DOCSLIB.ORG

General Introduction

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
General Introduction PERSIAN TRADITIONS IN SPAIN by Michael McClain (1) PREFACE First let me introduce myself. People who know me very well say that I have a mentality which is medieval and not modern, rural and not urban, that I am an “incurable romantic and idealist”, and that I have a “peasant mindset”. To all of the above I plead guilty, and as the Spanish say, y a mucha honra, in other words, I am proud of it. When one speaks of relations between Spain and Persia or of Persian influences in Spain, most people immediately think of elements which entered the Iberian Penninsula during the long period of Muslim dominance. This theme has been subject of many studies, by Hussein Munis and E. Levi-Provençal among others. For the above reasons, in the present study I am devoting much space to relations or influences which either predate the Muslim Conquest of Spain, which entered independently of said conquest, or, though they may have first entered with the Crescent of Islam, remained long after said Crescent had waned and set. To do a really complete and thorough study of this topic would require a great deal more time and money than I at present have at my disposal. In particular, it would require a long journey through Portugal, Aragon, Catalunya and Valencia, not to mention Iran. I have chosen to devote much time to Toledo, which was capital of Spain in Visigothic times and which is really a synthesis of all cultures, religions and artistic styles which form the threads of the multicolored fabric, part Celtic tartan, part Oriental carpet, (2) which is the history of Spain. I have also concentrated to a great degree on Asturias and Galicia. These regions were perhaps the least affected of all by the Muslim Conquest. Indeed, were it not for historical records there would be nothing to indicate that said conquest even took place in this Northwest corner of Spain. Yet, in the fields of art and architecture Sassanian influences were very strong indeed. Old Castile and Leon, lacerated for so long by endless border wars and border raids (of the men of Leon and Old Castile one might say what Sir Walter Scott said of the Vikings: "They had a breastplate for a cradle and were fed from a blade.") were unable to develop their own artistic and architectural styles. The art and architecture of Leon and Old Castile in the Middle Ages is simply one aspect of the European Romanesque and Gothic styles, lightly touched by Mozarab, Muslim and Mudejar influences. In the field of literature I have concentrated on epic poetry simply because in the field of lyric verse it is practically impossible to determine what may be of Persian derivation and what is of Celtic and\or Provencal inspiration. Nevertheless, as we shall see, I have not completely neglected the lyric. The Arabic language has no epic tradition, and therefore neither the Arabs nor their language could be considered as likely intermediaries between the epic traditions of Iran and Old Castile. I hope to demonstrate that one is really on quite firm ground when speaking of Iranian elements in the Castilian epic tradition. Although here one encounters the problem of how to (3) distinguish between what is the result of Iranian influences and what proceeds from the strong Celtic substratum of Old Castile, I believe that it can be shown that there are a number of elements which the Castilian Epic shares only and exclusively with the Persian Epic. I wish to thank all my friends in Galicia, Asturias, Andalusia, Extremadura, Old Castile and Leon for all the help and kindness which I received, and also to thank the Illustrious Mozarabic Community of Toledo for the kindness and hospitality which I received during the 1st International Congress of Mozarabic Studies, during which I was able to obtain photos of Toledo and its environs which help to illustrate this study. I also wish to thank the Southwestern College of Business of Middletown, Ohio and the Middletown Branch of Miami University (Ohio) for their kindness in allowing me to use their personal computers. I also wish to dedicate this book to the memory of the late Walter Havighurst, my professor of creative writing at the University of Miami of Ohio. It was Professor Havighurst who really taught me the art of