

Old Persian Old Persian is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan language, Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native ...

Behistun inscription as ''Armina'', and introduced into Greek by

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...

as "Armenians", who in his review of the troops opposing the Greeks wrote that "the Armenians were armed like the

Phrygians The Phrygians (Greek: Φρύγες, ''Phruges'' or ''Phryges'') were an ancient Indo-European speaking people, who inhabited central-western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in antiquity. They were related to the Greeks. Ancient Greek authors used ...

, being Phrygian

colonists A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

.". ''Armenia'' as the name for the country of the Armenians is in use since

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

. The ultimate origin of the exonym is also uncertain, but it may well be connected to an Assyrian toponym ' or ', first recorded by Naram-Sin in the 23rd century BC as the name of an Akkadian colony in the

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır (; ; ; ) is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, ...

region. ; Artavaz

Cities and regions

;

Dvin Dvin may refer to: *Dvin (ancient city), an ancient city and one of the historic capitals of Armenia *Dvin, Armenia, a modern village in Armenia named after the nearby ancient city of Dvin *Verin Dvin, a village in the Ararat Province of Armenia *FC ...

: The word is of

origin, and means hill. ; Hrazdan: The name Hrazdan is derived from the

Middle-Persian Middle Persian or Pahlavi, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg () in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasanian Empire. For some time after the Sasanian collapse, Middle Per ...

name ''Frazdan''. ''Farzdan'' is connected to the

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

. ; Sardarabad ;

Spitak Spitak ( hy, Սպիտակ), is a town and urban municipal community in the northern Lori Province of Armenia. It is north of the capital, Yerevan, and west of the provincial center, Vanadzor. Spitak was entirely destroyed during the devastatin ...

; Zangezur

Azerbaijan

;

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

: :The Republic of Azerbaijan gets its name from the Iranian region known as Azerbaijan. The name Azerbaijan is thought to be derived from '' Atropates'', the

Satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires. The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with consid ...

(governor) of Media in the

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, who ruled a region found in modern

Iranian Azarbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan ( fa, آذربایجان, ''Āzarbāijān'' ; az-Arab, آذربایجان, ''Āzerbāyjān'' ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq, Turkey, the Nakhchivan ...

called '' Atropatene''.''Historical Dictionary of Azerbaijan'' by Tadeusz Swietochowski and Brian C. Collins, (retrieved 7 June 2006). Atropates name is believed to be derived from the

roots meaning "protected by fire."''The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity under Russian Rule'' by Audrey Altstadt, (retrieved 7 June 2006). The name is also mentioned in the Avestan Frawardin Yasht: ''âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide'' which translates literally to: We worship the Fravashi of the holy Atare-pata.

Cities and regions

; Absheron Rayon ; Astara and Astara (rayon): There are two main theories for the etymology of the city's name. One is that it is derived from the

Talysh Talysh may refer to: *Talysh people *History of Talysh *Talysh language *Talysh Khanate, in existence from 1747 to 1828 *Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic, a self-declared autonomy, which existed briefly in the south of Azerbaijan in 1993 *Talysh M ...

word آهسته رو (Aste-ro or Aheste-ro), meaning "the place where the travel gets slower" (given the marshlands that surrounded the region before)

The oldest theory comes from Vedic songs and writings which explains Astara as a place where the rays of lights shine from behind to light the pathways ahead. ; Babek (rayon), Babək rayon: Named after the Iranian hero Babak Khorramdin ;

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

: The name Baku is widely believed to be derived from the old

names of the city ''Bad-kube'', meaning "city where the wind blows", or ''Baghkuh'', meaning "Mount of God".

sources refer the city as ''Baku'', ''Bakukh'', ''Bakuya'', and ''Bakuye'', all of which seem to come from the original Persian name. Other theories suggest that the name dates back to

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion and one of the world's History of religion, oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian peoples, Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a Dualism in cosmology, du ...

and comes from the word ''Baga'' meaning "the god" in Avestan and Sanskrit. ;

Barda Barda or BARDA may refer to: Geography *Barda District, a district in Azerbaijan *Barda, Azerbaijan, a town in Azerbaijan *Bârda, a village in Malovăț Commune, Mehedinți County, Romania *Barda, Russia, several rural localities in Russia *Bar ...

: The name of the town derives from Old Armenian ''Partaw'' ( Պարտաւ), itself from Iranian *''pari-tāva-'' 'rampart', from *''pari-'' 'around' and *tā̆v- 'to throw; to heap up'. ; Beylagan: The 5th century Armenian historian

Moses of Chorene Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; hy, Մովսէս Խորենացի, , also written as ''Movses Xorenac‘i'' and Moses of Khoren, Moses of Chorene, and Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historian from the late an ...

states that this name is from the Persian name Payda-gharan (پایداقاران), that its meaning is not clear, but that "-an" in the last section means "place of" in Persian. ; Bilasuvar: It has been said that the ancient name was Pileh-Swar that in Persian means "the elephant-riding person ", named after one of the

Buyid dynasty The Buyid dynasty ( fa, آل بویه, Āl-e Būya), also spelled Buwayhid ( ar, البويهية, Al-Buwayhiyyah), was a Shia Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, which mainly ruled over Iraq and central and southern Iran from 934 to 1062. Coupl ...

amirs. ;

Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: �aːɲd� ...

