A B O U T

It was Nowruz 2017 and Shiva Danesh, a Persian language teacher with over 10 years of experience with a background in theater,  and Nushin Sabet, an Iranian-American entrepreneur and artist with an eye for design, started talking about the need for a Persian language and cultural center in Los Angeles. Since both had a love for Persian culture their idea was to bring language and culture together in an immersive community setting that a generation of modern Iranian-Americans and their non-Iranian friends of all ages would find appealing.  

Shiva knew exactly the curriculum that would be effective in teaching Persian to contemporary Iranian-Americans, and Nushin had many ideas for how to weave Iranian culture into the fabric of the center and its offerings in a way that would be inviting to anyone interested in learning Persian.

Together they formed Anar Center, picking a pomegranate -- the quintessential Persian fruit with a thousand sweet jewels inside -- as the perfect symbol for a place where people with a love of Persian language and culture would feel welcome.  Their goal was an immersive homelike environment that feels both authentically Iranian and pleasantly modern.

Today, Anar Center offers a variety of fun and effective Persian classes to children, youth and adults of all backgrounds.