A Study of Socio-cultural relations of Polish Immigrants with Iranians (1321 -1324 AH / 1942-1945 AD) A Case Study of Isfahan City

After the invasion of German and Soviet Union to Poland in the course of World War II, half of Polish territory was occupied by Soviet Union and thousands of people deported to labor camps in Siberia. But the unforeseen German attack on the Soviet Union changed the fate of the Polish prisoners. Following a council that was held among the Allied Forces, the Soviet government agreed to send a number of Polish prisoners to Iran. Polish refugees lived in some of Iran's cities, including Isfahan, for more than three years. The unexpected arrival of Polish immigrants created some health and livelihood difficulties for the residents of the city, but gradually, a mutual relationship was established between them, and the Polish settlers succeeded in influencing the clothing and recreation of the people of Isfahan. They played an important role in introducing and transferring Iranian culture and art to Poland. Due to the large number of polish refugees in the Isfahan and their socio-cultural relations with the people of this city, the purpose of current study was to investigate these relations during a period from 1321 to 1324/1942 to 1945 with a descriptive approach and based on documentary, librarian, press and oral history. With this approach, the questions raised by the article are: How has the Polish immigrants affected the expansion of cultural relations between Iran and Poland? What social consequences did the settlement of Polish migrants in Isfahan have?