: The name comes from the New Persian ganj (گنج: "treasure, treasury"), which itself is from the Middle Persian Ganjak of the same meaning. ;

Hadrut Hadrut ( hy, Հադրութ, ) is a town in the Khojavend District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The town had an ethnic Armenian-majority population prior to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Numerous Armenian civilians ...

;

Kalbajar Kalbajar ( az, Kəlbəcər , ) is a city and the capital of the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan. Located on the Tartar river valley, it is away from the capital Baku. The city had a population of 7,246 before its capture by Armenian forces on ...

; Karabakh: The word "Karabakh" originated from Turkic and

, literally meaning "black garden."BBC News — Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh
/ref> Ouloubabyan, B. Ղարաբաղ (''Karabagh'') Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia, vol. vii, Yerevan, Armenian SSR, 1981 p. 26 The name first appears in

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

and Persian sources in the 13th and 14th centuries. The term Nagorno-Karabakh is a derivative that refers to the mountainous part of Karabakh (the Russian word ''нагорный'' - ''nagorny'' means "mountainous", "upland"). ;

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic ( az, Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası, ), is a landlocked exclave of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republic with a popula ...

and Nakhchivan City: According to some, the name Nakhchivan derived from the Persian ''Nagsh-e-Jahan'' ("Image of the World"), a reference to the beauty of the area. ;

Nardaran Nardaran is a settlement and municipality on the Abşeron Peninsula in Baku, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 8,300. Located 25 kilometers northeast of central Baku, it is politically part of the Baku city-subdivision and treated as a suburb. ...

: from the Persian Nar ( Pomegranate)نار + Daran (trees) داران "Place with Pomegranate trees". ; Ordubad ; Sadarak ; Shaki and

Shaki (rayon) Shaki District ( az, Şəki rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north of the country and belongs to the Shaki-Zagatala Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Qakh, Oghuz, Agdash, Yevlakh, an ...

: According to the Azerbaijan Development Gateway, the name of the town goes back to the ethnonym of the Sakas, who reached the territory of modern-day Azerbaijan in the 7th century B.C. and populated it for several centuries. In the medieval sources, the name of the town is found in various forms such as Sheke, Sheki, Shaka, Shakki, Shakne, Shaken, Shakkan, Shekin. ; Shirvan: Literally meaning "Land of the Lions" in

. ; Shusha: Literally means "glass" and derives from New Persian ''Shīsha'' ("glass, vessel, bottle, flask"). ;

Siazan Siyazan ( az, Siyəzən; Tat: ''Siyəzən'') is a city, municipality and the capital of the Siyazan District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 24,900. The city's name is said to be derived from Persian Persian may refer to: * People and th ...

: The word ''Siyazan'' derives from the Tat words ''siya'' ("black") and ''zan'' ("woman"). ; Surakhani ; Xirdalan ;

Zangilan Zangilan (, ; hy, Կովսական, Kovsakan) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Zangilan District. It is situated along the Voghji (Okhchuchay) river. Etymology According to the Armenian historian Hovhannes Ghar ...

; Zardab: Zardab is a Persian word (زردآب ''Zardab'') meaning "yellow water". ; Zərgəran ; Zərnava

Geographic features

; Absheron: The name ''Abşeron'' is

and comes from the Persian word ''Abshuran'' (آبشوران) meaning "The place of the Salty Waters".

Georgia

; Georgia: The word "Georgia" ultimately derives from the Persian word ''gurğ/gurğān'' ("wolf").

Cities

;

Gardabani Gardabani ( ka, გარდაბანი) is a city of 11,650 residents (2021) in the southern Georgian region of Kvemo Kartli and is the administrative centre of the Gardabani Municipality. It is located southeast of capital Tbilisi and from ...

;

Gurjaani Gurjaani ( ka, გურჯაანი) is a town in Kakheti, a region in eastern Georgia, and the seat of the Gurjaani Municipality. It is located in the Alazani River Plain, at an elevation of 415 m above sea level. Gurjaani is first recorded ...

;

Baghdati Baghdati ( ka, ბაღდათი, tr) is a town of 3,700 people in the Imereti region of western Georgia, at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the river Khanistsqali, a tributary of the Rioni. Geography The town is located at the edge of the ...

