Iranshahr’s geography
Meaning of Iran and Iranshahr: The first part of the name Iran, “Ir,” means pure, noble, and free. The second part, “ān,” is a locative suffix. Thus, Iran means the land of the pure or the land of the free.
“Shahr,” in the word “Iranshahr,” means both “country” and “good governance.” Therefore, Iranshahr can mean both the “country of Iran” and the “good governance of Iran.” In the trilingual inscription of Šābuhr at “Kaaba i Zardušt”, the term “Ērānšahr” appears in Middle Persian (Sasanian Pahlavi), and “Aryānšahr” appears in Parthian (Parthian Pahlavi). The Greek version uses a term that corresponds to the English word “state.” Therefore, Iranshahr also meant the “State of Iran.”
Borders of Iranshahr: Based on ancient Iranian texts and also post-Islamic writings, the length of the borders of Iranshahr extended from the Amu Darya River to the Euphrates River, and its width stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf.
For references on this matter, see the Persian section.