Airyanem Vaejah


Airyanem Vaejah is the homeland of the early Iranians and a reference in the Zoroastrian Avesta to one of Ahura Mazda's "sixteen perfect lands." Its actual location remains uncertain.

Etymology and related words

The Avestan term airyanəm vaējah is formed from the plural genitive case of airya and the word vaējah. It may be related to Vedic Sanskrit vej/vij, suggesting the region of a fast-flowing river. It has also been interpreted by some as "seed". Avestan airya is etymologically related to the Old Persian ariya.
The related Old Iranian term *aryānām xšaθra- is the origin of the modern Persian term "Iran" via Middle Persian ????????? Ērān-shahr and ????? Ērān during the Sasanian Empire.

Historical concepts

The historical location of Airyanem Vaejah is still uncertain. In the first chapter of the Vendidad is a listing of 16 countries, and some scholars believe that Airyanem Vaejah lies to the north of all of these. As Darmesteter notes in his translation of the Avesta, Bundahishn 29:12 directly states that it was beside Azerbaijan, however, most modern scholars favor a more eastern location.
Bahram Farahvashi and Nasser Takmil Homayoun suggest that Airyanem Vaejah was probably centered on Khwarezm, a region that is now split between several Central Asian republics. The University of Hawaii historian Elton L. Daniel likewise believes Khwarezm to be the “most likely locale” corresponding to the original home of the Avestan-speaking peoples, and Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda once called Khwarezm “the cradle of the Aryan tribe”.
Conversely, according to Michael Witzel, Airyanem Vaejah lies at the center of the 16 lands mentioned in the Vendidad: an area now in the central Afghan highlands.
According to G. Gnoli Airyanem Vaejah is situated between the Helmand River and the Hindukush mountains in Afghanistan.
David Anthony's The Horse, the Wheel and Language, makes no direct reference to Airynem Vaejah. Anthony may, however, provide evidence linking it to four successive Indo-European cultures.
Shrikant G. Talageri, in his book , proposes that Airyam Vaejah was located in Kashmir.