Central Asia

; Amudarya ;

Syrdarya The Syr Darya (, ),, , ; rus, Сырдарья́, Syrdarjja, p=sɨrdɐˈrʲja; fa, سيردريا, Sirdaryâ; tg, Сирдарё, Sirdaryo; tr, Seyhun, Siri Derya; ar, سيحون, Seyḥūn; uz, Sirdaryo, script-Latn/. historically known ...

;

Khwarezm Khwarazm (; Old Persian: ''Hwârazmiya''; fa, خوارزم, ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the ...

;

Pamir Mountains The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia and Pakistan. It is located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among the world ...

;

Turkistan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...

: Formed with the Persian suffix ''-istan'', literally meaning "land of the Turks" in Persian.

Afghanistan

;

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

: :Formed with the Old Persian suffix ''-stan'', cognate with ''sthāna'' from Sanskrit, meaning 'land', it literally means "Land of Afghans".

Cities

;

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...

; Jalalabad ;

Mazar-i Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...

Kazakhstan

Formed with the Persian suffix -istan, literally meaning "land of the Kazakh or Ghazagh" in Persian.

Cities

; Astana ;

Shymkent Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is one ...

;

Taraz Taraz ( kz, Тараз, تاراز, translit=Taraz ; known to Europeans as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (river), Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the borde ...

;

Lenger Lenger ( kk, Леңгір, ''Leñgır'', لەنگەر; russian: Ленгер) is a city in Tole Bi District, Turkistan Region of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in ...

;

Shardara Shardara ( kk, Шардара, ''Şardara'') is a town and the administrative center of Shardara District in Turkistan Region of central Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located m ...

Kyrgyzstan

Formed with the Persian suffix -istan.

Cities

;

Jalal-Abad Jalal-Abad (also spelled Dzhalal-Abad, Djalal-Abat, Jalalabat; ky, Жалал-Aбат, ''Calal-Abat/Jalal-Abat'', جالال-ابات, ) is the administrative and economic centre of Jalal-Abad Region in southwestern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and ...

;

Osh Osh (Kyrgyz: Ош, romanised Osh; uz, O‘sh/Ўш) is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country and often referred to as the "capital of the south". It is the oldest city in the country (e ...

; Batken ;

Isfana , image_skyline = One of the Streets of Isfana.JPG , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = One of the Streets of Isfana.JPG , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map ...

; Uzgen ;

Aravan Aravan may refer to: *Aravan, Kyrgyzstan, a large village in Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan *Aravan District, a district of Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan *Aravan or Aravansay, a river in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan *Aravan (legendary), a legendary ruler of 5th cent ...

; Khaidarkan ;

Kadamjay Kadamjay ( ky, Кадамжай; russian: Кадамжай, earlier also Кадамджай) is a city located in Kadamjay District of Batken Region of Kyrgyzstan. Its population was 14,049 in 2021. It is the administrative seat of Kadamjay Distri ...

;

Nooken District Nooken District ( ky, Ноокен району, before 1992: ''Lenin District'') is a district of Jalal-Abad Region in western Kyrgyzstan. The administrative seat lies at Masy. Its area is , and its resident population was 145,187 in 2021. Popul ...

Tajikistan

;

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

: Tajik combined with Persian suffix ''-stan''."stan", originally Sanskrit 'sthan' meaning 'land'. OED Literally meaning "Land of Tajiks" in Persian.

Cities and regions

;

Dushanbe Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (r ...

: The name is derived from the Persian word for "Monday" (du two + shamba or shanbe day, lit. "day two") and refers to the fact that it was a popular Monday

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

. ; Garm: The name is derived from the

Gharmi people The Gharmi, or Garmi people (russian: Гарми tg, Ғармӣ, tg, Ğarmî/Ƣarmī/غرمى), are one of the original groups of Tajiks, originate from the Rasht Valley in central Tajikistan. From the 1920s to 1955 there was a Gharm oblast in ...

, and Iranian people. ; Kofarnihon: The name comes from the Persian کافر نهان, literally meaning "place where unbelievers hide". ; Murghab: Derived from the Persian word مرغاب meaning "river of the birds". ;

Panjakent , image_skyline = Pajakent Bazaar1.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Panjakent Bazaar , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Tajikistan#West Asia , pushpin_relief = yes , pushpin_label_position = , pushp ...

: Persian پنج‌کند which means Five Cities. Its older name was Panj-deh (Five Villages). Kent or Kand is Iranian city or fortress. like Samarkand and Tashkand. ;

Qurghonteppa , native_name_lang=tg , image_skyline = Бохтар 2018.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = Bokhtar in 2018 , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Tajikistan , pushpin_label_position =bott ...

: Derived from the Persian word گرگان تپه meaning "Hills of Gurgan".

Turkmenistan

;

Ashgabat Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...

