It is named after Mirza Ali Akbar Ghazvini, known as "Dehkhoda", a prominent Iranian literary scholar, poet, and author.
[1] The institute traces its origins to a 1925 Iranian law decreeing the compilation of an official Persian dictionary.
Work on the dictionary was begun by Dehkhoda, and upon his death, his residence was named The Dehkhoda Institute, and housed the academic staff from several Iranian universities who compiled the dictionary.
It is located in Valiasr Avenue near the Tajrish district of North Tehran.
[1] The institute offers basic, intermediate and advanced courses in Persian for foreign and Iranian students, as well as higher level courses for graduates of Persian Language and Literature, Oriental Studies and Iranian Studies.