Discover the Origins of Indo-Iranian Languages The Indo-Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, trace their origins back to ancient peoples who inhabited the regions surrounding the Iranian plateau and the Indian subcontinent. Linguists believe these languages originated from a common ancestral language, known as Proto-Indo-Iranian, spoken around 2000 BCE. This linguistic branch is divided into two primary groups: the Iranian languages, including Persian, Kurdish,

Jews living in the Persian empire spoke Judeo-Persian, a dialect based on the Persian language, but written in the Hebrew alphabet. It is known for its poetic religious literature closely modeled on classical Persian poetry. It is considered one of the oldest, yet least studied, Jewish writings. Ahead of Purim, learn about the languages - many of which are endangered - that the Jews of Iran still use to this very day. WATCH: | World Jewish Congress