Word origins

• IranA country in West Asia. Official name: Islamic Republic of Iran. Capital: Tehran.
• AfghanistanA landlocked country between Central Asia and South Asia. Official name: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Capital and largest city: Kabul.
• HinduOf, or relating to Hinduism, or to Hindus and their culture.
• TajikistanA country in Central Asia. Official name: Republic of Tajikistan. Capital: Dushanbe.
• afghanA native or inhabitant of Afghanistan.
• TehranThe capital city of Iran, the seat of Tehran County's Central District and the capital of Tehran Province.
• calenderA machine, used for the purpose of giving cloth, paper etc., a smooth, even, and glossy or glazed surface, by cold or hot pressure, or for watering them and giving them a wavy appearance; it consists of two or more cylinders revolving nearly in contact, with the necessary apparatus for moving and regulating.
• ZanzibarAn island region of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean.
• KabulThe capital and largest city of Afghanistan.
• PunjabiOf, pertaining to, descended from the people or culture of the Punjab, or written in the Punjabi language.
• KurdistanA cultural region in West Asia inhabited mostly by the Kurds, encompassing parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.
• bakuA type of supernatural being said to devour nightmares.
• parsA province and historical region in southwestern Iran, homeland of the Persians; known to the ancient Greeks as Περσίς (Persís) or Περσική (Persikḗ), to the Romans as Persis or Persia, and to the Arabs as فَارِس (fāris).
• dariSynonym of sorghum.
• AllahabadFormer name of Prayagraj, a city and its encompassing district in Uttar Pradesh, India.
• afghaniThe monetary currency of Afghanistan, divided into 100 pul.
• gulAny medallionlike design on a Central or West Asian rug.
• hakimA doctor, usually practicing traditional medicine.
• pashminaA Cashmere; a goat native to Kashmir.
• TajikA member of the Persian-speaking people living mainly in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
• tandooriCooked in a tandoor.
• ganjaMarijuana, the inflorescence of the Cannabis sativa plant, smoked or ingested for euphoric effect.
• bahadurA warrior, especially a Turko-Mongol.
• KurdA member of the linguistically and culturally distinct people who speak Kurdish and mainly inhabit those parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria sometimes known as Kurdistan.
• tikkaA marinade made from various aromatic spices usually with a yoghurt base; often used in Indian cuisine prior to grilling in a tandoor.
• IsfahanA city in Iran, the seat of Isfahan County's Central District and the capital of Isfahan Province, the third largest city of Iran; the former capital of Iran, from 1598–1736.
• HeratA city, the capital of Herat province, Afghanistan, dating back to Avestan times.
• TuranA nomadic people of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
• begumTo daub or cover with gum.
• UsmanA male given name from Arabic.
• ParsiA member of the larger and older of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent (the other community being that of the Iranis).
• bulbulAny of several passerine songbirds, of the family Pycnonotidae (currently, 27 genera recognized), native to Africa and Eurasia.
• BukharaThe regional capital of the Bukhara region, Uzbekistan, founded in the 6th century BCE.
• BenazirA transliteration of the Urdu female given name بینَظِیر (benazīr).
• nazirThe custodian of a waqf, or Islamic endowment.
• yaarA friend, pal, or buddy.
• tomanA division of 10,000 men in the Mongolian army.
• abbasiA surname from Persian
• yabooAn Afghan pony used as a beast of burden.
• YazdA city in Iran, the seat of Yazd County's Central District and the capital of Yazd Province.
• shahiA former currency unit of Iran, worth one twentieth of a qiran.
• ParveenA female given name.
• tandoorA cylindrical clay oven used in the cuisine of the Caucasus, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent to make flat bread or to cook meat.
• AhrimanThe hypostasis of chaos, destruction, and evil.
• naatpoetry in praise of the prophet Muhammad
• KhawajaA surname from Persian.
• UnaniA form of traditional medicine practiced in the Middle East and South Asian countries, based on the concept of the four humours: phlegm, blood, yellow bile, and black bile.
• HazaraA region in the cis-Indus area of North Pakistan.
