437 BIBLIOTHECA ORIENTALIS LXXV N° 3-4, Mei-Augustus 2018 438 DAFTARY, F. — a History of Shi῾I Islam. (The Institute Of
437 BIBLIOTHECA ORIENTALIS LXXV N° 3-4, mei-augustus 2018 438 IRANICA DAFTARY, F. — A History of Shi῾i Islam. (The Institute of Ismaili Studies, Shi῾i Heritage Series, 1). I.B. Tauris, London & New York, 2013. (24 cm, XIX, 315). ISBN 978-1-78076-841-0). £ 29.50. An increasing number of books have been published on Shiism in the last few decades, especially after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. A doyen of Shia Studies in the broadest sense, Dr Farhad Daftary’s publications have cer- tainly enriched and broadened our knowledge of this field. The book under review, consisting of six chapters, is another of his many outstanding publications on Shiism. Chapter One (Introduction: Progress in the Study of Shi῾i Islam, pp. 1-24) is an essential and enlightening survey of Shia studies. There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world, of whom some 200 million, or 15%, are Shiites. Their con- tribution to the intellectual, artistic and cultural achievements of Islamic civilizations has been greater than that figure would suggest. Shia dynasties such as the Buyids, Fatimids, Hamdanids, Safawids and other smaller dynasties have played a cardinal role in creating the diversity of religiosity in the world of Islam. The author gives a concise overview of European perceptions and appreciation of Shiism in medi- eval times, such as fascination with the “Old Man of the Mountain,” Hasan-i Sabbah (d. 1124). The scientific assess- ment of Shiism in Europe starts with orientalists such as Baron A.I. Silvestre de Sacy (1758-1838), a Professor of Arabic who became the chair of Persian Studies in Collège de France in 1806.
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