Definition
Parsijoo (Persian: پارسیجو, meaning “Persian seeker”) was an independent Iranian internet company that operated a search engine and a suite of related online services primarily focused on Persian‑language content.
Overview
Founded on 18 May 2010, Parsijoo grew to become Iran’s second most visited search engine after Google, handling approximately 600 000 hits and 120 000 searches per day as of 2016. The service offered web, image, video, music (Ava), news, market, map, download, translation, scholar, and various value‑added services such as weather, employment listings, and price information. By October 2022 the platform was reported as defunct, and its website is no longer operational.
Etymology / Origin
The name combines the Persian word پارسی (Pārsi), referring to the Persian language or culture, with جو (jū), a suffix meaning “seeker” or “searcher.” Hence, “Parsijoo” conveys “one who seeks Persian [information].”
Characteristics
- Language focus – All services were designed specifically for Persian‑language users, with interfaces and indexing tailored to the script and linguistic nuances of Farsi.
- Service suite – In addition to standard web search, Parsijoo provided specialized verticals:
- Image, Video, and Music (Ava) – Search and direct playback/download of multimedia files.
- News – Aggregation and categorization of articles from over 60 Iranian news sites.
- Market – Product data from more than 20 e‑commerce platforms, including price and inventory details.
- Map – A native Iranian mapping service covering roughly 650 cities with extensive geographic layers.
- Download – Indexed software, applications, books, movies, and other downloadable content.
- Translate – Real‑time translation powered by the Targoman system.
- Scholar – Academic‑oriented search of Persian scholarly material.
- APIs and custom solutions – Offered programmable interfaces for map, weather, price data, and enterprise search, as well as custom search implementations for businesses.
- Censorship claims – Parsijoo faced allegations of content filtering, which the company denied, asserting a more private and uncensored approach compared with international engines.
- Defunct status – As of late 2022 the service ceased operations; the domain now displays a suspension notice, and archival snapshots indicate the site was taken offline.
Related Topics
- Iranian internet infrastructure and domestic search engines
- List of search engines (global and regional)
- Persian language digital resources
- Online mapping services in Iran
- Internet censorship in Iran
- Targoman translation system
Note: The information presented is based on publicly available sources, including the English Wikipedia entry for Parsijoo and related news reports.