Persianwhere

Persianwhere is a digital reference project that maps and documents the Persian language, its dialects, literature, and the geographic distribution of Persian-speaking communities. Intended as a scholarly resource, it combines articles, data visualizations, and bibliographic records to support research and education.

The project began in 2018 as a collaboration among linguists, historians, and digital humanities scholars, with participation from academic institutions. A beta release followed in 2020, and development continues with input from editors and the broader community.

Key features include interactive maps of Persian varieties across Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and the diaspora; dialect profiles; a language timeline; bibliographies and cross-referenced articles; and user-contributed notes that are subject to editorial review. Content is licensed for reuse with attribution.

Data sourcing emphasizes scholarly publications, language corpora, linguistic surveys, and historical records. Provenance is tagged for each item, and geospatial data is sourced from open repositories to ensure transparency and replicability.

Reception has been positive among students and researchers for its comprehensive scope and accessibility, though coverage is uneven among dialect groups and regions. The project continues to expand data coverage and refine editorial processes.