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The University of Manchester Library

About

The University of Manchester, a leading institute for digitised Iranian history

Where it all began

Middle Eastern Studies have been offered at the University since 1851 and Iranian studies has been a key part of this since the late 19th century.

The provision of this collection supports the work of students and researchers interested in modern and contemporary Iranian history by enabling them to explore key events as they happened.

These newspapers and periodicals offer unique insight on the minute details of historical developments of major consequences, such as the Coup of 1953, the Revolution of 1979, or the "Tehran Spring" of 1999-2002.

Why is this collection different?

Historically, major UK libraries with extensive Middle Eastern holdings have not engaged in the systematic collection of Iranian newspapers and periodicals. While some standard academic titles are present in UK libraries with a reputation for Middle Eastern holdings (such as the British Library, Oxford, Cambridge, SOAS, Exeter, Durham, and more recently St Andrews), the bulk of these collections consist of monographs published inside Iran.

Researchers in the UK requiring Iranian periodicals have traditionally had to engage in costly research trips to the US, Iran or select libraries in Europe, or rely upon private collections.

This project aims to bridge this gap by making available sets of publications which have rarely, if ever, been accessible in UK libraries and making these freely available online.

This project provides complete or near-complete series of rare collections, some of which have never before been seen outside of Iran. Many hours have been spent compiling the metadata to allow you to search by newspaper title and date.

What is included in the collection?

There are currently 28 rare newspapers and periodicals (over 12,000 pages) available digitally, documenting real-life news from the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, the 1979 revolution and the late 1990s/early 2000s 'reform era' of President Mohammad Khatami.

We currently have the following publications:

  • Ayandegan (165 issues)
  • Khank Va Khun (46 issues)
  • Rastakhiz (150 issues)
  • Tehran Mosava (2 volumes)
  • Kayhan (10 volumes)

Find the complete list on eScholar.

We are hoping to continue adding to the collection to provide greater access and support for students and researchers. This will be done through collaboration with other like-minded research institutes and libraries.

Media coverage

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