Within the last century, four calendar systems have been widely used in Iran: the Gregorian, Hejri Qamari, Hejri Shamsi, and Shāhanshāhi calendars. With so many calendar systems, it can be difficult to interpret dates relevant to genealogy. The below discussion will hopefully help discern which calendar system is referred to in a document based on the period that the document is from and what is written after the year.
The Gregorian calendar is called Milādi in Farsi. The Iranians generally use the French names for the Gregorian months. The other three calendars are described below.
The Further Information section below contains links to pages about the Jewish and Bahai Calendars, as well as various date converters.
| Month Number | 1925-present: Hejri Shamsi Month | 1911-1925: Hejri Shamsi Month | Hejri Qamari Month | Gregorian Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farvardin (فَروَردین) | Hamal (حَمَل) (Aries) | Moharram (مُحَرَّم) | Zhānvieh (ژانویه) (January) |
| 2 | Ordibehesht (اُردیبِهِشت) | Sor (ثُور) (Taurus) | Safar (صَفَر) | Fevrieh (فوریه) (February) |
| 3 | Khordād (خُرداد) | Jozā (جُوزا) (Gemini) | Rabi al-Avval (رَبِيع ٱلْأَوَّل) | Mārs (مارس) (March) |
| 4 | Tir (تیر) | Saratān (سَرَطان) (Cancer) | Rabi as-Sāni (رَبِيع ٱلثَّانِي) | Āvril (آوریل) (April) |
| 5 | Mordād (مُرداد) | Asad (اَسَد) (Leo) | Jomadā al-Ulā (جُمَادَىٰ ٱلْأُولَىٰ) | Meh (مه) (May) |
| 6 | Shahrivar (شَهریوَر) | Sonboleh (سُنبُلِه) (Virgo) | Jomadā al-Sānieh (جُمَادَىٰ ٱلثَّانِيَة) | Zhu’en (ژوئن) (June) |
| 7 | Mehr (مِهر) | Mizān (میزان) (Libra) | Rajab (رَجَب) | Zhu’ieh (ژوئیه) (July) |
| 8 | Ābān (آبان) | Aghrab (عَقرَب) (Scorpio) | Sha’bān (شَعْبَان) | Ot (اوت) (August) |
| 9 | Āzar (آذَر) | Qos (قُوس) (Sagittarius) | Ramazān (رَمَضَان) | Septāmbr (سپتامبر) (September) |
| 10 | Dey (دِی) | Jadi (جَدی) (Capricorn) | Shavvāl (شَوَّال) | Oktobr (اکتبر) (October) |
| 11 | Bahman (بَهمَن) | Dalv (دَلو) (Aquarius) | Zo al-Qa’deh (ذُو ٱلْقَعْدَة) | Novāmbr (نوامبر) (November) |
| 12 | Esfand (اِسفَند) | Hut (حوت) (Pisces) | Zo al-Hejjah (ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة) | Desāmbr (دسامبر) (December) |
Hejri Qamari – Islamic Calendar
Hejri Qamari or the Islamic calendar begins with the hejra, the emigration of Mohammad and the Muslims from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. Hejri Qamari has 12 lunar months and about 354 days. It is the global standard for determining Islamic holy days.
USAGE: All Muslim religious documents and most official documents after the Islamic Conquest until 1911 used Hijri Qamari. It remains in use for religious purposes.
INDICATION: Hejri Qamari is indicated by the word Qamari (قمری) or its abbreviation (ق or .ه. ق) after the year, but is not always explicitly stated.
For more information: Wikipedia, Islamic Calendar.
Hejri Shamsi – Solar Calendar
Hijri Shamsi also begins with the hejra in 622 AD, but follows a solar calendar beginning each year with the vernal equinox.
On February 21, 1911, the Iranian Majles (Parliament) declared the official calendar of Iran to be the Hejri Shamsi, calculated by the zodiac. The month names were the names of the corresponding zodiac constellations.
On March 31, 1925, the Hejri Shamsi calendar dependent on the moment of the vernal equinox was adopted. The month names were changed to their historic Iranian names.
To calculate what year it would be based off of the Gregorian calendar follow the following steps:
- If it is between January 1 and the vernal equinox (about March 21), subtract 622 from the present year.
- If it is between the vernal equinox and December 31, subtract 621 from the present year.
USAGE: All government and almost all non-religious documents since 1911 use Hejri Shamsi.
INDICATION: When the date is written in Farsi, the order is day, month, and year. Hejri Shamsi is indicated by the word Shamsi (شمسی) or its abbreviation (ش or ه.ش) after the year, but is not always explicitly stated.
For more information: Wikipedia, Solar Hijri Calendar.
Shāhanshāhi Calendar
In March 1975, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, changed the beginning of the Iranian calendar from 622 CE (Heijri) to 559 BCE (the first year of Cyrus the Great’s reign). Overnight, the year changed from 1355 to 2535. The Shāhanshāhi (Imperial) calendar system was only used for a few years until the August 1978, when the government reverted back to Hejri Shamsi during the Iranian Revolution.
To calculate what year it would be based off of the Gregorian calendar, follow the following steps:
- If it is between January 1 and the vernal equinox (about March 21), add 560 to the present year.
- If it is between the vernal equinox and December 31, add 559 to the present year.
For more information: (Farsi) Sadat Bidgoli & Madani Javid, The Changing of the Solar Hijri Calendar to the Imperial Calendar During the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Rule; (English) Blarashk, The Conversion of the Solar Hijri Calendar to Imperial.
Further Information
For a converter between these calendars, go to the Iran Chamber Society’s Iranian Calendar Converter.
For a converter between 11 different calendar systems relevant to Iranian history, go to Comprehensive History’s Date Converter on its home page.
Converter between the Gregorian or Hejri Shamsi and the Hebrew Calendar: Research Studies Center of Iranian Jews
For more information about calendar systems used in Iran: Encyclopedia Iranica, Calendars
Information about the Bahai Calendar.
Iranian Genealogy 