Enayatollah Reza was an Iranian historian and professor of philosophy, a former member of the Iranian Communist Party

Communist party

A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...

, and a former Iranian military officer. He was a member of the Supreme Academic Council of the Centre for Iranian and Islamic Studies in Tehran

Tehran

Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

, Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

, the publishers of the Encyclopaedia Islamica

Encyclopaedia Islamica

The Encyclopedia Islamica is a new encyclopedia on Islamic/Sh'i and Iranian studies. This is a projected 16-volume publication and a translation of a carefully selected set of articles from the new Persian The Great Islamic Encyclopaedia a projected 35 volume publication.As of 2009 two volume of...

. His research concerned the historical regions of Iranian Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan (Iran)

Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan , also Iranian Azerbaijan, Persian Azarbaijan is a region in northwestern Iran. It is also historically known as Atropatene and Aturpatakan....

 and Caucasian Arran; based on this research, he claimed that "Azerbaijan" should properly refer only to the land south of the Aras River (in Iran) and that the country of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

should instead be called "Aran".

Works

• The Sasanian Civilization (alternatively titled Civilization of Sassanid Iran, translation of book by Vladimir Grigorevich Lukonin)
• Azerbaijan va Arran (Albania-e Qafqaz) (in English: Azerbaijan and Aran (Albania of Caucasus))
• From Aran to Azerbaijan, Goftogu Quarterly 33, Spring 2002.