composition in English. In particular, it was Professor Havighurst’s favorite motto, Do not tell, show, which has guided me in my compositions, both fiction and non- fiction, as I recall several times in the present work. (4) CHAPTER I - GENERAL Many people have noted the parallels and similarities between Persia and Spain. Wilfrid Blunt (1) says that the Persians are the Spaniards of the Middle East and that both Spaniards and Persians are proud, hospitable and procrastinating. Sr. Eugenio Montes, in an article in the Madrid newspaper ABC in honor of the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire, says: "Persia is the Spain of Asia, Spain is the Persia of the West." Reading this, one friend commented that it is no coincidence that Eugenio Montes is a Gallego, i.e., from Galicia. We will have more to say of this later. What, one may ask, would cause such distinguished gentlemen as Mr. Blunt and Sr. Montes to affirm such close relations between two countries so distant one from the other? There are many reasons, some of which neither of these two distinguished men of letters seem to be aware. The geographical similarities between the Iberian Penninsula and the Iranian Plateau are obvious, though of course the Iranian Plateau is on a much larger scale. Both are very largely cut off from the continents of which they form a part by high, rugged mountain ranges; both have a high, cold and somewhat barren central plateau, broken in places by mountains. In the province of Mazanderan one has the Iranian equivalent of the lush, green Cantabrian Coast (even the typical barns of Mazanderan resemble those of Asturias and Santander) in Persian Azerbaijan the (5) equivalent of the wheat plains of Leon. In the Persian Gulf Coast one has the equivalent of the Southern Mediterranean Coast of Spain. The resemblances are not purely geographical; there are also profound ethnic and historical parallels and similarities. Spain has a very strong Celtic heritage. At one time or another the Celts penetrated the entire Penninsula and strongly occupied its Western 75 per cent. The Celts were of course never expelled and in spite of Roman, Germanic and Semitic superstrata left a rich heritage to their descendants. In Spain Celtic influences are visible in physical types (particularly in Asturias, Leon and Old Castile), music, artistic and literary forms, festivals, folklore, spiritual values, temperament and general character traits. As we shall see, in Medieval Spain, both Christian and Muslim, poets composed verse using versification forms of Celtic origin, though writing in Latin, Romance (by "Romance" I refer to the language called in Arabic Lisan al-Ajjam, i.e., "the non-Arabic Language"), Classical Arabic, Vulgar Arabic, Hebrew, Catalan, Gallego-Portuguese, Aragonese and Castilian, and sang them to melodies based on Celtic musical modes. No one who has any knowledge of Celtic Studies has the slightest doubt as to the truth of what I am saying, not anyone who has any first-hand knowledge of Spain on the one hand and Celtic countries such as Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany on the other. Celtic elements are present in the phonetics, grammar and vocabulary of all the Romance languages of the Penninsula. So powerful is the Celtic element in Spain that many (6) Spaniards of my acquaintance feel that Spain should be considered as one of the Celtic countries along with Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany, arguing that a Spaniard does not cease to be a Celt because he speaks a Romance language any more than an Irishman ceases to be a Celt because he speaks English. It should never be forgotten that Spain is a land of heather as well as olive trees, a land of bagpipes as well as guitars, and that this is true of Muslim Spain as well as Christian Spain. Before we go any further, some things need to be clarified. In this work I will use the term “Aryan” with a certain frequency, so let us define our terms, Firstly, remember your Aristotle; all Aryans are Indo-Europeans, but not all Indo-Europeans are Aryans. The term “Aryan” in reality can be accurately applied to three, and only three Indo-European peoples, i.e., the Indo-Aryans, the Iranians, and the Celts. The word Arya or Aryan is Sanskrit. The name Iran means “Land of the Aryans”, as does Erinn, the native