Iranian studies as a field of study in its own right has been present in the humanities for hundreds of years as one of the earliest representatives of traditional humanities. The development of this field of study was closely linked to the research of Indo-European comparative linguistics, of which the study of Iranian languages, especially Persian, was an essential element.

The beginnings of Iranian studies in Hungary can be traced back at least to the 18th century. Early specialists of this field include Ferenc Dombay (1758-1810) and Károly Reviczky (1737-1793) who earned international fame during their lifetimes. In the next century, the famous traveller Ármin Vámbéry (1832-1913) was the first person to formally teach Persian language and literature at our university.

Iranian Studies as a separate program has been taught at the Faculty of Humanities at Eötvös Loránd University since 1958.