My Dad’s family was part of the exodus. Dad and two brothers ended up in Afican orphanages, Grandma and two of his sisters ended up in Mexico, Granddad and the older boys ended in UK where they joined in the attack on D-Day.
“Although Iran (formerly Persia) is a far away country, since renaissance the Polish rulers tried to establish the closer military ties with Persian shahs, in particular to enter with them into alliance against Turkey. Those plans, however, had never came into realization but at least they helped to develop quite animated trade exchange, and indeed, the Persian carpets and weapons were truly worthy of royal treasuries.
Moreover, the Polish missionaries used to be active in Persia, and in the 19th century many of Polish emigrants: scientists, engineers, doctors and officers have found their homes in that country; in 1926 the Association of Poles in Persia “Polonia” has been established in Tehran.
The Period of World War II
During the World War II to Iran together with the created in the USSR Gen. W. Anders’ army have come thousands of exiles, including great number of little children, mostly orphans from the former Polish eastern territories. For some 13 000 of them who had not died of emaciation or illnesses that country became for a few years their temporary home and most of all a refuge to survive the war-time. In Esfahan the years 1942-1945 have spent 2590 Polish children below 7, for whom were arranged various educational institutions, such as nurseries and primary schools, and even a sanatorium. By the end of the war the children had been evacuated in groups together with their protectors to many different countries: New Zealand, Lebanon, India, Mexico, Palestine, or British African colonies, from where most of them have never come back again to their homeland.
The vicissitudes of the Polish exiles have been recalled in 2005 by the IPN (Institute of National Remembrance) exhibition “Rescued from the >inhuman land<”. The fates of Polish exiles from the USSR in 1942-1950”, and by the collective book “Esfahan - the City of Polish Children”, published in London. Their stay in Iran is also commemorated on the local cemeteries and commemorative plaques.”
http://www.poczta-polska.pl/znaczki/en/index.php