What it means
هجری شمسی (hejri-ye shamsi) is the name of the Solar Hijri calendar, the official civil calendar of Iran and Afghanistan. Both components of the phrase are Arabic in origin: هجری (hejri) comes from هجرة (hijra), the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, which marks year 1 in Hijri counting; شمسی (shamsi) comes from شمس (shams), meaning “sun,” indicating that this calendar tracks the solar year rather than the lunar year. The calendar aligns the Islamic Hijri epoch with the solar cycle, which is why the Iranian year begins at the spring equinox and its months match the seasons. It differs from the Hijri Qamari (lunar Hijri) calendar used for Islamic religious dates.
How to use it
- ایران از تقویم هجری شمسی استفاده میکنه. (iran az taqvim-e hejri-ye shamsi estefade mikone.) “Iran uses the Solar Hijri calendar.”
- الان چه سالیه تو تقویم هجری شمسی؟ (alan che saliye to taqvim-e hejri-ye shamsi?) “What year is it now in the Solar Hijri calendar?”
- تاریخ میلادی رو به هجری شمسی تبدیل کن. (tarikh-e miladi ro be hejri-ye shamsi tabdil kon.) “Convert the Gregorian date to Solar Hijri.”
- هجری شمسی با هجری قمری فرق داره. (hejri-ye shamsi ba hejri-ye qamari farq dare.) “The Solar Hijri differs from the Lunar Hijri.”
Cultural note
The Solar Hijri calendar was formally adopted in Iran in 1925 during the Pahlavi era as part of a modernization program. Year 1 corresponds to 622 CE, the year of the hijra, so the current Solar Hijri year runs roughly 621 to 622 years behind the Gregorian calendar. Iranian official documents, newspapers, and public signage use this calendar, which means a learner of Persian must be comfortable converting dates. Afghanistan also uses the Solar Hijri calendar, though with some differences in month names in the Dari-speaking tradition.