Regarding the scientific and cultural history of Isfahan and the historic importance of the city and in response to a request made by the culture-loving people of Isfahan, the Cabinet of the time agreed to establish the Faculty of Literature in the city. Dr. Mehran, the Minister of Education of the time, appointed Dr. Abbas Farughi, who was a professor at the normal school at the time, as the dean of the Faculty of Literature. However, although the facilities were not enough and the number of academic staff was insufficient, the faculty started its activities early in January 1959 with the two programs of Persian Literature and English Literature. The faculty was first located in a two-room rented house but it was in the academic year of 1960-1961 when it was moved to a place near Shahzadeh Ebrahim. The building was provided with the help of Awqaf Organization and the collaboration of the Department of Education.In the period between 1960 to 1961 programs in Philosophy, Educational Sciences, Armenian Language and Literature were added to the existing programs. In the academic year of 1963-1964 a program in Arabic Language and Literature was launched. It was in the same year when the Secretariat of the University was founded and the University’s educational and research activities continued under the management of Dr. Ghasem Motamedi. In 1996 a program in History was established under the management of Dr. Lotfollah Honarfar, the author of A Treasure of the Historical Monuments of Isfahan. And in the same year a program in Geography was added to the existing programs of the faculty.
In 1968, a temporary building was prepared for the Faculty of Literature in Hezarjerib Street and the faculty launched its activities with programs in Persian Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, Philosophy, Educational Sciences, Armenian Language and Literature, Arabic Language and Literature, History and Iranology, Geography, French Language and Literature, and Pakistanology and Urdu Language. In the same year the paid B.A program was started and the department of Social Sciences was established in the following year.
In the academic year of 1974-1975 a program in German Language and Literature was added to other program in foreign languages. When the faculty of Educational Sciences was established in 1970, the program in Philosophy was transferred to that faculty and all the running programs in the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences were managed by the following four departments:
1. The Department of Persian Language and Literature
2. The Department of Social Sciences and Geography
3. The Department of Foreign Languages
4. The Department of History and Iranology
In 1976 the Faculty of Foreign Languages was established and the department of Foreign Languages was transferred to that faculty. In 1974 the program in Social Sciences and Geography was divided into two independent programs and each of them were turned into independent departments. In 1988 the program in Philosophy was transferred back to the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences and resumed its activities in the form of a B.A program in Philosophy and following a policy on the longitudinal growth, programs in M.A and PhD levels were launched. A brief history of each of these departments will be presented below.
The Department of Law started its activities with a B.A program in the academic year of 1995-1996 and admitted its first students to a paid program in February 1996. The first group of graduates of the department left the University in February 2000. Following the approval of the Chancellor this department was moved to the faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics since the first semester of the academic year of 2002-2003. The new building of the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, which is 17000 meters in surface and has the capacity for more than 2500 students, was opened in 1996.
There are 7 departments in this faculty namely 1. Department of Persian Language and Literature 2. Department of Quran and Hadith
3. Department of History 4.Department of Islamic Philosophy and Kalam 5. Department of Philosophy 6. Department of Social Sciences 7. Department of Islamic Teachings. 87 full-time faculty members and 100 part-time teachers are working in the faculty. More than 3000 students are studying in paid and unpaid B.A , M.A and PhD programs in more than 24 sub-disciplines. There are also 40 full-time, temporary and contract staff members working in the faculty.
The faculty’s general facilities include:
Active councils and committees of the faculty include Book Council, Educational and Research Council, Curriculum Design Council, Post-graduate Council and Promotion Committee. The present Dean of the faculty is Dr.Bidhendi, assistant professor from the Department of Islamic Philosophy and Kalam. The four vice-deans of the faculty include the Vice Dean for Educational Affairs, the Vice Dean for Research and Postgraduate Affairs and the Vice Dean for Administrative and Financial Affairs
• 33 classrooms
• 4 computer sites for undergraduate, master's and doctoral students
• A network and IT center equipped with optical fibers and powerful servers that cover the entire faculty
• 1 Center of Excellence on History
• 1 Center of Excellence on Persian Language and Literature
• 3 Specialized libraries with more than 100,000 books
• 1 Documentation and magazines center equipped with a CD bank
• 6 Research journals
• 6 Active scientific associations
• 4 Political associations
• 1 Cafeteria
• A center for the visually impaired and war veterans affairs
• 2 prayer halls
• 3 halls for conferences and public meetings
Active councils and committees of the faculty include Book Council, Educational and Research Council, Curriculum Design Council, Post-graduate Council and Promotion Committee. The present Dean of the faculty is Dr.Bidhendi, assistant professor from the Department of Islamic Philosophy and Kalam. The four vice-deans of the faculty include the Vice Dean for Educational Affairs, the Vice Dean for Research and Postgraduate Affairs and the Vice Dean for Administrative and Financial Affairs.