In Mourning for Saminé Baghcheban: When the Islamic Republic Set Out to Destroy the Persian Language S. Rouzbeh ۱۴۰۴/۰۶/۲۸ S. Rouzbeh reflects on the deaths of Jabbar and Saminé Baghcheban, their work in children’s literature and deaf education, and the marginalisation of Persian language and literature after the 1979 Revolution. S. Rouzbeh – Saminé Baghcheban’s death at the age of 97 is not merely the death of a writer and translator of children’s books. This event has once again laid bare a profound contradiction: a family that brought the Persian language to life for children and even for deaf people is remembered today in a country whose government has pushed Persian language and literature to the margins, filling their place with ideological themes. Saminé Baghcheban Jabbar Baghcheban: the father of modern education and children’s literature Jabbar Asgarzadeh, known as Baghcheban, was born in 1885 in Yerevan. In 1924, he founded Iran’s first kindergarten in Tabriz. In 1933, he established Iran’s first school for deaf children in Shiraz, where deaf children were able for the first time to learn to read and write in Persian. Baghcheban also devised a ‘special script for the deaf’ and adapted his teaching methods to Persian culture and language. He wrote textbooks and plays for children, work that made him the ‘father of modern children’s literature’ in Iran. Although Baghcheban drew inspiration from European experiences, in Iran he was an absolute pioneer. He brought education out of the exclusive preserve of the elite and into the world of children—even deaf children. Saminé Baghcheban: continuing her father’s work Saminé Baghcheban (1927–2025), the daughter of Jabbar Baghcheban, grew up in the same cultural environment. She became a writer and translator of works for children and young people, introducing Iranian children to new horizons through her translations of world literature into Persian. She played an influential role in deaf education and in defending deaf people’s rights. Her death on 7 September 2025, at the age of 97, was not only the loss of a writer, but a reminder of the path the Baghcheban family had travelled in the pursuit of equality and the preservation and advancement of the language. The Baghchebans’ connection to the heritage of the Persian language If Dehkhoda recorded and documented the heritage of the Persian language in his dictionary, the Baghchebans put this language to practical use: educating children, including deaf children; producing simple, dramatic and educational texts for the very young; and translating world literature for Persian speakers. Through the Baghchebans, Persian moved from the level of divans and universities into kindergartens and families. This was the popularisation of the language that strengthens the foundation of Iranian identity. After the Revolution: from Baghcheban to Palestine But the 1979 Revolution changed the course of events. Persian literary texts became less common in schoolbooks. Many contemporary poets and writers (Nima, Akhavan, Shamloo, Hedayat) were removed. Arabic became one of the main pillars of the education system and the university entrance examination. Lessons about ‘Palestine’, ‘resistance’ and ‘Islamic figures’ took the place of Persian texts. Official reports showed that even Baghcheban’s name was removed from special schools and replaced with other names. If Persian literature was a pillar of national identity under the Pahlavis, after the Revolution the government saw it as a threat to the ‘Islamic ummah’ and sought to replace it with ideology. Erasing cultural memory Although the lesson ‘Baghche-ye Atfal’ (‘Children’s Garden’) can still be found in the fourth-grade Persian textbook, the reality is that the Baghchebans’ place in Iran’s educational memory has faded. School names have changed. The share of Persian literature across the education system has diminished. The Islamic Republic’s official policy rests on giving greater prominence to Arabic and religious-political themes. This means a systematic effort to erase Iran’s cultural memory and replace it with an imported, ideological identity. Works by Jabbar Baghcheban Jabbar Baghcheban produced numerous works, and some sources list more than thirty titles. Among his best-known books are ‘The Easy Alphabet’, ‘The Special Manual Alphabet for the Deaf’, ‘Mrs Khazook’, ‘Children’s Lives’, ‘The Wolf and the Shepherd’, ‘The Old Man and the Radish’, ‘Father Snow’ and ‘The Method of Teaching the Deaf and Mute’. Works by Saminé Baghcheban Saminé Baghcheban also published valuable books and texts in the field of children’s and young adult literature. Among her notable works are “The Wooden Bridge”, “Nowruz and Kites”, “Jam Jamak, Autumn Leaf”, “Sun and Moon, What Colour Are You?”, “I Ran and I Ran”, “Clap, Clap, Daddy’s Coming” and “Illuminating the Darkness”, a book about her father, Jabbar Baghcheban. Conclusion: Two Legacies, Two Paths The Baghcheban family left a legacy founded on education, literature and equality. They turned the Persian language into a tool for awareness and social justice. By contrast, for four decades the Islamic Republic has been bent on destroying the national culture by sidelining Persian literature and erasing the names of great figures such as the Baghchebans. Saminé Baghcheban’s death is a warning to us: if Persian language and literature are forgotten, Iran will have nothing left of its identity. Governments come and go, but what remains is the language and culture of the people. And that is what the Baghchebans lived and worked to preserve. Source: https://srouzbeh.com/en/posts/archive-f555352e-9aa5-6dcd-092c-9e9d67793482 Please credit the author and link to this edition.