The position of Iranology Studies in the Caucasus Region

The Caucasus has long been inextricably linked to the Iranian land. The two regions of Aran and Shervan were an inseparable part of Iran from the beginning, and the kings of this region who were lovers of literature played an important role in enhancing Persian poetry and literature in the region. In other words, Persian was the cultural language of the region. Persian language also gradually flourished in other Caucasus regions such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Dagestan. Nowadays with the growth and development of scientific centers, paying attention to Persian language and Iranology studies is of great importance in each of these areas. In addition to historical links, cultural and economic exchanges between the north and northwest of Iran were increased in the last years of the 19th century, as a result a great number of written sources and manuscripts were added to the libraries and archives of the Caucasus in the late nineteenth century; this was one of the reasons for the creation of the Iranology Studies Departments in this area during the Soviet era. Since the fall of communism, based on Soviet research on Iranology studies in its republics, numerous departments of Iranology Studies have focused on Persian language and literature, linguistics, history and anthropology of Iran in these centers. Given this issue and the importance of Iranology studies in the Caucasus, the present study is expected to examine the status of Iranology Studies in the Caucasus and developments in this field. Given the Caucasian historical and cultural background in Iran, Persian language and Iranology studies seem to be of major importance in Caucasian scientific research.