Persian Studies

This is a guide to important print and electronic reference sources in the field of Persian Studies.  The focus is on material available in the University of Maryland Libraries' collections; however, there are additional internet sources included.

Established in fall 2004, the center aspires to be the premier center for the study and appreciation of Persian culture in the United States. Toward this end, the Roshan Center seeks to:

• Provide outstanding course offerings and programs in Persian language, literature, history, and culture.
• Foster communication and community ties among people of Persian heritage and those interested in Persian cultural heritage.
• Serve as a model for encouraging intercultural communication among people of varying backgrounds.

Click here to read an article about the Center's inception. This site also has up-to-date news of interest.

Click here to read an article about the Iranian Graduate Student Foundation at UMD.

Transliteration is the practice of converting a text from one writing system into another in a systematic way. In the library word is it used to describe non-Roman characters into Roman alphabet. You will find how to transcribe Persian letters into English in  Persian Transliteration Table. This link is to the scanned text of the 1997 edition of the "ALA-LC Romanization Tables: Transliteration Schemes for Non-Roman Scripts," approved by the Library of Congress and the American Library Association. These tables were developed for use when the consistent transliteration of non-Roman script (e.g. Persian) into the Roman alphabet is needed, for example, in order to catalog non-Roman materials.