Mahbanou Support
A Persian and Zoroastrian calendar: Solar Hijri, Gregorian and Iran's lunar Hijri side by side, the four Zoroastrian calendars with roj, mah and gah times, Iran's holidays, widgets and an Apple Watch app.
Need help or found a bug? Message me, Zubin Khavarian, on X (@zkmake). Include your device and iOS version.
Why does a date differ from another calendar app?
Mahbanou starts each Persian year the way Iran's official Calendar Center does: from the moment of the March equinox against true noon on the 52.5° E meridian, worked out from NASA JPL's ephemeris. Many apps use a leap-year formula instead, which gets some years wrong (1404 among them). Lunar dates follow Iran's own moon sighting, so they can be a day off from Saudi or tabular Hijri calendars.
What does the ≈ before a lunar date mean?
Iran starts each lunar month when the new crescent is sighted. Past months are exact. Upcoming months follow the Calendar Center's official forecast and can still move a day after the sighting; dates beyond the published calendar are estimates. The app marks both with ≈.
Which Zoroastrian calendar should I choose?
Shahenshahi is kept by most Parsis (new year in August), Kadmi a month ahead of it (July), Parsi Fasli starts on 21 March, and the Iranian (Bastani) calendar starts on Nowruz. Turn on Zoroastrian calendar in Settings and pick one or more; Shown first chooses the one that leads.
How are the gah times worked out?
From sunrise and sunset at your place (Settings › Place). Gah times can follow the Parsi priests' clock (local mean time) or true solar noon as in Iran; Automatic picks by your leading calendar. From Avan mah to the Gathas, Rapithwin gives way to Second Havan. Start the roj at Hoshbam starts Havan 36 minutes before sunrise.
Reminders don't arrive.
Allow notifications for Mahbanou in the iOS Settings app, then turn the reminders on in Mahbanou's Settings. The app schedules the coming weeks and tops them up whenever it opens, so open it now and then.
How do I add a widget or a watch complication?
On the Home Screen or Lock Screen, touch and hold, tap Edit or Customize, then add Mahbanou's Today, Gah or Coming up widget. On Apple Watch, edit a watch face and choose Mahbanou for a complication.
The Apple Watch shows old settings.
The watch gets its settings from the iPhone. Open Mahbanou on the iPhone with the watch nearby and change any setting to send them again.
Languages
Change the language in Settings: فارسی, English.
Privacy
The app collects no personal data. Read the privacy policy.