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The Persian language and Urdu have had an intricate relationship throughout the history of the latter. Persian historically played a significant role in the formation and development of the modern Urdu, and today acts as its prestige language.
Modern Persian was brought to the South Asia by rulers of Turko-Persian origin from Central Asia during the region's medieval period. The large effect of Persian on Urdu is due to its historical status as an official and literary language under many of these rulers, as well as its status as a lingua franca during their reign over the subcontinent.
Persian was displaced by Urdu in North India during the British colonial rule in India, though it remains in use in its native Iran (as Farsi), Afghanistan (as Dari) and Tajikistan (as Tajik). Urdu is currently the official language and lingua franca of Pakistan, and an officially recognized language for North Indian Muslims in the republic of India.[1]