: The name is believed to derive from the Persian Ashk-ābād meaning "the City of Arsaces." Another explanation is that the name comes from the Arabic عشق (''ishq'', meaning "love") and the Persian آباد (ābād meaning "cultivated place" or "city"), and hence loosely translates as "the city of love."

Cities

;

Abadan Abadan ( fa, آبادان ''Ābādān'', ) is a city and capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, which is located in the southwest of Iran. It lies on Abadan Island ( long, 3–19 km or 2–12 miles wide). The island is bounded ...

; Chardzhou ; Mary ;

Merv Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...

; Türkmenabat

Uzbekistan

;

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

: Uzbek combined with Persian suffix ''-stan'', originally from Sanskrit 'sthan' meaning 'land'. Literally meaning "Land of Uzbeks" in Persian.

Cities and regions

;

Afrasiab Afrasiab ( fa, ''afrāsiyāb''; ae, Fraŋrasyan; Middle-Persian: ''Frāsiyāv, Frāsiyāk'') is the name of the mythical king and hero of Turan. He is the main antagonist of the Persian epic Shahnameh, written by Ferdowsi. The mythical king ...

: Derived from the Persian ''afrāsiyāb'' (Persian: افراسياب; Avestan: Fraŋrasyan; Pahlavi: Frāsiyāv, Frāsiyāk and Freangrāsyāk), the name of the mythical King and hero of

Turan Turan ( ae, Tūiriiānəm, pal, Tūrān; fa, توران, Turân, , "The Land of Tur") is a historical region in Central Asia. The term is of Iranian origin and may refer to a particular prehistoric human settlement, a historic geographical re ...

and an archenemy of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. ;

Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...

Encyclopædia Iranica ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times. Scope The ''Encycl ...

mentions that the name Bukhara is possibly derived from the

Soghdian The Sogdian language was an Eastern Iranian language spoken mainly in the Central Asian region of Sogdia (capital: Samarkand; other chief cities: Panjakent, Fergana, Khujand, and Bukhara), located in modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhst ...

''βuxārak''. Another possible source of the name Bukhara may be from "a Turkic ( Uighur) transfer of the Sanskrit word ' Vihara'" (monastery), and may be linked to the pre-Islamic presence of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

(especially strong at the time of the Kushan empire) originating from the Indian sub-continent, and to the presence of some Turkish rulers in the 6th Century. ; Dehkanabad : Formed with Persian suffix ''-abad''. ; Guliston: Formed with the Persian suffix ''-istan''. ; Jizzakh: The name "Jizzahk", derives from the Sogdian word for "small fort" and the present city is built of the site of the Sogdian town of

Usrushana ''Osrušana'' ( fa, اسروشنه) or ''Ustrushana'' was a former Greater Iran, Iranian regionC. Edmund Bosworth (2005), "Osrušana", in ''Encyclopaedia Iranica''. Online Accessed November 201Quote 1: "The region was little urbanized, and it lon ...

. ;

Karakalpakstan Karakalpakstan, / officially the Republic of Karakalpakstan, / is an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan. It occupies the whole northwestern part of Uzbekistan. The capital is Nukus (' / ). The Republic of Karakalpakstan has an area of , and ...

: Formed with the Persian suffix ''-istan''. ; Namangan and Namangan Province: Derived from the local salt mines (in

: نمک‌کان ''namak kan''). ;

: In Sogdian, the native local

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

language in pre-Islamic times, ''kanθ'' means town, which is derived from

''kanda'', meaning a town or a region. In this case, Khanda has been manipulated into "kent". ;

Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...

: The name Samarkand is derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

term ''Samara Khanda'' which literally means "region of war". In Greek it was known as ''Marakanda''. In Sogdian, the native local

language in pre-Islamic times, ''kanθ'' means town, which is derived from

''kanda'', meaning a town or a region. ; Shahrisabz: Its name (شهر سبز/Šahr e Sabz) means "green city" in

. ; Surxondaryo ;

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

: In medieval times the town and the province were known as "Chach". Later, the town came to be known as Chachkand/Chashkand, meaning "Chach City." (Kand, qand, kent, kad, kath, kud—all meaning a city, are derived from the Old Iranian, kanda, meaning a town or a city. ; Xorazm ;

Yarkand Yarkant County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also Shache County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also transliterated from Uyghur as Yakan County, is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous ...

: In Sogdian, the native local

language in pre-Islamic times, ''kanθ'' means town, which is derived from

''kanda'', meaning a town or a region. ;

Zeravshan Zarafshon ( uz, Zarafshon / Зарафшон, fa, زرافشان) is a city in the center of Uzbekistan's Navoiy Region. Administratively, it is a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlement Muruntau. It has an area of and it ...

: From the Persian word زر افشان, meaning "the sprayer of Gold".

Geographical features

;

Zeravshan mountains The Zeravshan; uz, Zeravshon, Зеравшон, زېرەۋشان; from Persian fa, , Zarâfšân – meaning "the spreader of gold" is a river in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia. Its name, "spreader of gold" in Persian, refers to the ...