Celtic word for “Ireland”(the name Ireland is a Viking word), and name “Aryan” is found in numerous ancient Celtic place names and tribal names, as we shall demonstrate. Finally, as we shall also demonstrate, the Indo-Aryans, Iranians and Celts have so many special affinities in common to warrant lumping them together as a sub-grouping within the larger Indo-European context. When I use the word or name “Aryan”, I refer only to the Indo-Aryans, Iranians and Celts, never to the Germanic peoples. The ancient Germanic peoples did not know the name or word “Aryan”, and never called themselves (7) by this name. Hitler was both an ignoramus and a congenital liar, who claimed that the Germanic peoples are “pure Aryans”, when, in reality, they are not Aryans at all; the Germanic peoples are no more “pure Aryans” than they are “pure Albanians” (Albanians are Indo-Europeans, but not Aryans).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Leggiera, Alle Ca D’Oro Per Aumentare Il Suo Pre- Di P.Svetonio Con La Xllli
    Gruppo Archeologico SIAC INFORMATICA SRL centro commerciale Ingrosso Sett. A1/10 33170 Pordenone (PN) Polcenigo Tel. 0434 572922 Fax 0434 570285 Bollettino, ANNO VII, gennaio 2010, N. 7 www.siacinformatica.com [email protected] aucinius, Paucinico, Pulcinici, ecc., diversi nomi la costante raccolta in superficie di tutto quello che può per indicare un luogo, un abitato, un villaggio che suscitare interesse storico-archeologico. Pnel corso dei secoli si è modificato per diventare Concludo ringraziando i soci, gli sponsor per questo Polcenigo. La domanda che da molti anni mi faccio è bollettino e tutti i simpatizzanti del Gr.A.Po. come veniva chiamato il nostro paese prima dell’av- vento dei Romani? Sicuramente rimarrà senza risposta Il Presidente Oscar Riet visto che non ci sono documenti, però non c’è ombra di dubbio che il posto era frequentato fin dalla preistoria. Il palù del Livenza, la necropoli di San FLoriano ed ora anche l’ipotesi del castelliere sulla sommità del colle di San Floriano mi fanno pensare ad una grande comunità di genti che nel trascorrere dei secoli se non millenni si era stanziata e sviluppata proprio in questi luoghi, dove ogni giorno i soci del Gr.A.Po. raccolgono in superfi- cie tracce tangibili che testimoniano la vita quotidiana dei nostri antenati. Selci e ceramica del neolitico, pezzi di vasi dell’età del bronzo, schegge di vario materiale dell’età del ferro, per non parlare della romanità, del Il GR.A.Po al lavoro sul “CIASTELAT” periodo alto e basso medioevo, dell’avvento della Re- pubblica di Venezia, del Rinascimento, ecc.
    [Show full text]
  • Mah Tir, Mah Bahman & Asfandarmad 1 Mah Asfandarmad 1369
    Mah Tir, Mah Bahman & Asfandarmad 1 Mah Asfandarmad 1369, Fravardin & l FEZAN A IN S I D E T HJ S I S S U E Federation of Zoroastrian • Summer 2000, Tabestal1 1369 YZ • Associations of North America http://www.fezana.org PRESIDENT: Framroze K. Patel 3 Editorial - Pallan R. Ichaporia 9 South Circle, Woodbridge, NJ 07095 (732) 634-8585, (732) 636-5957 (F) 4 From the President - Framroze K. Patel president@ fezana. org 5 FEZANA Update 6 On the North American Scene FEZ ANA 10 Coming Events (World Congress 2000) Jr ([]) UJIR<J~ AIL '14 Interfaith PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATIONS OF '15 Around the World NORTH AMERICA 20 A Millennium Gift - Four New Agiaries in Mumbai CHAIRPERSON: Khorshed Jungalwala Rohinton M. Rivetna 53 Firecut Lane, Sudbury, MA 01776 Cover Story: (978) 443-6858, (978) 440-8370 (F) 22 kayj@ ziplink.net Honoring our Past: History of Iran, from Legendary Times EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Roshan Rivetna 5750 S. Jackson St. Hinsdale, IL 60521 through the Sasanian Empire (630) 325-5383, (630) 734-1579 (F) Guest Editor Pallan R. Ichaporia ri vetna@ lucent. com 23 A Place in World History MILESTONES/ ANNOUNCEMENTS Roshan Rivetna with Pallan R. Ichaporia Mahrukh Motafram 33 Legendary History of the Peshdadians - Pallan R. Ichaporia 2390 Chanticleer, Brookfield, WI 53045 (414) 821-5296, [email protected] 35 Jamshid, History or Myth? - Pen1in J. Mist1y EDITORS 37 The Kayanian Dynasty - Pallan R. Ichaporia Adel Engineer, Dolly Malva, Jamshed Udvadia 40 The Persian Empire of the Achaemenians Pallan R. Ichaporia YOUTHFULLY SPEAKING: Nenshad Bardoliwalla 47 The Parthian Empire - Rashna P.
