Farsi (also known as Persian or Parsi) and its varieties have official-language status in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. There are approximately 72 million native speakers of Farsi in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and about the same number of people in other parts of the world also speak Farsi laguage.

Persian is an ancient language that has developed through three historical stages. Old Persian dates back to at least 514 B.C. and was used until about A.D. 250. It was written in cuneiform and used exclusively for royal proclamations and announcements. Middle Persian, also known as Pahlavi, was in use from about A.D. 250 to 900. It was the official language of the Sassanid Empire and of the Zoroastrian priesthood. It was written in an ideographic script called Huzvaresh.

Modern Persian in Iran and Afghanistan is written in a variety of the Arabic script called Perso-Arabic, which has some innovations to account for Persian phonological differences. Persian speakers regard their language as extremely beautiful, and they take great pleasure in listening to the verses of medieval poets such as Ferdowsi, Hafez, and Saadi. The language is a living link with the past and has been important in binding the nation together.