: From the Persian word زر افشان, meaning "the sprayer of Gold".

East Asia

;China: The English name of China comes from the

Qin Dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

, possibly in a

form; the pronunciation "China" came to the western languages through the Persian word چین "''Chin''". ;

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

(both north and south): :After the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

Dynasty, the first Korean dynasty visited by

merchants who referred to Koryŏ (Goryeo) as Korea.

Brunei

; Bandar Seri Begawan:

Indonesia

;

Banda Aceh Banda Aceh ( Acehnese: ''Banda Acèh'', Jawoë: كوتا بند اچيه) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of . The city covers an area of and had ...

: The first part of its name comes from the

'' bandar'' (بندر) and means "port" or "haven". It is also proudly referred to as the "port to Meccah", as

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

first arrived in

Aceh Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...

and spread throughout

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. ;

Bandar Lampung Bandar Lampung (Lampung: , ''Kutak Bandarlampung'', formerly Dutch: ''Oosthaven'', lit. "Eastern Harbor") is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Lampung. Located on the southern tip of Sumatra, Bandar Lampung was original ...

: Bandar (in

بندر) is a Persian word meaning "port" and "haven". Etymologically it combines Persian بند ''Band'' (enclosed) and در ''dar'' (gate, door) meaning "an enclosed area" (i.e. protected from the sea). The word travelled with Persian sailors over a wide area leading to several coastal places in

and elsewhere having Bandar (haven) as part of their names.

Malaysia

;

Bandar Sri Damansara Bandar Sri Damansara is a residential township in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. The township is divided into two sections, SD1-SD5 in the north and SD7-SD15 in the south which are separated by Malaysia Federal Route 54, Kuala Selangor-Ke ...

: ; Bandar Seri Putra: ;

Bandar Baru Bangi Bandar Baru Bangi (literal translation: ''Bangi New Town'') is a township situated in Hulu Langat District, in southeastern Selangor, Malaysia. It is named after the small town of Bangi situated further south. It is located between Kajang and P ...

: ; Bandar Samariang:

Europe

;

Danube River The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

: Comes from the ancient ''Danuvius'',

*dānu, meaning "river" or "stream". ;

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...

: Sarmatian ''*danu apara'' "river to the rear" ;

Dniester The Dniester, ; rus, Дне́стр, links=1, Dnéstr, ˈdⁿʲestr; ro, Nistru; grc, Τύρᾱς, Tyrās, ; la, Tyrās, la, Danaster, label=none, ) ( ,) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and th ...

: Sarmatian ''*danu nazdya'' "river to the front. ; Don River (Russia) ;

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: Names of European cities in different languages (C–D), cities' alternat ...

;

Dnipro Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...

;

Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus ( rus, links=no, Эльбрус, r=Elbrus, p=ɪlʲˈbrus; kbd, Ӏуащхьэмахуэ, 'uaşhəmaxuə; krc, Минги тау, Mingi Taw) is the highest and most prominent peak in Russia and Europe. It is situated in the we ...

: a metathesis of Alborz ; Tiraspol: from an ancient name of the river, Tyras, derived from Scythian *tūra

Russia

;

Bashkortostan The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик� ...

: Formed with the Persian suffix ''-istan''. ;

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

: Formed with the Persian suffix ''-istan''. ; Tatarstan: Formed with the Persian suffix ''-istan'', literally meaning "Land of the Tartars" in Persian.

Cities

;

Derbent Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It is ...

: The name is a

word (دربند ''Darband'') meaning "barred gate", which came into use in the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century AD, when the city was refounded by

Kavadh I Kavad I ( pal, 𐭪𐭥𐭠𐭲 ; 473 – 13 September 531) was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption. A son of Peroz I (), he was crowned by the nobles to replace his deposed and unpopular u ...

of the

Sassanid The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

dynasty of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. ; Turan (town)

Bulgaria

;

Razgrad Province Razgrad Province ( bg, Област Разград (''Oblast Razgrad''), former name Razgrad okrug) is a province in Northeastern Bulgaria, geographically part of the Ludogorie region. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre ...

; Pazardzhik Province:Persian ''bāzār'', "market" + the Turkic diminutive suffix ''-cık'', "small". ;

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

: possible Iranian etymology: var ("camp", "fortress")

Bosnia and Herzegovina

;

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

: from

''sarāy'', "house, palace"

Romania

;

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

: from the name of the Sarmatian tribe of

Iazyges The Iazyges (), singular Ἰάζυξ. were an ancient Sarmatian tribe that traveled westward in BC from Central Asia to the steppes of modern Ukraine. In BC, they moved into modern-day Hungary and Serbia near the Dacian steppe between th ...