    [Show full text]
  • Irreverent Persia
    Irreverent Persia IRANIAN IRANIAN SERIES SERIES Poetry expressing criticism of social, political and cultural life is a vital integral part of IRREVERENT PERSIA Persian literary history. Its principal genres – invective, satire and burlesque – have been INVECTIVE, SATIRICAL AND BURLESQUE POETRY very popular with authors in every age. Despite the rich uninterrupted tradition, such texts FROM THE ORIGINS TO THE TIMURID PERIOD have been little studied and rarely translated. Their irreverent tones range from subtle (10TH TO 15TH CENTURIES) irony to crude direct insults, at times involving the use of outrageous and obscene terms. This anthology includes both major and minor poets from the origins of Persian poetry RICCARDO ZIPOLI (10th century) up to the age of Jâmi (15th century), traditionally considered the last great classical Persian poet. In addition to their historical and linguistic interest, many of these poems deserve to be read for their technical and aesthetic accomplishments, setting them among the masterpieces of Persian literature. Riccardo Zipoli is professor of Persian Language and Literature at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, where he also teaches Conceiving and Producing Photography. The western cliché about Persian poetry is that it deals with roses, nightingales, wine, hyperbolic love-longing, an awareness of the transience of our existence, and a delicate appreciation of life’s fleeting pleasures. And so a great deal of it does. But there is another side to Persian verse, one that is satirical, sardonic, often obscene, one that delights in ad hominem invective and no-holds barred diatribes. Perhaps surprisingly enough for the uninitiated reader it is frequently the same poets who write both kinds of verse.
    [Show full text]
  • Tribes and Empire on the Margins of Nineteenth-Century Iran
    publications on the near east publications on the near east Poetry’s Voice, Society’s Song: Ottoman Lyric The Transformation of Islamic Art during Poetry by Walter G. Andrews the Sunni Revival by Yasser Tabbaa The Remaking of Istanbul: Portrait of an Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of Ottoman City in the Nineteenth Century a Medieval Persian City by John Limbert by Zeynep Çelik The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi‘i Symbols The Tragedy of Sohráb and Rostám from and Rituals in Modern Iran the Persian National Epic, the Shahname by Kamran Scot Aghaie of Abol-Qasem Ferdowsi, translated by Ottoman Lyric Poetry: An Anthology, Jerome W. Clinton Expanded Edition, edited and translated The Jews in Modern Egypt, 1914–1952 by Walter G. Andrews, Najaat Black, and by Gudrun Krämer Mehmet Kalpaklı Izmir and the Levantine World, 1550–1650 Party Building in the Modern Middle East: by Daniel Goffman The Origins of Competitive and Coercive Rule by Michele Penner Angrist Medieval Agriculture and Islamic Science: The Almanac of a Yemeni Sultan Everyday Life and Consumer Culture by Daniel Martin Varisco in Eighteenth-Century Damascus by James Grehan Rethinking Modernity and National Identity in Turkey, edited by Sibel Bozdog˘an and The City’s Pleasures: Istanbul in the Eigh- Res¸at Kasaba teenth Century by Shirine Hamadeh Slavery and Abolition in the Ottoman Middle Reading Orientalism: Said and the Unsaid East by Ehud R. Toledano by Daniel Martin Varisco Britons in the Ottoman Empire, 1642–1660 The Merchant Houses of Mocha: Trade by Daniel Goffman and Architecture in an Indian Ocean Port by Nancy Um Popular Preaching and Religious Authority in the Medieval Islamic Near East Tribes and Empire on the Margins of Nine- by Jonathan P.
    [Show full text]
  • Storiografi Della Britannia Medievale: Tematiche Storiche E Letterarie
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by AMS Tesi di Dottorato Università degli Studi di Bologna Dipartimento di Filologia Classica e Medioevale _______________________________________________________________ DOTTORATO DI RICERCA IN FILOLOGIA GRECA E LATINA Ciclo XXI Settore scientifico disciplinare: L-FIL-LET/04 STORIOGRAFI DELLA BRITANNIA MEDIEVALE: TEMATICHE STORICHE E LETTERARIE Tesi presentata da Alberto Zama Coordinatore del Dottorato Relatore Chiar.mo Prof. Chiar.mo Prof. Renzo Tosi Marco Scaffai Anni Accademici 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 PREMESSA Lo studioso che decida di analizzare un testo storiografico, di qualsiasi natura esso sia, ha la possibilità di farlo sotto molteplici punti di vista. Sotto questo