Polish War Cemeteries in Iran
Reprinted from: "Polish War Cemeteries in Iran", Rada Ochrony Pamieci Walk/Meczenstwa, Warsaw 2002

In 1942, Polish refugees, both civilians and soldiers, found themselves in their thousands of Iranian land. As a result of evacuation of the Polish Army commanded by Lieutenant General Wladyslaw Anders from the territory of Soviet Union 120 thousands poles reached Iran by sea and overland, this number including 77 thousands soldiers and more than 43 thousands civilians, among them almost 20 thousands children, who had miraculous rescue from the inferno of Soviet lagers.

For most of them, Iran was the first halting place on their martial route or in further peregrination towards more countries, free of the turmoil of war. Having experienced Soviet prisons and lagers, extreme poverty, exile and disease, many of the Poles, however, stayed forever in Iran. The memorials there speak volumes for dramatic and tragic destiny of the Poles, exiled by shear force from their own fatherland.

More than 2900 Polish refugees (soldiers and civilians) terminated their wandering life in Iran. They were buried in two Polish cemeteries and six polish plots in memorial parks of other nations, principally in American sacred soil. 1937 Poles were buried in major Polish cemetery in Tehran (Dulab), 56 in Jewish cemetery in Tehran, too, and 10 in British Gholhak cemetery. Individual tombs of Polish refugees, never evidenced so far, can be found in the memorials of other nations such as French or Italian.

The remaining cemeteries are scattered throughout the itinerary of evacuation: 639 Poles were buried in Anzali, 102 in Ahwaz, 20 in Qazvin, and 5 in KhoramShahr.

None of the Poles buried in these cemeteries were soldiers killed in battle. The reasons of their death were mainly epidemic diseases and general exhaustion.


- Polish Cemeteries in Iran
- Polish Cemetery, Dulab, Tehran
- Polish Tombs in British Military Cemetery, Gholhak, Tehran
- Polish Plot in Jewish Cemetery, Tehran
- Polish Plot in Armenian Cemetery, Anzali
- Polish Plot in Catholic-Chaldean Cemetery, Ahwaz
- Polish Plot in Armenian Cemetery, Isfahan
- Polish Plot in Catholic-Chaldean Cemetery, Qazvin
- Polish Plot in Catholic-Chaldean Cemetery, KhoramShahr
- Polish Plot in Armenian Cemetery, Meshed