Iranian thinker
Jaleh Amouzgar
Jaleh AmouzgarAncient Iranian Culture and Languages (Iranology, Mythology)Iranianb. 1939
Life and Thought
Jaleh Amouzgar (born 1939 in Khoy) is an Iranologist and retired professor at the University of Tehran, specializing in ancient Iranian culture and languages. Holding a doctorate in ancient Iranian languages from the Sorbonne, she made major contributions—together with her longtime collaborator Ahmad Tafazzoli—to the study of Pahlavi texts, Zoroastrian literature, and pre-Islamic Iranian mythology. She has received France's Chevalier of the Legion of Honor and the Persian Cypress Award.
Jaleh Amouzgar was born on December 4, 1939, in the city of Khoy. She completed her higher education in ancient Iranian languages at the Sorbonne in France, where she earned her doctorate.
She taught for many years as a professor in the Department of Ancient Iranian Culture and Languages at the University of Tehran, and for a time chaired the department. A significant part of Amouzgar's scholarly work took shape through her long, close collaboration with Ahmad Tafazzoli; their joint books include "The Myth of Zoroaster's Life" and "Pahlavi Language, Literature and Grammar," the latter still taught for decades in Iranian universities as a standard text for learning Pahlavi. Her other works include "The Mythological History of Iran" and a translation of the "Ayadgar-i Zareran." Amouzgar has also been associated with the Encyclopædia Iranica project at Columbia University.
Amouzgar's research has centered on Pahlavi texts, Zoroastrian literature, and the mythology of pre-Islamic Iran; in her work she has sought to distinguish the historical from the mythical layers in ancient Iranian narratives, including the life of Zoroaster. In recognition of this scholarly service, France's Ministry of Culture awarded her the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and in 2016 she received the Persian Cypress Award. In 2021, the Tehran City Council also named a street after her.