Hungary

; Jászság, Jászberény: (after the

Jasz people The Jász (''Latin'': Jazones) are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group who have lived in Hungary since the 13th century. They live mostly in a region known as ''Jászság'', which comprises the north-western part of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county. ...

from

Sarmatia The Sarmatians (; grc, Σαρμαται, Sarmatai; Latin: ) were a large confederation of ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic peoples of classical antiquity who dominated the Pontic steppe from about the 3rd century BC to the 4th centur ...

)

Serbia

; Novi Pazar: Persian (''bāzār'') 'market'

North Macedonia

; Saraj, Skopje: Persian (''sarāy'') 'house'

Croatia

;

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

: The name is most probably from Proto-Ossetian / Alanian *''xurvæt-'' or *''xurvāt-'', in the meaning of "one who guards" ("guardian, protector").

Middle East

;

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

: Derived from Persia. ;

Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the ...

: There are two opinions about the etymology of this name. In popular belief the derivation is from the name of the Persian God ''Hormoz'' (a variant of ''

Ahura Mazda Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...

''). Compare the Pillars of Hercules at the entrance to the Mediterranean. Scholars, historians and linguists derive the name "Ormuz" from the local

word ''Hur-mogh'' meaning datepalm. In the local dialects of Hurmoz and Minab this strait is still called Hurmogh and has the aforementioned meaning. ; Arvandrud: The Iranian name of the Shatt al-Arab, from the Persian , literally Arvand River.

Iran

;

Cities

;

: An Iranian etymology of the name (from the Persian word "ab" (water) and the root "pā" (guard, watch) thus "coastguard station"), was suggested by ''B. Farahvashi''. Supporting evidence is the name "Apphana" which

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

applies to an island off the mouth of the Tigris. The Persian version of the name had begun to come into general use before it was adopted by official decree in 1935.Abadan
in

, pp.51-52 The geographer Marcian also renders the name "Apphadana" in his writings. ; Ahvaz: The word ''Ahvaz'' is a Persianized form of the local Arabic ''Ahwaz'', which in turn itself is derived from a Persian word. The Dehkhoda Dictionary specifically defines the Arabic "Suq-al-Ahwaz" as "Market of the Khuzis", where "Suq" is Arabic for market, and "Ahwaz" is a plural () of the form "af'āl" () of the word "Huz", or more precisely, the Arabic root "ha wa za" (), which itself comes from the Persian ''Huz'', from Achaemenid inscriptions from where the term first appears. Thus, "Ahwaz" in Arabic means "the Huz-i people", which refers to the non-Arabic original inhabitants of Khūzestān. ;

Aligoodarz Aligudarz ( fa, اليگودرز), also known as ‘Ali Gudār, is a city and capital of Aligudarz County, Lorestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 78,690, in 18,115 families. Aligudarz is located 420 km from Tehran and ...

: The city of Aligoodarz was once called Al-e Goodarz meaning "sons or tribe of

Goodarz Goudarz ( fa, گودرز) is one of the main Iranian heroes in Shahnameh, the national epic of Greater Iran, and progenitor of one of its most prominent families. He is son of Kashvad, father of Giv and Roham and the grandfather of Bizhan. His f ...

", a mythical

hero from the Persian national epic

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,00 ...

. ;

Amol Amol ( fa, آمل – ; ; also Romanized as Āmol and Amul) is a city and the administrative center of Amol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran, with a population of around 300,000 people. Amol is located on the Haraz river bank. It is less than ...

: Many scholars believe that the city's name is rooted in the word ''Amard'' (''Amui'' in

Pahlavi Pahlavi may refer to: Iranian royalty *Seven Parthian clans, ruling Parthian families during the Sasanian Empire *Pahlavi dynasty, the ruling house of Imperial State of Persia/Iran from 1925 until 1979 **Reza Shah, Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944 ...

). ; Ardabil: The name Ardabil comes from the

name of "Artavil" (mentioned in Avesta) which means a holy place. ;

Ardakan Ardakan ( fa, اردكان, also romanized as Ardakān and Artagan) is the capital city of Ardakan County, Yazd Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 75,271 in 22,475 families. Ardakan is the second major city of Yazd Province. ...

: The word "Ardakan" in

means "holy place" or "clean place" ( Modern Persian: ''ardak+an'' /

Middle Persian Middle Persian or Pahlavi, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg () in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasanian Empire. For some time after the Sasanian collapse, Middle Per ...

: ''artak+an'') ; Astara: The city's name is derived from the

word (Aste-ro or Aheste-ro), meaning "the place where the travel gets slower" (given the marshlands that surrounded the region before)

Islands

; Farsi Island:

Arabized Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, aft ...

name derived from Parsi (Persian). ; Greater and Lesser Tunbs: The name of the islands comes from Persian tunb 'hilly place'. ;

Hendurabi Hendurabi or Hendorabi ( fa, هندورابی) is an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf. Its name is derived from the Persian word ''Andar-abi'' meaning "Inside the waters". It is located in Hormozgan Province, to the west of Kish Island and due ...

