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💎 Active Launch Tier: 30 % Off
Benefits:
- Practice your Persian language skills in a variety of contexts.
- Gain a deeper understanding of Persian culture and history by exploring how people have adapted to and thrived in deserts of Iran.
- Delve into the traditional methods of desert living—from ingenious water systems like qanats and wind catchers to distinctive desert architecture and handicrafts.
- Explore 12 Iranian cities on the edge of the desert, including Kashan, Neyshabur, Yazd, Kerman, … —each with its own unique history, architectural wonders, and cultural heritage. Get familiar with the iconic landmarks of these cities and discover the poets, scientists, and artists who were born and lived there, shaping Persian civilization.
Expand your linguistic horizons!
By the end of the this course, you’ll have mastered 360 new Persian words and tackled 60 interactive practices, ensuring a well-rounded and engaging learning journey solidifying your language skills.
Course Structure:
Journey through 8 immersive lessons designed by Dr. Seyedghasem:
1️⃣ Intro to Iran’s Deserts
2️⃣ Key Desert Characteristics
3️⃣ Desert Flora & Fauna
4️⃣ Traditional Adaptation (Qanats, Windcatchers, …)
5️⃣ Life in the Desert (Architecture, Handicrafts, Travel)
6️⃣-8️⃣ Civilizations in the Desert: Explore ancient cities across the Dasht-e Kavir & Lut Desert.
Each lesson is divided into manageable sections for ease of learning:
- Audio & Text Integration: Each lesson begins with a synced Persian audio recording to enhance listening comprehension.
- Reading Guide: Key vocabulary is highlighted, with sidenote translations creating a built-in mini-dictionary for quick and easy reference.
- Interactive Exercises: Reinforce your skills with vocabulary drills, grammar exercises, sentence-building tasks, and more.
- Comprehensive Vocabulary Lists: Summarized vocabulary at the end of each section for quick review.
Authentic Visuals & Cultural Immersion
To bring the desert landscapes and their history to life, every lesson is enriched with hand-curated visual assets — photographs, paintings, and archaeological documentation, chosen to match what you are reading about on the page.
- Landscapes: the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, the salt flats of Hoz-e Soltan, and the terrain that shaped every settlement in this course.
- Flora & Fauna: the desert species that survive here, from the chinkara gazelle to the plants that hold the dunes together.
- Traditional Adaptation: visual documentation of the UNESCO-recognised qanat systems, windcatchers, and the water engineering that made desert life possible for millennia.
- Desert Architecture: high-resolution photography of Kashan’s great merchant houses — the Tabatabaei and Borujerdi mansions — alongside the Naryn Qal’eh fortress in Meybod, the Kashan bazaar, and the Mirror Hall.
- Classical Artwork: rare historical pieces such as Pascal Coste’s 19th-century painting of the Caravanserai of Shah Sultan Hossein’s Mother, and works by Kamal-ol-Molk.
- Civilisations & Archaeology: excavated artefacts from Shahr-e Sukhteh, the Cheshmeh Ali fountain in Damghan, the Bahram fire temple of the Zoroastrians in Yazd, and the mausoleum of Omar Khayyam in Neyshabur.
Sourcing this material takes time, and it’s deliberate: when you read about a windcatcher, you should be looking at one.
Course Developer
Leila Seyedghasem, PhD.
Leila brings a deep passion for Persian culture and language to her role as Course Developer & Instructor. With a PhD from The University of Tehran and 9 years of teaching experience at italki, she is an expert in crafting engaging and effective learning experiences.
Driven by a belief in Persian’s rich literary heritage and global beauty, Leila authored textbooks now used in teaching centers worldwide. Her research background in linguistics further cements her expertise. She finds immense joy in fostering connections through language, welcoming you to embark on a captivating journey into the world of Persian.
Instructional Designer: Abolfazl Ahani
Hear From Our Learners
Start Your Persian Journey Today
— with the launch discount still active.
Whether you’re planning a trip to Iran, connecting with your heritage, or simply intrigued by the interplay of language, nature, and history, the Deserts of Iran course is the perfect starting point to expand your Persian language skills and cultural knowledge.
You can start learning right away — the first lesson is free and open to everyone.
Full access activates within 1 business day.
Enroll with peace of mind — every purchase comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Price: €100 €70
(30% Off Launch Tier)One-time payment for a full year of access. No recurring subscriptions.
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Buy Me a Coffee:
💬 Group Purchase: Learn together, save 15 % — use code GP15 at checkout.
Your Questions, Answered
Is there a free trial or introductory period available?
The free trial lesson looks incredible! How can I be sure the other lessons are just as good?
We’re so glad you enjoyed the free trial! Every core lesson in this course is built on the “Fārsi bīyāmuzīm!” textbook and crafted using a consistent, meticulous design process by our expert instructional designer — ensuring the same high quality and learning experience throughout.
Still curious? We’d be happy to unlock two more lessons for you to preview. Just fill out the short form below, and we’ll set up your free mini-course right away.
Do you offer any discounts for group registration?
Absolutely! We offer a flat 15% group discount on all our courses and workshops — perfect for partners, families, classmates, or colleagues learning Persian together.
To enjoy this discount, simply use code GP15 at checkout.
We believe learning a new language is more fun and rewarding when shared with loved ones. Let us know how we can help your group embark on this exciting journey together!
If you’re representing an entire classroom, institution, or organization and would like to discuss an ongoing collaboration, please contact us directly for a personalized arrangement.
Do your courses include transliteration (Finglish)?
No — the courses are in Persian script from the first lesson. Our blog articles do use full transliteration, since they’re written for a general audience: the blog meets you where you are, the courses pull you forward.
The reasoning is simple. Given both a Latin spelling and the script, the eye takes the easier path every time — you read the Latin, and the script stays decoration. The longer that lasts, the longer it takes for real reading to become automatic. And reading is what unlocks everything else, from a menu in Tehran to a page of Hafez.
So instead of a crutch, you get support:
- Native audio, never AI. Every course is recorded by native speakers — so you learn a word by hearing it, not by spelling it out in Latin letters.
- Formal and Spoken side by side. In our core language courses, the dialogues and selected exercises carry two recordings of the same line: 🔵 Formal Persian, the register you’ll read, and 🔴 Spoken Persian, the register you’ll actually hear. Textbooks teach the first and leave you stranded on the second.
- Multi-sensory flashcards that connect the sound of a word straight to the shape of it, with no Latin step in between.
- In the literature courses, the audio runs synchronized with the text, so your eye stays on the Persian line while you hear it read.
- A free demo lesson, no signup, in every course — so you can see exactly what a page looks like before you decide.
And if you can’t read the script yet, you shouldn’t start here. Start with the script: our Persian alphabet courses cover all 32 letters in full, and the first lesson of each is free to try. Either one gets you ready for A1.
Is the course platform affected by the current internet disruptions in Iran?
Not at all. Our team, servers, and learning platforms are based in Istanbul. Everything is 100% accessible worldwide, ensuring you experience no interruptions while learning.
I have my own italki teacher, can I use your courses alongside my classes?
Absolutely! Our courses are designed to be flexible. They are perfect for self-study to keep your Farsi sharp between classes, or as a structured resource to review with your tutor.
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