Testimonial by

Bill Figueroa  

Assistant Professor of History and international Relations, University Groningen, Netherlands:

"Peyman makes using Persian far more accessible, especially for non-native researchers without easy access to the cultural, literary, and social contexts that are necessary to understand most historical texts. Not only does he do an excellent job of teaching these underlying contexts through his extensive knowledge of Persian language, literature, and society, but he also brings a deep understanding of the Iranian academic landscape and the digital archival sources that are available. I can especially recommend Peyman to those who wish to work manuscripts and texts with difficult-to-decipher handwriting, calligraphy, or problems in the printing. He does an excellent job deciphering these texts and explaining the particular quirks and stylistic elements of each, so that you will be reading quickly and smoothly in no time."

Testimonial by

Laetitia Nanquette 

Senior Lecturer in the School of the Arts and Media at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia:

“I have been taking lessons with Peyman for a term. Together we read texts useful to my current research. Peyman has a deep knowledge of Persian culture and literature. He will not only explain grammar by explaining expressions, and vocabulary by pointing out where the words come from, but also cultural phenomena. It makes for very interesting Persian lessons that keep the student engaged, while progressing at a good pace.” 

Testimonial by

Rowena Abdul Razak 

Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Queen Mary Unviersiry of London, UK:

"Peyman is a fantastic Persian teacher. He is very considerate to the needs of his students and adjusts his teaching accordingly. He is kind, patient and accommodating, as well as a pleasure to learn from. He choose material that is appropriate and interesting, while making you understand the language from a logical point of view."

Testimonial by

Ray Lahiri 

PhD candidate of Comparative Literature and Classics, Yale University, USA:

"Peyman is an excellent (and patient!) pedagogue with a rich treasurehouse of memorized verses apt for seemingly every occasion. With Peyman, you don’t just learn the language, you learn to appreciate it: every lesson encompasses the nuanced explication of morphology and word usage alongside social, historical, and sociological insights into the contexts of Persian literature and intellectual history." 

Testimonial by 

Lillian McCabe, 

PhD candidate of Islamic Studies, Yale University, USA:

“With so many Persian language sources available online, it can be hard to know where to start! Peyman is an excellent guide to navigating these digital tools and using them to deepen and improve your research. From accessing Persian-language scholarship and digitized Persian manuscripts to being able to confidently read and use these sources, Peyman’s courses prepare you to take your research to the next level!” 

Testimonial by

Mehreen Zahra Jiwan 

PhD Candidate of Religious Studies, University of Columbia, USA:

“Learning with Peyman is truly an unmatched experience. He adapts his lessons to the research interests of his students whilst effectively providing the language skills needed to understand Persian texts. Peyman does not simply teach Farsi, but also provides profound insights into the worlds in which the language operates. His knowledge of Persian literary and cultural exchange and his ability to explain the lexical and grammatical features of the language make his lessons very beneficial. He also guides students through important Persian research databases allowing us to gain access to sources that are somewhat untapped by the western academe. Peyman is a kind, flexible, and patient teacher who is invested in the success of each one of his students. I highly recommend working with him.” 

Testimonial by 

Aliya Iqbal-Naqvi 

PhD Candidate of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, USA:

"Peyman is an outstanding Persian Language and Literature instructor, encompassing the usages of a living language and a millennia-long literary tradition. His pedagogical approach is both distinctive and highly effective, bolstered by a profound knowledge of Persian poetry, history and culture. What sets Peyman apart is his unique ability to cater to the specific needs of professional scholars who require a deep and complex comprehension of literary Persian across centuries— a rare attribute among Persian language instructors. I feel exceptionally fortunate to have had the opportunity to study with Peyman." 

Testimonial by 

Sebastian J. Rose, 

PhD in History, International Relations and Politics at the University of Greenwich, UK:

"Peyman’s Persian classes were unique because of his teaching skill and insightful historical knowledge of language, culture and history. His ability to tailor classes to my level and his rigorous teaching propelled me towards greater fluency and confidence. The combination of patience, dedication, ability to breakdown and explain linguistic and cultural and historical complexities made Peyman an excellent Persian teacher."

Testimonial by

Usman Khan

PhD Candidate of Religious Studies, Princeton University, USA:

"I have the privilege of learning Persian from an exceptional teacher, Peyman Eshagi. Peyman is truly a great instructor who possesses extensive knowledge of the Persian language. His expertise is not limited to the language alone; he also has a deep grasp of the traditional Persian literary tradition and its intersection with the Western academic world. Peyman’s pedagogy is outstanding. He has a unique ability to explain complex linguistic concepts in a simple and understandable way. His patience and dedication to students are evident in every class, creating a positive and encouraging learning environment. What sets Peyman apart is his passion for Persian literature. He brings the rich tapestry of Persian literary tradition to life in his classes, making it accessible and engaging for me. His insights into the connections between traditional Persian literature and the Western academy are invaluable, providing me with a holistic understanding of the subject. He has memorized hundreds of Persian couplets and is able to draw on them at a moment notice. For MA and PhD students in the academy trying to learn Persian, I highly recommend Peyman as a Persian teacher. If you are looking for a teacher who is not only knowledgeable but also passionate about Persian language and culture, Peyman is the perfect choice. Thank you for your dedication to teaching and for sharing your expertise with your students!"

