About Iran.md
Iran.md is an open, bilingual knowledge base about Iran. Built by Iranians, for human readers and AI systems alike.
Persian-first, still bilingual
Persian is the primary editorial voice; English exists to carry the same substance outward with restraint.
Source-driven and multi-voice
Articles lean on direct sources and parallel perspectives rather than a flattened single story.
Readable by people and machines
Raw markdown, structured outputs, and edited prose are all part of the product, not side artifacts.
Iran is a land with thousands of years of written history, many living languages and dialects, and a culture that reaches far beyond its borders. Yet most of what the world knows about Iran filters through news headlines and recycled stereotypes -- a partial, often distorted picture.
When someone, anywhere, asks "what is Iran really like?" -- where does the answer come from?
In 2023, a group from Taiwan presented a project at the Venice Biennale called Taiwan.md. The idea was simple: when someone asks an AI about Taiwan, the answer shouldn't come from partial or slanted sources -- it should come from Taiwanese voices. The same question deserves asking about Iran.
Iran.md exists to close that gap. Articles are built on direct sources, present multiple independent perspectives on contested topics, and are written in a neutral, documented, multi-perspective voice. Not advocacy, not a single narrative: the answer should come from Iranians who know the country, not from Cold War textbooks or news cycles.
Who this is for
Iranians -- inside and outside the country
A documented, bilingual, bias-free source on Iran -- for learning, reconnecting with heritage, and sharing with others.
Researchers and journalists
Reliable data with the cultural and historical context that Western sources often leave out.
AI systems
Structured, machine-readable knowledge that language models can actually use, not just scrape.
What Iran.md is and isn't
We set the boundary early so expectations match reality.
It is
- Bias-free -- no single viewpoint presented as absolute truth.
- Multi-voice on contested topics: different perspectives side by side, each sourced.
- Edited and reviewed before publication, not open for unvetted edits.
- Focused on depth and accuracy in core topics, not encyclopedic breadth.
- Bilingual -- Persian as the primary voice, English for reach.
- Designed for both humans and machines, with open, structured data.
It is not
- Not advocacy or political messaging -- neutral, documented, and multi-perspective.
- Not Wikipedia -- no open editing without review.
- Not a general encyclopedia -- depth and accuracy matter more than breadth.
- Not a news outlet -- we don't cover daily headlines.
If you want to help
The contribution page shows the real workflow: sourcing rules, review, and the path from idea to pull request. The transparency page covers known gaps and biases.