Persian (Jalali / Solar Hijri)

Shamsi Date Today

Q: Why is the Shamsi calendar called "solar"?

Shamsi (شمسی) means "solar" in Persian — from shams (شمس), "sun". This name distinguishes it from qamari (lunar) calendars such as the Islamic Hijri calendar. Both are counted from the year 622 CE — the year of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ's migration to Madinah — but the Shamsi tracks the sun (365.2422-day tropical year), while the Qamari tracks the moon (354-day lunar year). After fourteen centuries, the year numbers have drifted apart: as of today the Shamsi year is 1405, while the Hijri lunar year is 1447.

As of Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 9:02 AM, today's Persian (Jalali / Solar Hijri) date is:

31 Ordibehesht 1405

۳۱ اردیبهشت ۱۴۰۵

Panjshanbeh Thursday, May 21, 2026

Today's Persian (Jalali / Solar Hijri) date — full detail

Date: 31 Ordibehesht 1405
Persian: ۳۱ اردیبهشت ۱۴۰۵
Short form: 1405/2/31
Month: Ordibehesht
Year: 1405 SH / AHS (Anno Hegirae Solaris)
Weekday: Panjshanbeh · پنجشنبه
Gregorian: Thursday, May 21, 2026

Why today matters

Today is in Ordibehesht, named after the Zoroastrian angel Asha Vahishta ("best truth" or "best order"), guardian of fire and harmony. This is the month of long, mild days and the final wave of spring blooms before summer's heat arrives. In Ordibehesht the apple, pear, and almond orchards of Iran complete their bloom; the first cherries and apricots arrive in Tehran's markets toward the end of the month.

Ordibehesht is the month in which the earth puts on her wedding clothes. — Persian proverb

How we compute this

Persian (Jalali / Solar Hijri) is a solar hijri calendar. Each year contains 365 or 366 days (highly accurate solar tracking), with each month averaging 31 days (months 1–6), 30 days (months 7–11), 29 or 30 (month 12). Years are counted from 21 March 622 CE — the spring equinox of the hijrah year (era: SH / AHS (Anno Hegirae Solaris)).

The word Shamsi (شمسی) is the Persian adjective for "solar" — from shams (شمس), "sun". It distinguishes this calendar from the Qamari (قمری, lunar) Islamic calendar, which is also counted from 622 CE but tracks the moon rather than the sun. The Shamsi calendar is built on the most astronomically rigorous algorithm in widespread civic use: the year begins at the precise moment the vernal equinox occurs in Tehran (52.5° E longitude), and a year is a leap year if and only if the equinox falls before noon on that day. This makes the calendar accurate to within about one day in 110,000 years — far more accurate than the Gregorian system, which drifts about one day in 3,300 years. The mathematician and poet Omar Khayyam refined this algorithm in 1079 CE under Sultan Jalal al-Din Malik-Shah of the Seljuks, which is why the calendar is also called Jalali. The modern Iranian government formally adopted it in 1925.

Used by: ≈110 million people. Regions: Iran (official), Afghanistan, Tajik communities.

Frequently asked

What is the Shamsi date today?

Today's Shamsi (solar Hijri) date is 31 Ordibehesht 1405. In Persian script with Persian numerals: ۳۱ اردیبهشت ۱۴۰۵. The weekday is Panjshanbeh (پنجشنبه).

Why is the Shamsi calendar called "solar"?

Shamsi (شمسی) means "solar" in Persian — from shams (شمس), "sun". This name distinguishes it from qamari (lunar) calendars such as the Islamic Hijri calendar. Both are counted from the year 622 CE — the year of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ's migration to Madinah — but the Shamsi tracks the sun (365.2422-day tropical year), while the Qamari tracks the moon (354-day lunar year). After fourteen centuries, the year numbers have drifted apart: as of today the Shamsi year is 1405, while the Hijri lunar year is 1447.

How accurate is the Shamsi calendar compared to the Gregorian?

The Shamsi calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian. The Gregorian calendar uses an arithmetic rule (leap years divisible by 4 except centuries not divisible by 400), which drifts about one day every 3,300 years. The Shamsi calendar uses an observational rule (leap if the vernal equinox occurs before noon Tehran time on the starting day), which drifts about one day every 110,000 years. The trade-off: Shamsi leap years cannot be predicted by a simple formula and require astronomical computation for years far in the future.

What is the agricultural origin of the Shamsi month names?

The twelve Shamsi months are all named after Zoroastrian yazatas (angels/spiritual beings), preserving the pre-Islamic Iranian heritage: Farvardin (guardian spirits of the dead), Ordibehesht (truth and right order), Khordad (wholeness), Tir (rain-bringer), Mordad (immortality), Shahrivar (right dominion), Mehr (covenant), Aban (waters), Azar (fire), Dey (Creator), Bahman (good thought), and Esfand (holy devotion). The months also map cleanly to Iran's agricultural year — the spring months (Farvardin–Khordad) are planting and bloom; the summer months (Tir–Shahrivar) are heat and stone-fruit harvest; the autumn months (Mehr–Azar) bring rain and grain; the winter months (Dey–Esfand) are dormancy and preparation for Nowruz.