Ebrahim Pourdavoud

• Name — Ebrahim Pourdavoud • Birth Name — ابراهیم پورداوود • Born — 9 February 1885 • Birthplace — Rasht, Sublime State of Iran • Died — 17 November 1968 • Place of death — Tehran, Imperial State of Iran • Resting Place — Pourdavoud family mausoleum, Rasht, Iran • Education — University of Paris • Occupation — * Writer • researcher • translator • Language — * Persian • Period — Modern

• Illustration — Pourdavoud at Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, 1933. At the age of 20, Pourdavoud moved to Tehran to pursue studies in traditional medicine. However, he found the field unsuited to his interests and left the program. In 1908, at the age of 23, he relocated to Beirut, where he studied French literature for two and a half years. After a brief return to Iran to visit his family, he departed for France. In France, he founded the periodical Iranshahr (the Land of Iran). The first issue appeared in April 1914, with the fourth and final issue published in August 1914, coinciding with the outbreak of World War I.

During the First World War, Pourdavoud settled in Baghdad, where he launched another publication titled Rastakhiz (Resurrection). The periodical ran for 25 issues before ceasing publication in March 1916. Following this, he moved to Berlin, where he remained until 1924. His time in Germany marked a turning point in his academic focus, as he developed a deep interest in Zoroastrian teachings and the history of ancient Iran. Upon his return to Iran in 1924, Pourdavoud founded the School of Ancient Languages, where he conducted extensive research on ancient Iranian history and languages, with a particular emphasis on Avestan. In 1945, he established the Iranology Society and later the School of Iranology, institutions that significantly contributed to the development of Iranian studies in the 20th century.

Pourdavoud's scholarly work encompassed several key areas: • - Translation and interpretation of the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism. • - Research into ancient Persian languages, especially Avestan. • - Analysis of symbols, terminology, and expressions within Zoroastrian texts. • - Studies on the flora, fauna, and ethnography of ancient Iran. • - Investigations into ancient Iranian military history, including weapons and warfare techniques. In addition to his native Persian, Pourdavoud was proficient in Arabic, English, French, German, and Turkish, as well as ancient Iranian languages.

Pourdavoud was married to a woman of German descent, and the couple had one daughter, Pourandokht. He died on the morning of 17 November 1968; he was found at his desk in his home study.

Ebrahim Pourdavoud is recorded with the occupation translator. Recorded as writer, translator, essayist, professor and poet.