Changing the Names of Cities in Iran in the First Pahlavi Era and the Role of the Language Academy of Iran

Purpose: The aim of conducting this research is to find out why and how the names of cities in Iran were changed as a “governmental planning” in the era of the first Pahlavi (Reza Shah).
Methodology/Approach: This study has been compiled based on descriptive–scientific method and on the basis of governmental records, memories of politicians, journals and newspapers, and library resources.
Findings/Conclusions: Following the establishment of security in Iran, the government was responsible for modernization and reform in the country. Cities, as the focus point of modernism and a unified language, were seen as the most important key to unifying the nation. Aiming to confront anything that was non-Iranian, the names of streets, stores, the last name of individuals, names of tribes and even the name of the country were changed in order to bring about a change for the nation. Eradicating the bad memories of Iranian defeats - which had resulted in the imposition of the language and names of Turks, Mongols, and Arabs - topped the list of the government’s plans and the Geography Commission in the Language Academy became responsible for this task. More than 107 geographic names were coined and most of the changes happened in the Turk and Kurd regions. After Reza Shah the names changed back to their original form.