Real reason why Persia decided to change its name to Iran

After being subjected to missile attacks from Israel last week and having three of its nuclear bases bombed by Donald Trump over the weekend, Iran's political and militant history has been splashed across headlines around the globe.

Among the various questions raised by spectators of the ongoing Middle Eastern turmoil of recent years, however, is one that many have wondered for centuries now - why Iran was ever called Persia, and when the country's official title was changed.

When does Iranian civilisation date back to?

Historians and archaeologists have traced the early beginnings of Iranian civilisation back to the 6th century B.C., when the Achaemenid Empire expanded its vast territories and enhanced its culture under its leader, Cyrus the Great.

Cyrus hailed from 'Parsa', a region in the southwestern area of the country.

Cyrus the Great hailed from Persa, hence classical historians gave the Iranian Empire its Persian title (Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis via Getty Images)

As such, classical historians later propagated the term 'Persian' to describe the entire kingdom which ruled alongside their Greek, Arab and early Roman neighbours in the era of antiquity.

How did the Iranians refer to themselves?

Until 1935, Iran was known as Persia by Western civilisations, making the title an exonym (a name given by outsiders)

According to Far Horizons, throughout this time, the vast majority of citizens of Iran called their country 'Arya', or 'Airyan', with the indigenous term signifying the land of the Aryans, which the Iranian people called themselves.

This term was deep-rooted in Iran's ancient texts, as well as its Zoroastrian scriptures, and serves to describe Iranian identity beyond its ancient conquests and geography.

Why was the name changed?

As we say, however, in 1935, the name 'Iran' was officially adopted by Reza Shah Pahlavi - the Shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941.

The Shah of Iranian changed its name in 1935 (ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

The move was made in an attempt to reconnect the country's classical history, rich culture and its step forward to becoming a modern Middle Eastern nation. It was about Iran redefining its identity, and served as a declaration of cultural sovereignty.

The UK's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs recorded Iran's name-change at the time, documenting: "On the 25th December [1934] the Persian Ministry for Foreign Affairs addressed a circular memorandum to the Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Tehran requesting that the terms 'Iran' and 'Iranian' might be used in official correspondence and conversation as from the next 21st March, instead of the words "Persia" and 'Persian' hitherto in current use.

"His Majesty's Minister in Tehran has been instructed to accede to this request."

Was it ever called 'Persia' again?

Short answer, yes.

When World War II broke out in 1939, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill requested that the Iranian government revert its name back temporarily, and for 'Persia to be used by the United Nations [i.e., the Allies] for the duration of the common War'.

Iran's titles can now be used interchangeably (Getty Stock Image)

The reason? The country's geographical closeness to Iraq, its neighbour in the Middle East with a pretty similar name.

Though Churchill's request was approved by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, it was largely ignored - especially by the Americans, who'd had little involvement with Iraq so far, and saw no reason to confuse things.

By 1959, Iranian leaders had gathered together after a number of political powers complained about not knowing the correct way to refer to the country.

It was eventually decided that the names 'Persia' and 'Iran' could be used interchangeably - though the former would be most appropriately used to describe the nation's culture and history, and the latter, its modern day politics and current affairs.