Persian is spoken by more than 120 million people who live in Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, etc. The richness of Persian language, culture, and civilization is due to its geographical position, being situated amongst some of the greatest cultures and civilizations that have graced the region for thousands of years, not to mention Persia was at one point the greatest and the most expansive empire in the East. It could be said with confidence that Persian literature is the crown jewel of the Persian language as it is, if not the richest, one of the richest literary traditions in the history of mankind, almost completely preserved from its beginnings and extremely well-documented. Learning Persian means understanding the mystical meanderings of Rumi, seeing the light of existence in the quatrains of Khayyam, and knowing the beauty of Simin Behbahani and Forough. Understanding and knowing Persian allows for interdisciplinary horizons, otherwise impossible, especially when having dealings with Arabic, Hebrew, Ottoman, Turkish, Mongolian, and many many other languages, cultures, and histories. An Indo-Iranian language, learning Persian also means insight into a wondrous linguistic realm for many who study it. Last but not least, Persian is a beautiful language. From a social perspective, when you learn Persian you get to communicate with some of the greatest hosts you have ever come across, exchanging ideas, thoughts, likes and dislikes. It is an adventure like no other. Welcome to Persian and we look forward to seeing you in one of our classes here at UVA, where we pride ourselves on having one of the most mult-disciplinary Persian programs in the country, offering courses that cover a wide range from the eighth century until today. Lastly, but not least, it also means being able to order one of the most delicious cuisines in the world in the original language, or at least ask for them from your Persian host.