The modern Persian name of Iran (ایران) derives from the 3rd-century Sasanian Middle Persian ērān, where it initially meant "of the Aryans," and acquired a geographical connotation in the sense of "(lands inhabited by) Aryans." In both geographic and demonymic senses, ērān is distinguished from its antonymic anērān, meaning "non-Iran(ian)".
Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht (c. AD 262), with Ērānšahr and Ērān highlighted.
The word "Iran" (Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭩𐭫𐭠𐭭) on a coin of the first Sasanian King of Kings Ardashir I
An inscription in Middle Persian on the tombstone of a Christian from Anatolia in the 9th century AD: ēn gōr Hurdād [pusar ī Ohrmazdāfrīd] rāy ast, kū-š xvadāy bē āmurzād. az mān ī Ērānšahr, az rōdestāg Zargān, az deh Xišt This grave is the grave of Khordad, the son of HormazdAfrid, may God bless him. From the land of "Iranshahr", from the region Zargan, from the village Khesht
Qajar-era currency bill featuring a depiction of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar. It states: Issued from the imperial bank of Iran
Pahlavi is a particular, exclusively written form of various Middle Iranian languages. The essential characteristics of Pahlavi are:the use of a specific Aramaic-derived script;
the incidence of Aramaic words used as heterograms.
Parthian (above), along with Greek (below) and Middle Persian was being used in inscriptions of early Sasanian emperors. Shapur inscription in Naqsh-e Rajab
Inscriptional Pahlavi text from Shapur III at Taq-e Bostan, 4th century
Kartir's inscription at Naqsh-e Rajab
Sasanian relief with Inscriptional Pahlavi monogram.
![An inscription in Middle Persian on the tombstone of a Christian from Anatolia in the 9th century AD: ēn gōr Hurdād [pusar ī Ohrmazdāfrīd] rāy ast, kū](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Middle_Persian_inscription.jpg/640px-Middle_Persian_inscription.jpg)