: Derived from the Persian word اندرآبی Andar-abi meaning "Inside the waters". ;

Hormuz Island Hormuz Island (; fa, جزیره هرمز ''Jazireh-ye Hormoz''), also spelled Hormoz, is an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf. Located in the Strait of Hormuz, off the Iranian coast, the island is part of Hormozgan Province. It is sparsely i ...

: Name of Shah Hormuz ;

Shetor Island Shidvar Island (), is an uninhabited island in the Persian Gulf east of the larger inhabited island of Lavan. The whole island is a natural reserve called Shidvar Wildlife Refuge. Administratively, the island forms part of the Lavan Rural District ...

: Shetor or Shotor (Persian: شتور) in Persian means Camel.

Geographical features

Iraq

;

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

: Possibly derived from the Middle Persian word Erak, meaning "lowlands". The natives of the southwestern part of today's Iran called their land the "Persian Iraq" (Iraq Ajami) for many centuries. Before the constitution of the state of Iraq, the term "Arab Iraq" (Iraq Arabi) referred to the region around Baghdad and Basra.

Cities and regions

; Anbar ;

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

;

Bahdinan Bahdinan or Badinan was one of the most powerful and enduring Kurdish principalities. It was founded by ''Baha-al-Din'' originally from ''Şemzînan'' area in Hakkari in sometime between 13th or 14th century CE. The capital of this emirate was ...

;

Barzan Barzan can refer to: Geography * Barzan, Iraq, a city in northern Iraq * Barzan, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province, Iran * Barzan, alternate name of Sevaldi, a village in North Khorasan Province, Iran * Barzan, Charente-Maritime, a town in Fran ...

;

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...

;

Ctesiphon Ctesiphon ( ; Middle Persian: 𐭲𐭩𐭮𐭯𐭥𐭭 ''tyspwn'' or ''tysfwn''; fa, تیسفون; grc-gre, Κτησιφῶν, ; syr, ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢThomas A. Carlson et al., “Ctesiphon — ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modi ...

;

Al Diwaniyah Al Diwaniyah ( ar, ٱلدِّيوَانِيَّة ''ad-Dīwānīyah''), also spelt Diwaniya, is the capital city of Iraq's Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate. In 2002 the population was estimated at 440,927. Overview The area around Al Diwaniyah, which i ...

; Dohuk ;

Khanaqin Khanaqin ( ar, خانقين; ku, خانەقین, translit=Xaneqîn) is the central city of Khanaqin District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border (8 km) on the Alwand tributary of the Diyala River. The town is populated b ...

; Salman Pak

Lebanon

; Kisrawan

Oman

; Bandar Khayran: ;

Bandar Jissah Bandar Jissah ( ar, بندر الجصة) is a coastal town in northeastern Oman. Bandar Jissah was the centre of a ''Cause célèbre'' in Anglo-Omani relations in 1898, which was later called Oman's Fashoda Incident The Fashoda Incident, also ...

Turkey

;

Adapazarı Adapazarı () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the central district of Sakarya Province. The province itself was originally named Adapazarı as well. Adapazarı is a part of the densely populated region of the country known as the Marmara Regi ...

;

Aksaray Aksaray (, Koine Greek: Ἀρχελαΐς ''Arhelays'', Medieval Greek: Κολώνεια ''Koloneya'', Ancient Greek: Γαρσάουρα ''Garsaura'') is a city in the Central Anatolia Region, Turkey, Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the ca ...

;

Akşehir Akşehir is a town and district of Konya Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 114,918 of which 63,000 live in the town of Akşehir. The town is situated at the edge of a fertil ...

; Alaşehir ;

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

;

Eceabat Eceabat, formerly Maydos (Madytos, el, Μάδυτος), is a small town and district of Çanakkale province in the Marmara region of Turkey, located on the eastern shore of the Gelibolu Peninsula, on the Dardanelles Strait. According to the 2010 ...

; Erzincan ; Eskişehir ; Galatasaray ; Gümüşhane ;

Kahramanmaraş Marash (Armenian: Մարաշ), officially Kahramanmaraş () and historically Germanicea (Greek: Γερμανίκεια), is a city in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey and the administrative center of Kahramanmaraş Province. Before 1973, Kahrama ...

; Nevşehir ; Pazar

United Arab Emirates

;

Ajman Ajman ( ar, عجمان, '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ʿymān) is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Located along the Persian Gulf, it is ...

;

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

: Some believe that the name of the city as Persian roots, possibly from the Persian words ''do'' (two) and ''baradar'' brother), referring to Diera and Bur Dubai. ;

Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital o ...