aspetto, la storiografia è un genere poliedrico, caleidoscopico, che si presta ad indagini e fruizioni diverse. Si può in primo luogo trattare un testo storiografico come semplice fonte per un periodo storico: in tal caso, fondamentale sarà cercare di capire quali informazioni siano degne di fede e storicamente corrette. Si può invece analizzare il testo sotto l’aspetto letterario e filologico, valutandone aspetti di tradizione testuale e stilistici. Si può da ultimo scegliere di “far parlare” il testo, cercando di carpire dalle sue pieghe, dalla sua littera , il pensiero dell’autore, le sue convinzioni, la sua cultura, i suoi rapporti con le fonti e l’opinione che egli aveva del periodo storico che descriveva. Si tratta di un aspetto sottilmente ma significativamente diverso dal primo, in quanto non è in gioco la ricostruzione della storia del periodo, ma l’ idea che di quel periodo aveva lo storico in questione, giusta o sbagliata che fosse.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction: the Legend of King Arthur
    Department of History University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire “HIC FACET ARTHURUS, REX QUONDAM, REXQUE FUTURUS” THE ANALYSIS OF ORIGINAL MEDIEVAL SOURCES IN THE SEARCH FOR THE HISTORICAL KING ARTHUR Final Paper History 489: Research Seminar Professor Thomas Miller Cooperating Professor: Professor Matthew Waters By Erin Pevan November 21, 2006 1 Copyright for this work is owned by the author. This digital version is published by McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with the consent of the author. 2 Department of History University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Abstract of: “HIC FACET ARTHURUS, REX QUONDAM, REXQUE FUTURUS” THE ANALYSIS OF ORIGINAL MEDIEVAL SOURCES IN THE SEARCH FOR THE HISTORICAL KING ARTHUR Final Paper History 489: Research Seminar Professor Thomas Miller Cooperating Professor: Matthew Waters By Erin Pevan November 21, 2006 The stories of Arthurian literary tradition have provided our modern age with gripping tales of chivalry, adventure, and betrayal. King Arthur remains a hero of legend in the annals of the British Isles. However, one question remains: did King Arthur actually exist? Early medieval historical sources provide clues that have identified various figures that may have been the template for King Arthur. Such candidates such as the second century Roman general Lucius Artorius Castus, the fifth century Breton leader Riothamus, and the sixth century British leader Ambrosius Aurelianus hold high esteem as possible candidates for the historical King Arthur. Through the analysis of original sources and authors such as the Easter Annals, Nennius, Bede, Gildas, and the Annales Cambriae, parallels can be established which connect these historical figures to aspects of the Arthur of literary tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • Arash Zeini 8Th May 2020
    Response to ‘Next steps on Book Pahlavi’ (L2/20-135) Arash Zeini 8th May 2020 Introduction Pournader & Hai (2020) might be right in saying that ‘Book Pahlavi may be the best-known complex script not yet encoded in Unicode’. However, I am inclined to add that Book Pahlavi is certainly one of the least researched and understood scripts of late antiquity. Much work is needed before we can make reliable statements about the palaeography of Book Pahlavi. The issues that have puzzled the Unicode experts are in part genuinely difficult to answer. But in my view, the wrong questions have also been asked at times.1 In this document I will attempt to answer the questions raised by Pournader & Hai (2020) which is a very welcome addition to the proposals as it consolidates the questions that have remained unanswered. Please note that my rendering of Middle Persian words and Pahlavi characters is limited by the possibilities offered by the available fonts, which are not designed to accurately represent the scribal idiosyncrasies. If any representations raise more questions, please contact me for clarifications. Question 1 yh/1: The MP suffix -īh, transliterated <-yh>, is written / in Book Pahlavi. Contrary to Meyers (2014:12), the correct analysis of / is ! + + or $ + -. Some- times the scribes abbreviate or rather simplify this sequence of characters to . This happens most commonly at the end of the line, and not in everymanu- script. It is, for instance, very rare in manuscripts of the Pahlavi Yasna. Meyers 1See, for instance, Pournader & Hai (2020:6) on the issue of <b> as raised by Meyers (2014).
