Before Iranians were killed, they had to become killable. And shows like Homeland and Tehran did precisely that. While an early generation built an image of Iran as fanatical, backward, and savage, recent shows turn Iran into an active war zone.

Iranians have rallied behind Team Melli for decades. So why did they recently become the target of political campaigns? In Ajam's latest, Ashkan Hashemipour traces the delegitimization campaign. Despite the noise online, he argues, Team Melli remains a source of unity. Full article below:

"The demilitarization of the Indian Ocean may sound utopian. It is, in fact, the only reasonable demand commensurate with the existential stakes at hand? Ecological custodianship or catastrophe." Read the Case for Demilitarizing the Indian Ocean:

The World Cup has put Tehrangeles in the spotlight. But how much do you really know about the largest Iranian community outside of Iran? Read our Tourist’s Guide to Tehrangeles, the Capital of the Iranian Diaspora:

What connects a tiny Swiss village, the bedazzled palaces of Safavid Isfahan, and the imperial courts of Mughal Delhi? Read about the remarkable 18th century journey of the Lion and Sun in the second article in our Unexpected Persianate Series by Kristof Szitar:

What does the most famous Hungarian dish tarhonya share with the humble Persian tarkhineh? Far more than just a name! Read about culinary connections between Hungary, the Ottomans, and Iran in the latest piece on Ajam, the first in our Unexpected Persianate Series:

For Assyrians across the Middle East and in diaspora, the red, white, and blue Assyrian flag is a symbol of resilience and unity. But how does a stateless nation develop a flag? In Ajam's latest, Ramina Samuel explores the history of the Assyrian flag:

"The night before the attack, Rafi-Nia synagogue hosted a Passover celebration. The morning after, the community gathered again, this time to survey the rubble." Narciss M. Sohrabi reflects on the destruction of a Tehran synagogue - and how its tight-knit community is planning to rebuild:

"Restorative nostalgia may briefly unite a diaspora, but it is not enough to build a nation. Afghanistan offers a stark lesson." The latest article on Ajam is a reflection on royal nostalgia and the lessons of Zahir Shah's return after the US invasion, written by Zohra Saed:

How did the Indian Ocean become a geography of unilateral US dominance? In Ajam's latest, Mahdi Chowdhury explores the history of anti-colonial efforts to build a Zone of Peace and argues for the urgent, existential need to demilitarize the Indian Ocean:

Powerful, heart wrenching piece on the unbearable pain of witnessing this war on Iran and our people: "People greet each other with a joke—“Haha, you’re still alive?” When survival becomes the joke, ordinary life is already gone." ajammc.com/2026/03/11/w...

We are Alive, Tehran is Dying - Ajam Media Collective

“Our neighborhood was hit. But we are alive.” I woke up to this message from my friend in Iran. A message like that rearranges the meaning of language. Alive becomes a threshold, a daily confirmation,...

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"My friend writes to me again: “We are alive, Nazanin. Tehran is dying.” The latest on Ajam is a personal reflection on memory and the pain of witnessing war from diaspora, written by Nazanin Shahrokni: ajammc.com/2026/03/11/w...

We are Alive, Tehran is Dying - Ajam Media Collective

“Our neighborhood was hit. But we are alive.” I woke up to this message from my friend in Iran. A message like that rearranges the meaning of language. Alive becomes a threshold, a daily confirmation,...

ajammc.com

Really interesting ethnographic work with a community whose histories I've always been curious about...

Ajam Media Collective@ajammc.bsky.social · 11mo ago

The Luli are a Persian-speaking part of the Romani diaspora in Central Asia Ubiquitous in public spaces, they are excluded from national narratives, paradoxically hypervisible and invisible Frishta Qaderi shares from her research across Uzbekistan in Ajam's latest: ajammc.com/2025/12/09/c...

Blackouts do not erase events. They shape what can be proven, mourned, and acted upon. For Ajam's latest, Parham Ghalamdar uses theory-fiction to understand what happens when mourning is forced through an interface and death is indexed in Iran today:

The Luli are a Persian-speaking part of the Romani diaspora in Central Asia Ubiquitous in public spaces, they are excluded from national narratives, paradoxically hypervisible and invisible Frishta Qaderi shares from her research across Uzbekistan in Ajam's latest: ajammc.com/2025/12/09/c...

Hidden in Plain Sight: Field Notes from Central Asia's Luli Communities - Ajam Media Collective

The Luli, also known as the Jugi or Mugat, are a community that lives across Central Asia, part of the wider Roma and Domari diaspora. They are ubiquitous in public spaces yet excluded from national n...

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Khak-e Hayat was a two-week research residency bringing together 14 artists, academics, and architects from Iran and Pakistan to explore the region’s shared ecological pasts and imagine alternative visions for a collective future. Read on to learn more: ajammc.com/2025/12/03/a...

For Ajam's latest, Manar Heikal explores the history of her illustrious community - the Iranians of Cairo: "You won’t find much about them in textbooks. There are no heritage signs, no archives, no plaques. Our story was something quieter. More intimate." Read it here: ajammc.com/2025/09/28/i...

"Pahlavi’s attempt to restore dignity to his throne has spawned a tradition of romanticizing ancient Persia in order to deflect attention from contemporary struggles." ajammc.com/2013/06/06/r...

