8 Persian Podcasts Advanced (& Native) Speakers Should Follow

There are so many singers in Iran that Iranians joke that anyone who has a fall out with their mother becomes a singer. I feel like a more updated version of this saying is that they start their own podcast. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, I’m a huge podcast enthusiast, but man alive, there are so many out there nowadays that it’s hard to keep up!

My students ask me all the time to recommend good English language podcasts so they can improve their listening. And since podcasts are big in Iran too, one day, I decided to turn the question around on them. What are some of the best Persian language podcasts? So based on those recommendations (as well as a few of my own personal favorites), I’ve curated a list of Persian podcasts that I think more advanced Persian speakers (and obviously native speakers) will enjoy.

Note: You can find these anywhere you normally get your podcasts (Apple, Stitcher, Castbox, etc.). Just be sure to search in Persian if the English doesn’t turn up any results. 

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Chirook

Topping my list of Persian podcasts is Chirook, which gets its name from the Kurdish word for “story/tale” (ghesseh in Persian). In each episode, our host, Roozbeh Estifaee, retells a folkloric tale from around Iran, stories that have been passed down orally from generation to generation. Having gathered the tales from various sources, he combines the different versions and details to create a universal expression of that tale for adults. These tales set to their unique rhythm and rhyme are absolutely charming, and I really appreciate his attention to detail and how thoroughly each episode is done. Among my favorites are Dokhtar-e Nâranj (told in 3 parts) and Ali Bunegir.

Radio Marz

Marzie Rasouli hosts Radio Marz, another one of my favorites. This one discusses subjects that tend to create distances and borders between us. An episode of particular interest to me was number 6 which was about Iranians who return to Iran after living in another country. She says it best when she says that when you leave Iran, no one needs to know why. But when you come back, you owe absolutely everyone an explanation. Story of my life! Another relatable one that really hit home was episode 4 about the death of a loved one. Hearing others’ stories is both eye-opening and comforting, and with this podcast, Marzie does a great job dissolving the borders a little. 

On Podcast

Mercen, the host of On Podcast, tells other people’s stories as if they were his own. Putting himself in their places, he narrates their true story in the first person as if you are two friends having a conversation over a cup of coffee. These captivating stories encourage you to also put yourself in the other person’s shoes and see things from a new perspective. After all, he says, you could have been them.

Angir o Beh

Many of you already know the lovely Azita Houshiar, the writer behind the food blog Fig and Quince. Well, this is her Persian language podcast where she interviews a slew of Iranians, from entrepreneurs to artists to expats (including yours truly!) and everyone in between who is doing cool things in Iran. The conversations center around Iranian culture, food, and personal stories. With her warm voice, Azita is a natural at making each episode super fun and engaging. Although the last one available is from about two years ago, when I ran into her at TEDx Tehran, she said she had plans to revive it (here’s to hoping!). That means you have time to catch yourself up! The informal, conversational nature of this podcast makes it great listening practice for more intermediate levels of Persian too.

BPlus Podcast

If you enjoy reading, but don’t always have a lot of time to dedicate to books, consider BPlus. This podcast is basically a Persian CliffsNotes version of the non-fiction genre, so you can get the most important points in a fraction of the time. But hopefully, the podcast will pique your interest enough to curl up with a physical copy of the book on a rainy day. Episodes include titles by Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, and David Brooks, among others.

Vavcast

Fellow language geeks will appreciate Vavcast. This podcast digs into the linguistic background of certain terms and looks at how they are connected across languages. You’ll be looking at words in various languages and dialects totally differently.

If linguistics isn’t really your bag, the host has another podcast, Navcast, which is worth checking out. This one discusses the bestseller Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari chapter by chapter.

Metronom

Those into Iranian music will like Metronom, a podcast that takes you through the history and stories behind Iranian classics such as Soltân-e Ghalbhâ, Ay Iran, and Marâ Bebus, to name a few. Interspersed with soundbites from the songs and movies of generations past, this podcast will have you overflowing with nostalgia. 

Reading Ferdowsi

Persian literature aficionados, this podcast is for you! In Reading Ferdowsi, our host Amir Khadem reads from the Shahnameh, the epic poem and literary masterpiece by Ferdowsi. Throughout the reading of the couplets, we get a brief explanation in more simple terms. But given the overall poetic nature of the reading, this podcast is best suited for near-native or native Persian speakers. 

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Your recommendations?

These are just a few of my favorite Persian podcasts that I like to check in on (for now anyway). Of course, there are so many that it’s virtually impossible to listen to them all, and who knows what’ll pop up in the future. Do you have any others that you would recommend?

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