Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia CGIE / مرکز دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی

Overview

The Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia (CGIE; Persian: مرکز دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی), also known as the Center for Iranian and Islamic Studies, is a major Iranian scientific-research institution headquartered in Tehran. It was established to research, compile, and publish general and specialized encyclopedias on all dimensions of Islamic and Iranian culture and civilization.

History and Founding

The Center was founded in February–March 1983 through the efforts and management of Seyed Kazem Mousavi Bojnourdi. Its founding mandate was to produce encyclopedic reference works covering the breadth of human civilization, with particular emphasis on Islamic and Iranian culture. A dedicated building was constructed in the Darabad area of Tehran; since 1991, the building's design has been refined, and the center has received recognition for its architecture, including a nomination for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Collections and Holdings

The Center's primary output is the multi-volume Great Islamic Encyclopedia (دائرة‌المعارف بزرگ اسلامی), which, as of the mid-2020s, has reached its 26th volume. Beyond this flagship work, the CGIE has developed and published a suite of specialized encyclopedias, including an Encyclopedia of Iran (focused on folk culture, oral traditions, customs, and beliefs), a Tehran encyclopedia, a geography of Iran, and the multi-volume Comprehensive History of Iran, a 20-volume collection covering Iranian political, social, and cultural history from pre-Islamic times through the Qajar era. The Center also maintains a digital library and makes several of its encyclopedias available as open-access resources on its website.

Notable Publications for Research

The 16-volume Encyclopaedia Islamica series, co-published with Brill and based on a translation and expansion of the CGIE's Persian-language encyclopedia, has brought the Center's scholarship to international audiences. The Comprehensive History of Iran, completed after fourteen years of research in collaboration with prominent scholars, stands as one of the most ambitious reference works produced in the Islamic world in recent decades.

Access and Usage

The Center's main website at cgie.org.ir provides access to digital versions of several encyclopedias and a searchable database of articles. Some encyclopedias are available as open-access resources. The center collaborates with international publishers and scholarly institutions worldwide.