Testimonial by

Ali Hammoud, PhD Candidate at Western Sydney University, Australia:

"Studying Persian with Peyman has been a truly delightful experience. His knowledge of the subtleties of Persian have helped me unravel meanings and connotations not easily accessible from the text, and his breadth of knowledge encompasses every field of study; he is equally at home discussing poetry, Sufism, jurisprudence, and other fields of Islamic intellectual history in multiple languages. Ustad Peyman’s lessons have been particularly beneficial in helping me decipher Persian and Arabic manuscripts. In our first lesson I laboured for an hour to read a single page of a 17th century manuscript. Five lessons later I was able to comfortably read — and simultaneously translate — 10 manuscript pages per lesson. This would not have been possible without Ustad Peyman’s meticulous instructions, valuable feedback, and welcoming demeanour. There are few courses available that teach Persian at an advanced level, and even fewer that teach palaeography. None, however, are at the quality of lessons that Ustad Peyman offers. I would strongly recommend studying with Ustad Peyman to all those looking to take their Persian to the next level."

Testimonial by

Hamid Kolahdouz-Isfahani 

PhD Candidate of History, University of California, Davis, USA:

"As a California-born Iranian and Safavi historian working with Peyman has been a God-send catalyzing the development of my academic career. Before working with Peyman, understanding and translating baroque 17th century Safavi texts was a daunting task that required hours to translate a single page. Despite spending years learning farsi formally since high school, I found that very little of what I learned, including at the undergraduate university level, including two years of Arabic, was applicable to the ornamented writing style and elegant vocabulary popular in the Persianate world from the start of the 16th century onwards. Even my uncle who is well educated in Iran and an avid reader of medieval Farsi poetry could not understand these texts. To make matters worse for my predicament, early modern Persianate historiography has become increasingly self-conscious of the importance that the historian using these texts is as well squinted with Safavi era adab (bank of literary and religious classics and allusions) as the authors and their immediate reading audience at Safavi court and in elite society in order to understand the meaning of the literary devices used throughout the early modern texts. In just two months working alongside Peyman has sped up my reading and translating rate to 3 pages an hour. My vocabulary has vastly expanded as has my ability to understand the convoluted sentence structure and grammar used in the texts. Critically, through Peyman’s insight and knowledge my grasp of Safavi adab has rapidly tightened. Metaphorical phrases that would make little sense to contemporary Iranian speakers such as “pulling the ring of servitude,” which is an allusion to the use of earrings as a means of marking slaves in Safavi society, were readily explained by Peyman as he reviewed my translation. I would highly recommend taking the course to any Persianate historians looking to improve their reading comprehension as well as to any non-specialists interested in understanding classical early modern Farsi poetry and literature from the Balkans to the Bengal. Working with Peyman is likely even useful for those looking to better comprehend classical late medieval and early modern works in other languages of the Persianate world, such as Urdu, Hindi, Dekkani, Pashto, Ottoman Turkish, and Chagatai to name a few, in order to understand better understand the Farsi literary world that the authors of those works simultaneously engaged with."

About the Project Director 

and Main Instructor

Peyman Eshaghi is a final-year Gerda Henkel Foundation Ph.D. fellow in Islamic Studies at the Free University of Berlin, Germany. Before that, he studied at the University of Chicago, Ankara University, and the University of Tehran. He is a native Persian speaker and has taught many students and researchers the Persian language. In addition to his teaching, he has led workshops on using digital tools in learning Persian and doing research in Persianate studies. Recently, Peyman has worked as the instructor of advanced Persian at Ibn Khaldun University’s language summer school (Istanbul, Turkey). Among Peyman’s publications is the edited volume Muslim Pilgrimage in the Modern World (co-edited with Babak Rahimi, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2019), “Mapping the trends in Iranian social, cultural, religious, and political thought from the post-1979 era to the present.” The Routledge International Handbook of Contemporary Muslim Socio-Political Thought. Routledge, 2021. 450-463; “To Capture a Cherished Past: Pilgrimage Photography at Imam Riza’s Shrine, Iran," Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, 8(2-3): 2015, 282–306; and "Quietness beyond Political Power: Politics of Taking Sanctuary (Bast Neshini) in the Shi’ite Shrines of Iran,” Iranian Studies, 49(3): 2016 (439-512).

Ghand-e Parsi’s Youtube

Here you can watch a large number of academic Persian videos. In the coming weeks, many other videos including recitations, explanations, and analyses of Persian masterpieces will be uploaded. Please subscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@academicpersian/playlists

Ghand-e Parsi’s X Account 

Here you can come across many Persian materials, sources and videos :

https://twitter.com/Ghandeparsii 

If you intend to join any of the courses mentioned, have any questions about Ghand-e Parsi, or need any course to be designed based on your needs and priorities, do not hesitate to contact me: 

eshaghipeyman@gmail.com

For 2024 Summer School look at:
https://sites.google.com/view/persian2024