    [Show full text]
  • FEZANA Journal Do Not Necessarily Reflect the Feroza Fitch of Views of FEZANA Or Members of This Publication's Editorial Board
    FEZANA FEZANA JOURNAL ZEMESTAN 1379 AY 3748 ZRE VOL. 24, NO. 4 WINTER/DECEMBER 2010 G WINTER/DECEMBER 2010 JOURJO N AL Dae – Behman – Spendarmad 1379 AY (Fasli) G Amordad – Shehrever – Meher 1380 AY (Shenshai) G Shehrever – Meher – Avan 1380 AY (Kadimi) CELEBRATING 1000 YEARS Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh: The Soul of Iran HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 Also Inside: Earliest surviving manuscripts Sorabji Pochkhanawala: India’s greatest banker Obama questioned by Zoroastrian students U.S. Presidential Executive Mission PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA Vol 24 No 4 Winter / December 2010 Zemestan 1379 AY 3748 ZRE President Bomi V Patel www.fezana.org Editor in Chief: Dolly Dastoor 2 Editorial [email protected] Technical Assistant: Coomi Gazdar Dolly Dastoor Assistant to Editor: Dinyar Patel Consultant Editor: Lylah M. Alphonse, [email protected] 6 Financial Report Graphic & Layout: Shahrokh Khanizadeh, www.khanizadeh.info Cover design: Feroza Fitch, 8 FEZANA UPDATE-World Youth Congress [email protected] Publications Chair: Behram Pastakia Columnists: Hoshang Shroff: [email protected] Shazneen Rabadi Gandhi : [email protected] 12 SHAHNAMEH-the Soul of Iran Yezdi Godiwalla: [email protected] Behram Panthaki::[email protected] Behram Pastakia: [email protected] Mahrukh Motafram: [email protected] 50 IN THE NEWS Copy editors: R Mehta, V Canteenwalla Subscription Managers: Arnavaz Sethna: [email protected];
    [Show full text]
  • Summer/June 2014
    AMORDAD – SHEHREVER- MEHER 1383 AY (SHENSHAI) FEZANA JOURNAL FEZANA TABESTAN 1383 AY 3752 Z VOL. 28, No 2 SUMMER/JUNE 2014 ● SUMMER/JUNE 2014 Tir–Amordad–ShehreverJOUR 1383 AY (Fasli) • Behman–Spendarmad 1383 AY Fravardin 1384 (Shenshai) •N Spendarmad 1383 AY Fravardin–ArdibeheshtAL 1384 AY (Kadimi) Zoroastrians of Central Asia PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA Copyright ©2014 Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America • • With 'Best Compfiments from rrhe Incorporated fJTustees of the Zoroastrian Charity :Funds of :J{ongl(pnffi Canton & Macao • • PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA Vol 28 No 2 June / Summer 2014, Tabestan 1383 AY 3752 Z 92 Zoroastrianism and 90 The Death of Iranian Religions in Yazdegerd III at Merv Ancient Armenia 15 Was Central Asia the Ancient Home of 74 Letters from Sogdian the Aryan Nation & Zoroastrians at the Zoroastrian Religion ? Eastern Crosssroads 02 Editorials 42 Some Reflections on Furniture Of Sogdians And Zoroastrianism in Sogdiana Other Central Asians In 11 FEZANA AGM 2014 - Seattle and Bactria China 13 Zoroastrians of Central 49 Understanding Central 78 Kazakhstan Interfaith Asia Genesis of This Issue Asian Zoroastrianism Activities: Zoroastrian Through Sogdian Art Forms 22 Evidence from Archeology Participation and Art 55 Iranian Themes in the 80 Balkh: The Holy Land Afrasyab Paintings in the 31 Parthian Zoroastrians at Hall of Ambassadors 87 Is There A Zoroastrian Nisa Revival In Present Day 61 The Zoroastrain Bone Tajikistan? 34 "Zoroastrian Traces" In Boxes of Chorasmia and Two Ancient Sites In Sogdiana 98 Treasures of the Silk Road Bactria And Sogdiana: Takhti Sangin And Sarazm 66 Zoroastrian Funerary 102 Personal Profile Beliefs And Practices As Shown On The Tomb 104 Books and Arts Editor in Chief: Dolly Dastoor, editor(@)fezana.org AMORDAD SHEHREVER MEHER 1383 AY (SHENSHAI) FEZANA JOURNAL FEZANA Technical Assistant: Coomi Gazdar TABESTAN 1383 AY 3752 Z VOL.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran (Persia) and Aryans Part - 1
    INDIA (BHARAT) - IRAN (PERSIA) AND ARYANS PART - 1 Dr. Gaurav A. Vyas This book contains the rich History of India (Bharat) and Iran (Persia) Empire. There was a time when India and Iran was one land. This book is written by collecting information from various sources available on the internet. ROOTSHUNT 15, Mangalyam Society, Near Ocean Park, Nehrunagar, Ahmedabad – 380 015, Gujarat, BHARAT. M : 0091 – 98792 58523 / Web : www.rootshunt.com / E-mail : [email protected] Contents at a glance : PART - 1 1. Who were Aryans ............................................................................................................................ 1 2. Prehistory of Aryans ..................................................................................................................... 2 3. Aryans - 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 10 4. Aryans - 2 …............................………………….......................................................................................... 23 5. History of the Ancient Aryans: Outlined in Zoroastrian scriptures …….............. 28 6. Pre-Zoroastrian Aryan Religions ........................................................................................... 33 7. Evolution of Aryan worship ....................................................................................................... 45 8. Aryan homeland and neighboring lands in Avesta …...................……………........…....... 53 9. Western
    [Show full text]
  • Rostam As a Pre-Historic Iranian Hero Or the Shi'itic Missionary?
