For Ajam's latest, Manar Heikal explores the history of her illustrious community - the Iranians of Cairo: "You won’t find much about them in textbooks. There are no heritage signs, no archives, no plaques. Our story was something quieter. More intimate." Read it here: ajammc.com/2025/09/28/i...

"Pahlavi’s attempt to restore dignity to his throne has spawned a tradition of romanticizing ancient Persia in order to deflect attention from contemporary struggles." ajammc.com/2013/06/06/r...

Come and submit your work to our new initiative, Unexpected Persianate! More details below

"While there is no doubt the Shahnameh has helped conserve the rich cultural heritage of the Iranian peoples, many nation-states have propagated misconceptions about the Shahnameh. Myths have attained the status of legend, despite their falsehood." ajammc.com/2013/01/17/f...

What is the most unexpected place where you’ve encountered the Persianate? We want to hear about it! The Association for the Study of Persianate Societies and Ajam invite submissions for our new article series: The Unexpected Persianate: ajammc.com/2025/08/11/c...

What happens when an ancient Silk Road city becomes a gentrified tourist mecca? Gulnoza Usmonova writes about how government-led heritage restoration has transformed her hometown Bukhara, Uzbekistan and displaced locals who once brought life to its streets: ajammc.com/2025/08/05/g...

Confused yet? Let us help you make sense of this with our recent article: "The Battle Over Iran's Flag" ajammc.com/2025/07/09/b...

In any disaster, always look for the people helping:

Afghan #mutualAid networks have rapidly emerged in recent weeks to support deportees dropped at the border, amid a mass deportation drive that has expelled half a million #Afghans from #Iran. I explore the past&present of these grassroots solidarity networks for @ajammc.bsky.social

Ajam's latest article explores how Afghan mutual aid networks have activated across the country to support deportees - serving a crucial role in the unfolding humanitarian crisis: ajammc.com/2025/07/22/a...

Our latest article is an exploration of Iran's many flags and what they mean: "Each Iranian flag signifies a specific history, representing the political divides of the 90 million Iranians in Iran and 5 million in diaspora. So why do they provoke such strong emotions?" ajammc.com/2025/07/09/b...

"Tehran over the last 30 years has undergone a remarkable and exciting urban transformation, with city officials, cultural venues, and grassroots organizations helping build a city that defies cliches." ajammc.com/2019/01/14/t...

"Iranian militants saw support for Palestinians as a way of furthering their own struggle against the Shah. They emphasized these connections in posters intended to provoke popular support and solidarity." ajammc.com/2023/11/22/i...

"Contemporary examples abound of Turkic languages that continue to use the Arabic script. Far from marginal groups, these communities account for tens of millions of people." ajammc.com/2024/02/11/l...

For Ajam's latest, Veera Rustomji explores how the Parsi community of Karachi narrates its history - and how new archaeological evidence of Sasanian presence on Sindh's shores could reshape how the community understands the history of Zoroastrianism in South Asia: ajammc.com/2025/05/23/p...

Join us Tuesday for a panel in collaboration with the Association for Persianate Studies about “The Unexpected Persianate”!

"Visual ephemera related to May Day 1979 in Iran are testaments to the pluralistic nature of the early years of the Revolution." ajammc.com/2013/05/01/m...

In almost every major body of 20th century photography from Afghanistan, telltale clouds of pale petunia blossoms make an appearance at the margins. What can the humble petunia tell us about gardening, beauty, and aesthetics in Afghanistan? ajammc.com/2025/04/18/p...

In our latest article, Nicolas Roth explores the pictorial record of petunias in Afghanistan - and how these flowers became a mainstay of horticultural practices across the country: ajammc.com/2025/04/18/p...

How did Iran's environment shape histories of labour, revolution, and empire? Listen to the latest @ajammc.bsky.social podcast, featuring James Gustafson discussing his new I.B. Tauris book 'The Lion and the Sun'. 👇

***new podcast episode!*** @bcheves.bsky.social interviews @jamesgustafson.bsky.social about his new book, The Lion and the Sun: Environmental History and the Formation of Modern Iran (I.B. Tauris, 2025). Learn more and listen here: ajammc.com/2025/04/07/a...

"In markets across Iran, Tanakura Bazaars can be found dedicated to second-hand clothes. Tanakura is originally a Japanese word. But in Japan, the word is an uncommon family name; the Persian meaning is nowhere to be found. So how did Tanakura become common in Iran? ajammc.com/2021/02/16/t...

"The world’s approximately 1.5 million Assyrians celebrate Akitu on the first day of April (Nissan), marking the arrival of springtime just a week after their Kurdish neighbors celebrate Nowruz and a day before Iranians celebrate the picnic holiday of Sizdah Bedar." ajammc.com/2017/04/05/t...

Happy Nowruz !! نوروز پیروز From all of us at Ajam — As we welcome spring and the new year, check out these beautiful Nowruz stamps explained by Ben Rejali! ajammc.com/2025/03/19/n...

"The Zoroastrian New Year coincides with the Spring Equinox. It marks not only the beginning of the calendar, but the renewal of life in its perennial struggle with death. This annual milestone is an occasion for celebration and involves ritual arrangements and acts." ajammc.com/2016/05/26/r...

From the archive: How Tehran celebrated Nowruz in the age of COVID “We couldn’t believe spring arrived and yet we were stuck, unable to embrace our loved ones. We wrote poems on banners, like those we read to each other over the phone, but this time for our neighbors." ajammc.com/2020/03/24/p...

Nowruz is coming! This week marks the arrival of Spring. Learn how this ancient festival is celebrated across the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, the Balkans, and East Africa: ajammc.com/2018/03/21/h...

"Masoud El Amaratly is not only one of Iraq’s most famous singers; he is also one of the Arab World’s most well-known transgender icons." ajammc.com/2023/06/26/i...

"History’s path cannot be followed like a continuous thread; with the passage of time, many narratives are marginalized or forgotten. As we reread historical narratives, their absences create a void. The story of the Iranians of Istanbul is one of these voids." ajammc.com/2024/08/24/i...

Have you listened to our recent podcast yet? Learn about how Sufi communities in Afghanistan navigate religious authority and adapt in times of political change and social upheaval. ajammc.com/2025/03/03/a... #WeekendListen #Sufism #Afghanistan

"Why were planets represented as enslaved people in Islamic art? What do these images imply about medieval astrological understandings of the planets and their power?" ajammc.com/2025/02/07/v...

A decade before the revolution, Indo-Pakistani author Qurratulain Hyder visited Iran to accompany the royal family and prepare a biography of Empress Farah Diba. Her journey is a revealing look behind the scenes of Pahlavi rule: ajammc.com/2025/02/21/q...

***new podcast alert!*** @bcheves.bsky.social interviews @annikaschmeding.bsky.social about her first book, Sufi Civilities: Religious Authority and Political Change in Afghanistan (@stanfordpress.bsky.social, 2023). Listen here: ajammc.com/2025/03/03/a...

here we are, Bluesky!! thank you to the guest of our newest podcast episode (coming out tomorrow!) for getting us to make the leap. stay tuned for more articles and podcasts, and trips down Ajam’s memory lane as we share oldies but goodies, as well