The National Anthem of Iran

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Now known as Iran, "Salamatih Shah!" was the first anthem of the country then known as Persia (the name change was requested in 1935). It, like the next anthem used by the country, glorifies the Shah (ruler) and was originally composed by J. B. Lemair and was played only once during the Sultan's visit to France. It was then rearranged and composed by Siavah Beizai. The introduction, the middle part and the end part of this piece are not Lemair's work, but were composed by Siavash Beizai, to make the piece more of a military march.

During the time the Shah ruled Iran, until the Islamic revolution of 1979, the "Imperial Salute" was the national anthem, which chronicled the exploits of the Shah and his dynasty. The words were written by Mohamad Haschim Afsar and composed byLieut. Davood Najmi Moghaddam. The type of anthem is similar to the "Arab fanfare" style of anthem, except this anthem is more substantial and longer than the typical ones of this genre.

Adopted 13 months after the deposition of the Shah in 1980, Iran adopted a new national anthem. During the transitional period, a popular patriotic song "Ey Iran" was used as the national anthem on official occasions when an anthem was needed, but it was not the official anthem of the country. The words were written by Abolghasem Halat and the music composed by Mohammad Beglary-Pour.

In 1990, after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the national anthem was again replaced after a competition that year. The anthem is used up to the present. The original version is written in Persian language, the transliteration of which is "Sorood-e Melli-e Jomhoori-e Eslami-e Iran". It was written collectively and music composed by Hassan Riahi. As an important national symbol of the country, the anthem of Iran is sung on important occasions of national significance.

The stamp above issued by Iran in 1993 shows the score and lyrics of the national anthem.

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