    When Literature and Religion Intertwine: Rostam as a Pre-Historic Iranian Hero or the Shi’itic Missionary? Farzad Ghaemi Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, Mashhad, Khorasan Province 9177948883, Iran Email: [email protected] Azra Ghandeharion* (Corresponding Author) Department of English Studies, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, Mashhad, Khorasan Province 9177948883, Iran Email: [email protected] Abstract This article aims to show how Rostam, the legendary hero of Iranian mythology, have witnessed ideological alterations in the formation of Persian epic, Shahnameh. Among different oral and written Shahnamehs, this paper focuses on Asadi Shahnameh written during the 14th or 15th century. Though he is a pre- Islamic hero, Rostam and his tasks are changed to fit the ideological purposes of the poet’s time and place. A century later, under the influence of the state religion of Safavid Dynasty (1501–1736), Iranian pre-Islamic values underwent the process of Shi’itization. Scarcity of literature regarding the interpretation of Asadi Shahnameh and the unique position of this text in the realm of Persian epic are the reasons for our choice of scrutiny. In Asadi Shahnameh Rostam is both a national hero and a Shi’ite missionary. By meticulous textual and historical analysis, this article shows how Asadi unites seemingly rival subjects like Islam with Zoroastrianism, philosophy with religion, and heroism with mysticism. It is concluded that Asadi’s Rostam is the Shi’ite-Mystic version of Iranians’ popular hero who helps the cause of Shi’itic messianism and performs missionary tasks in both philosophic and practical levels.
    [Show full text]
  • 273 KING ARTHUR of the ROMANS: LUCIUS ARTORIUS CASTUS and the SARMATIANS in BRITAIN J O H N M a T T H E W S the Earliest Docum
    KING ARTHUR OF THE ROMANS: LUCIUS ARTORIUS CASTUS AND THE SARMATIANS IN BRITAIN J o h n M a t t h e w s UDK:94(37)Artorius Castus, L. 821.111-34 Izvorni znanstveni rad John Matthews Oxford (FIOS, BCM Hallowquest London U radu se iznose moguće veze između života rimskog vojnika iz 2. st., Lucija Artorija Kasta, i kasnijih, srednjovjekovnih legendi oko polu- mitskog kralja Artura. Autor pretpostavlja da se zahvaljujući natpisu otkrivenom u blizini Splita (Podstrana), može izgraditi čvrsta teza da je Kast bio najstariji povijesni lik za koji se može dokaza- ti da je utjecao na razvitak kasnijih legendi u Bri- taniji. Sačuvane su priče o sarmatskim ratnicima koji su u Britaniju došli kao dio rimskih legija, a kojima je zapovijedao sam Kast; naime sarmatske i keltske priče stapaju se međusobno u razdoblju nakon Kastovog života. The earliest documents that record the deeds of the British hero Arthur show that he was not perceived as a king but as a soldier, bearing the Latin title dux (duke); a charismatic leader who fought ‘alongside the leaders of the British’. Just such a man is a career-officer of the legions named Lucius Artorius Castus, who lived and fought in Britain in the 2nd century AD – almost 300 years earlier than the more usually accepted dates for Arthur. ‘Arthur’ is the generally accepted form today, but in reality this name has a far longer history and a variety of spellings. It can be proven with reasonable certainty that ‘Artorius’ either derives from the British name Arthur or is the Latin original of that name.
    [Show full text]