• AurangzebMuhyi'd-Din Muhammad (1618–1707), the sixth Mughal emperor, who ruled over almost the entire Indian subcontinent for a period of 49 years.
• FerghanaThe regional capital of the Ferghana region, Uzbekistan.
• navedHaving a (specified kind or number of) nave.
• RegistanA public square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
• BalkhA town in Balkh, province of Afghanistan, historically an ancient city and centre of Buddhism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism and capital of Bactria.
• sahariSynonym of suhur.
• ChishtiBelonging to the Chishti order.
• GulistanA thirteenth-century prosimetrum in Persian written by Sa'di
• NargisA female given name from Persian, meaning “daffodil”.
• ZabulA province of Afghanistan.
• WardakA province of Afghanistan.
• goshaA corner-plot of land in India.
• NazaninA female given name from Persian.
• PaktikaA province of Afghanistan.
• ShirvanA historical region of the eastern Caucasus, historically Persian and now in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
• AfrasiabA mythical king and hero of Turan.
• aftabaA Persian ewer.
• Ahle KitabPeople of the Book
• AimaqA member of a collection of Sunni and mostly Persian-speaking nomadic and seminomadic tribes, found mainly in the central and western highlands of Afghanistan.
• akhundA spiritual leader in Persia, parts of Central Asia and Xinjiang, China.
• Ayyám-i-HáA period lasting four or five days before the last month of the Baháʼí calendar, celebrated by Baháʼí Faith believers as a festival.
• BábʻAlí Muḥammad (1820–1850), the founder of Bábism.
• BábíOf or pertaining to Bábism.
• BaháʼíA follower of the Baháʼí Faith.
• Baháʼu'lláhA title given to Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʻAlí Núrí (1817–1892), Persian religious leader, prophet-founder of the Baháʼí Faith.
• buzkashiA team sport originating in Central Asia, where the players, all on horseback, try to place an animal carcass into a goal.
• chaikhanaA teahouse in parts of Central Asia.
• chilgozaA pine of the species Pinus gerardiana, native to the northwestern Himalayas.
• dasturA Zoroastrian high priest ranking above a mobad or herbad.
• DaykundiA province of Afghanistan.
• DonboliA Kurdish tribe attested since the 10th century in various parts of Kurdistan.
• FarsistanFars, Persia proper, a province of Iran that is the historical homeland of the Persians.
• girihDecorative Islamic geometric patterns used in architecture and handicrafts, consisting of angled lines that form an interlaced strapwork.
• goshtmutton (or sometimes goat), normally as part of a South Asian curry.
• Haft SeenA traditional table setting of Nowruz comprising several symbolic items.
• HakhamanishiSynonym of Achaemenid
• herbadA Zoroastrian priest of a minor order.
• heykelThe chancel or sanctuary of a Coptic church.
• Hindu KohSynonym of Hindu Kush
• Hindu KushA mountain range in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• IspahanA city in Iran, the seat of Isfahan County's Central District and the capital of Isfahan Province, the third largest city of Iran; the former capital of Iran, from 1598–1736
• KarakhanidOf or relating to this language or the people who speak it.
• kashidaA type of justification used in some cursive scripts, particularly (Perso)-Arabic, where characters are elongated like a string rather than separated by spaces.
• khalatA type of native gown worn in parts of Central Asia, historically awarded as a robe of honor.
• KhwarazmshahA title borne by mediaeval rulers of Khwarazm.
• Kitáb-i-AqdasThe central holy book in the Baháʼí Faith, literally "The Most Holy Book"
• Kitáb-i-ÍqánA religious text in the Baháʼí Faith, literally "Book of Certitude"
• koftaAny of various spicy meatball or meatloaf dishes of the Middle East, Caucasus, South Asia, and the Balkans.
• Koh-i-NoorAny very large and valuable diamond.
• LorestanA province of Iran, mostly inhabited by the Lur people
• majhulA vowel phoneme that does not have a phonemic equivalent in Classical Arabic.
• mancheelA covered hammock litter developed in southwest India.