What it means
پایتخت (pâytakht) is the standard Persian word for “capital city,” the seat of a country’s central government. It is a native Persian compound built from پا (pâ, “foot” or “base”) and تخت (takht, “throne”), carrying the image of the throne’s foundation. The word is used at all registers, from school geography lessons to news broadcasts. A related term you will encounter is مرکز (markaz), meaning “center” or “hub,” though پایتخت specifically refers to the political capital.
How to use it
- تهران پایتخت ایران است. (Tehrân pâytakht-e Irân ast.) “Tehran is the capital of Iran.”
- پایتخت جدید کجاست؟ (Pâytakht-e jadid kojâst?) “Where is the new capital?”
- ما به پایتخت سفر کردیم. (Mâ be pâytakht safar kardim.) “We traveled to the capital.”
- پایتخت این کشور خیلی بزرگ است. (Pâytakht-e in keshvar kheyli bozorg ast.) “The capital of this country is very large.”
Cultural note
Tehran became Iran’s capital in 1786 under Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, replacing Isfahan and Shiraz in importance. The concept of a پایتخت has symbolic weight in Persian culture, since it represents the historic seat of royal power going back to Achaemenid capitals such as Persepolis and Pasargadae. When Iranians discuss moving the capital away from Tehran due to overcrowding and earthquake risk, the word پایتخت carries both practical and deeply historical meaning.