Reconstructing a Persian Past: Contemporary Uses and Misuses of the Cyrus Cylinder in Iranian Nationalist Discourse - Ajam Media Collective

Although the Cyrus Cylinder is over 2,500 years old, much of the discourse surrounding its function has emerged only in the past century. While nationalists believe the cylinder to be a symbol of huma...

ajammc.com

Come and submit your work to our new initiative, Unexpected Persianate! More details below

Ajam Media Collective@ajammc.bsky.social · last yr.

What is the most unexpected place where you’ve encountered the Persianate? We want to hear about it! The Association for the Study of Persianate Societies and Ajam invite submissions for our new article series: The Unexpected Persianate: ajammc.com/2025/08/11/c...

"While there is no doubt the Shahnameh has helped conserve the rich cultural heritage of the Iranian peoples, many nation-states have propagated misconceptions about the Shahnameh. Myths have attained the status of legend, despite their falsehood." ajammc.com/2013/01/17/f...

Ferdowsi's Legacy: Examining Persian Nationalist Myths of the Shahnameh - Ajam Media Collective

A tribute to Ajam Media Collective’s name and inspiration, this post was written by Ajam’s editors, Alex Shams, Rustin Zarkar, and Beeta Baghoolizadeh. Photographs by Preethi Nallu originally publishe...

ajammc.com

What is the most unexpected place where you’ve encountered the Persianate? We want to hear about it! The Association for the Study of Persianate Societies and Ajam invite submissions for our new article series: The Unexpected Persianate: ajammc.com/2025/08/11/c...

Call for Submissions: The Unexpected Persianate - Ajam Media Collective

What is the most unexpected place where you’ve encountered the Persianate? Have you ever noticed a family tradition, neighborhood landmark, a debate, a photograph, a song, or a casual turn of phrase t...

ajammc.com

What happens when an ancient Silk Road city becomes a gentrified tourist mecca? Gulnoza Usmonova writes about how government-led heritage restoration has transformed her hometown Bukhara, Uzbekistan and displaced locals who once brought life to its streets: ajammc.com/2025/08/05/g...

Selling the Silk Road: How Gentrification is Reshaping Uzbekistan's Historic Cities - Ajam Media Collective

The historic city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan was once a living, breathing city. Now it is rapidly becoming something else. State-led gentrification is reshaping its ancient quarters. Family-run bathhouses...

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Confused yet? Let us help you make sense of this with our recent article: "The Battle Over Iran's Flag" ajammc.com/2025/07/09/b...

In any disaster, always look for the people helping:

Ajam Media Collective@ajammc.bsky.social · last yr.

Ajam's latest article explores how Afghan mutual aid networks have activated across the country to support deportees - serving a crucial role in the unfolding humanitarian crisis: ajammc.com/2025/07/22/a...

Afghan #mutualAid networks have rapidly emerged in recent weeks to support deportees dropped at the border, amid a mass deportation drive that has expelled half a million #Afghans from #Iran. I explore the past&present of these grassroots solidarity networks for @ajammc.bsky.social

Ajam Media Collective@ajammc.bsky.social · last yr.

Ajam's latest article explores how Afghan mutual aid networks have activated across the country to support deportees - serving a crucial role in the unfolding humanitarian crisis: ajammc.com/2025/07/22/a...

Ajam's latest article explores how Afghan mutual aid networks have activated across the country to support deportees - serving a crucial role in the unfolding humanitarian crisis: ajammc.com/2025/07/22/a...

Solidarity at the Border: Afghan Mutual Aid Networks Mobilize Amid Mass Deportation - Ajam Media Collective

Amid the wave of expulsions from Iran, Afghans have mobilized mutual aid to support deportees. These networks fill a crucial need and highlight the foundational role that grassroots solidarity plays i...

ajammc.com

Our latest article is an exploration of Iran's many flags and what they mean: "Each Iranian flag signifies a specific history, representing the political divides of the 90 million Iranians in Iran and 5 million in diaspora. So why do they provoke such strong emotions?" ajammc.com/2025/07/09/b...

The Battle Over Iran's Flag - Ajam Media Collective

Each Iranian flag signifies a specific history and ideology, representing the political divides of the 90 million Iranians in Iran and 5 million Iranians in diaspora. At recent protests, many members ...

ajammc.com

"Tehran over the last 30 years has undergone a remarkable and exciting urban transformation, with city officials, cultural venues, and grassroots organizations helping build a city that defies cliches." ajammc.com/2019/01/14/t...

Tehran is not just "LA with minarets": Against cliches of Third World cities on the brink of disaster - Ajam Media Collective

Ignoring Tehran's remarkable urban transformation over the last three decades leaves us with a simplistic, reductionist vision of this Middle Eastern metropolis. By ignoring the hard work being done b...

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"Iranian militants saw support for Palestinians as a way of furthering their own struggle against the Shah. They emphasized these connections in posters intended to provoke popular support and solidarity." ajammc.com/2023/11/22/i...

'Unity of the Revolutionary Rifles': 1970s Iranian Leftist Posters in Solidarity with Palestine - Ajam Media Collective

In 1970s Iran, revolutionary movements that opposed the authoritarian rule of the US-backed Shah championed the Palestinian cause. Solidarity posters from the time reveal how different movements recog...

ajammc.com

"Contemporary examples abound of Turkic languages that continue to use the Arabic script. Far from marginal groups, these communities account for tens of millions of people." ajammc.com/2024/02/11/l...

Latin Lies: The Lost History of Arabic Script Experimentation in Turkic Languages - Ajam Media Collective

Is it possible to adapt the Arabic script to Turkic languages’ sounds? Why are so many of these languages written in Latin or Cyrillic script today? Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, ide...

ajammc.com