North America

;

Persia, Iowa Persia is a city in Harrison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 297 in the 2020 census, a decline from 363 in the 2000 census. Geography Persia is located at (41.578993, -95.570417). According to the United States Census Bureau, ...

Persia, New York Persia is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Cattaraugus County, New York, Cattaraugus County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 2,203 at the 2020 census. It is in the northwest part of the county. The ...

, and Persia, California: Persia derives from the ancient Greek name for Iran's maritime province, called '' Fars'' in the modern

Persian language Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and ...

, ''

Pars Pars may refer to: * Fars Province of Iran, also known as Pars Province * Pars (Sasanian province), a province roughly corresponding to the present-day Fars, 224–651 * ''Pars'', for ''Persia'' or ''Iran'', in the Persian language * Pars News A ...

'' in

and ''Pārsa'' () in

. ''Persis'' is the

Hellenized Hellenization (other British spelling Hellenisation) or Hellenism is the adoption of Greek culture, religion, language and identity by non-Greeks. In the ancient period, colonization often led to the Hellenization of indigenous peoples; in the ...

form of Pars, and through that came the Latinized word ''

''.

Southern Asia

Bangladesh

;

Bandar Upazila Bandar ( bn, বন্দর, Bondor, Port) is an upazila (sub-district) of the Narayanganj District in central Bangladesh, part of the Dhaka Division. Bandar is a part of Greater Dhaka; the conurbation surrounding the Bangladeshi capital city of ...

; Bandar Thana

India

;India: :The name ''India'' is derived from ''

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

'', which is derived from the

word '' Hind''. This is the name of the Indus River in Old Persian. The word Hindu also originates from the Old Persian, meaning people who live beyond the Indus River, and it originally referred to the people, not the religion."India", ''Oxford English Dictionary'', second edition, 2100a.d. Oxford University Press Furthermore, the name "

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( , from '' Hindū'' and ''-stān''), also sometimes spelt as Hindōstān ( ''Indo-land''), along with its shortened form ''Hind'' (), is the Persian-language name for the Indian subcontinent that later became commonly used by ...

", a name for historical India, is Persian derived. ;

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Pakistan

;Pakistan: Formed from the Persian meaning "Land of the Pure"; "Pāk-" meaning "pure" and the Persian suffix "-istān" meaning "land" ;

: formed from Persian meaning "land of the five streams"; "Panj-" meaning "five" and "-āb" meaning "waters"

Cities

;

Keti Bandar The Keti Bandar Port ( ur, ) is a port on the Arabian Sea, in the Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan. The port was built on the remains of the older seaport of Debal where Muhammad bin Qasim and his army arrived from Iraq. Keti Bandar is approxima ...

: town in Pakistan formed by Persian word "Bandar" ; Shamal Bandar: town in Pakistan formed by Persian word "Bandar" ;

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

: capital of Pakistan formed by Persian word "-abad" meaning "city of

" ;

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

: city in Pakistan formed from Old Persian "Pārāshavār" meaning "forward city" ;

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

: city in Pakistan formed from Old Persian "mulastāna" meaning "frontier land" ; Ziarat: town in Pakistan formed by Persian word "Ziarat" meaning "pilgrimage" ;

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

: city in Pakistan formed from Persian meaning "Lion city" referring to

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

; Muzaffarabad: city in Pakistan formed by Persian words meaning "city of the Victorious" ;

Bagh Bagh ( fa, باغ, link=no, meaning "garden") may refer to: Places India * Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh, India * Bagh, Dhar, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India Iran * Bagh, Ardabil, a village in Ardabil Province * Bagh, Larestan, a village ...

: town in Pakistan formed by the Persian word meaning "garden" ; Mardan: city in Pakistan derived from Persian meaning "city of Men" ;

Khuzdar Khuzdar ( Brahui/ bal, ; ur, , ), historically known as Qusdar ( ar, قصدار, quṣdār), is the capital city of Khuzdar District in the central part of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 2nd-largest city of Balochistan province ...

: town in Pakistan derived from Persian Various cities and towns of South Asia ending in the Persian suffix -ābād ().

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Geographic Names Of Iranian Origin Azerbaijan geography-related lists, Geographic names of Iranian origin Iran geography-related lists, Names Place names

Africa

Somalia

Tanzania

Tunisia

Caucasus

Armenia

Cities and regions

Azerbaijan

Cities and regions

Geographic features

Georgia

Cities

Central Asia

Afghanistan

Cities

Kazakhstan

Cities

Kyrgyzstan

Cities

Tajikistan

Cities and regions

Turkmenistan

Cities

Uzbekistan

Cities and regions

Geographical features

East Asia

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Europe

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Cities

Bulgaria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Romania

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Geographical features

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Cities and regions

Lebanon

Oman

Turkey

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North America

Southern Asia

Bangladesh

India

Pakistan

Cities

See also

References

Sources