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 Professor
Richard Nelson Frye, a great American Iranologist,
has asked in his will for his body to be
transferred and buried in the land of Iran, in the
historical city of Isfahan.
Frye is an emeritus Harvard professor in central
Asian studies who still gives lectures promoting
Iranian history and culture.
Frye graduated from Harvard in 1946, taught at
several universities including Habibiya College in
Kabul (1942-44), Harvard University (1948-90),
Frankfurt University (1959-60), Hamburg University
(1968-69), Pahlavi University of Shiraz (1970-76),
and University of Tajikistan (1990-92), and was
the founder of the Center for Middle Eastern
Studies at Harvard.
He has written many books on Iran, some of which
are “the heritage of Persia” (1962), “the
golden age of Persia” (1975), and “Greater
Iran, a 20th century odyssey” (2005) which is a
memoir of his.
He loves Iran so much that has been entitled as
“Irandoust” (the one who is a friend of Iran).
The name was given to him first time by Ibrahim
Pourdavoud, the great Iranian scholar (1885-1968)
who conducted invaluable research on Avesta –
the Zoroastrian holy book- and from then on, he
himself used it in his writings.
In his most recent visit to Iran last year,
Professor Frye succeeded to get the permission of
officials of the historical city of Isfahan to be
buried there. He wants his body to be transferred
to Isfahan and be buried in a tomb in the
riverside of Zayanderoud, the river that passes
through the city.
“I will write of the Great Iran to the last
moment of my life,” writes Frye.
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