Ruben Nikoghosyan
Instructor of Persian Language

Ruben Nikoghosyan graduated from the Department of Iranian Studies, Yerevan State University (YSU). He is actively pursuing his research in the field of Iranian studies, more particularly in Middle Iranian philology, Classical Persian literature, and Zoroastrian studies.

In 2018, in collaboration with the YSU, he published his book entitled "Pahlavi Studies" (Yerevan, 2018), where, alongside an extensive introduction to Middle Persian Zoroastrian literature and Zoroastrianism, he presented translations of several Middle Persian texts (Kārnāmag ī Ardaxšēr ī Pābagān, Ayādgār ī Zarērān, Zand ī Wahman Yasn, parts of Bundahišn and Wizīdagīhā ī Zādspram) with annotations.

Mr. Nikoghosyan has been interested in Near Eastern and East Asian cultures and history since his early years. He began learning Persian at 14 and has devoted most of his time studying Iranian culture, history, and philology. His multiple trips to Iran and beyond have helped him to acquire a closer understanding of Persian culture and polish his knowledge of Persian.

In 2017 and 2018, Mr. Nikoghosyan was a visiting lecturer at the Department of Armenian Studies at the Isfahan State University (Iran). The courses he taught there (in Persian) included the Armenian language, the History of Armenian literature, the History of Armenia, etc.

Since 2019, Ruben has worked with ASPIRANTUM to provide instruction to students from all around the globe. He has taught or assisted in several group or individual courses on Persian language and literature, Middle Iranian philology, etc. Besides the main classes of ASPIRANTUM, Ruben also teaches specialized online courses:

- Learn Persian Through the Shahname (2 weeks)

- Middle Persian (Pahlavi) (3 weeks)

- Learn Persian through Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat (3 weeks)

- Learn Persian through Early Classical Persian Prose (3 weeks)

Besides his teaching career, Mr. Nikoghosyan is also interested in doing research in the field of Iranian studies. The results of his research include the following publications:

- Ruben S. Nikoghosyan (2018). Pahlavakan Usumnasirut'yunner (Introduction to Pahlavi Studies), Yerevan State University, 2018 (in Armenian).

- Ruben S. Nikoghosyan (2022). "Where Did the Battle Between Wištāsp and Arǰāsp Take Place?". Iran, 60:1, 65-72, DOI: 10.1080/05786967.2020.1762504

- Ruben S. Nikoghosyan (2023). "Mādayān ī Wīrāzagān: a newly discovered Middle Persian text (Transliteration, Transcription, and Translation)". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (London), 2023 (in print).

Here are some online articles he has authored:

- 80 Journals in Iranian Studies

- 225 Iranian News Websites, Newspapers, and Media

- All You Need to Know about the Persian Language

- The Writing Systems of Persian (Preply)

- 50 Iranian Languages (Old, Middle, and New)

- 7 things you might like to know about the Shahnameh

One of the main fields of his research is the New Persian epic literature, especially the masterpiece of Ferdowsi, the Shahname. Ruben has closely studied the text of Shahname, compared the different editions of the text, and studied numerous articles by renowned scholars of Iranian studies to get as a complete understanding of this vital piece of literature as possible. His close acquaintance with the Middle Persian language and its literature has helped him to draw lines of comparison between the ancient Iranian traditions and the various mythological and linguistic aspects of the Shahname. His knowledge of multiple languages has enabled him to read the Shahname translations in Armenian, Russian, English, and German.