The name Iran has been applied to the country since Islamic times to modern Persia, from the Persian genitive Aryana or the land of the Aryans. However, we know it a country where the Persian language is the mother tongue of the masses. Its two great kings, Cyrus and Darius, who extended the Persian Empire from the Aral Sea and Jaxartes to Afghanistan and Baluchistan. Subsequently, Babylonia, Syria, Palestine and Elam and Assyria were subdued by them. Darius even annexed Thrace and Macedonia into his empire in 490BC. We also know Iran as the country, which was the fountained by Zoroastrianism.
The name Kashmir is applied by Ptolemy to the region of Kasperia, situated below the sources of the Bidaspes (Jhelum) and of the Sandabal (Chenab) and of the Adris (Iravati). It is important to note that Kasperia, the name given by Ptolemy to the alpine valley enclosed by the snowy mountains, presents us with an accurate enough transcript of the country’s names in the forms of Kashmiria, Kashmir and Kasheer. However, we can safely assume that Kashmir is the country, where the Kashmiri language is the Mother-tongue of the masses. Since, the 14TH Century, Kashmir has been mentioned as Iran-i-Sageer or the Little Iran in Persian literature. |
