Iranian Studies

Abstract Pearl is one of the most frequently used ornaments in Sassanid decoration arts which, as a valuable element and the symbol of divine glory in religious and nonreligious figures. In the Sassanid era comprehensive and vast connections with the east was formed which led to exchange of cultural concepts and content of Sassanid art with those countries. The wide-range reach of Persian culture and its expanse and popularity in China on the Silk Road is one of the main focuses of this research; and thus, the study of pearl decorations as an index of most repeated common decorations in Sassanid era, especially particular art of the courtiers and nobles, has been considered. This study aims to answer two important questions: By studying the pearl motifs, the influence of the artistic and religious thinking of the Sassanid court on Chinese civilization can be examined from what aspects? Was the usage of pearl depictions in Chinese arts consciously or was it a mere imitation of Sassanid royal arts as a new and luxurious commodity or tradition? The nature of current study is fundamental and its approach is descriptive, analytical-comparative and the data gathering method is of library type. In this study culture refers to distinct and unique parts of artistic tastes and thoughts, architectural decorations, textiles and other artworks that had an impact on Chinese culture. The considered geographical expanse includes documents achieved in the eastern Sassanid provinces and further the study of its impact along the Silk Road through China. The pearl decorative elements used in Buddhist temples, Sogdian tombs or Manichaean sources are not merely imitations derived from the Sassanid aesthetic concept; Rather, it is a conscious choice of its original concept and then the application of this art in a new religious and cultural context. It seems that the main factor in introducing the Sassanid culture to the neighboring nations is trade along the Silk Road, in front of the presence of numerous ambassadors and the sending of various gifts from the Sassanids to the Chinese court.

Abstract Among the important concepts in Zoroastrianism, philanthropy is highly recommended and has received special attention. Philanthropy has a wide scope and dimensions, and knowing its examples, scope and mechanisms can clarify its individual, social, spiritual and cultural functions. Considering the impact of philanthropy on the morality and life of individuals and society, the explanation of this concept can clarify the perception and view of society and individuals towards it. The purpose of this article is to examine philanthropy and its dimensions in Pahlavi texts that were formalized in the Sasanian period or the first Islamic centuries. Depending on the period in which these texts were written, it is possible to learn about the definitions and activities of individuals, religious institutions and the state apparatus in this field, which required interaction between them. Studies show that the interests of the individual and the family, the community and the religious community were taken into account in the discussion of philanthropy.

Among the important concepts in Zoroastrianism, philanthropy is highly recommended and has received special attention. Philanthropy has a wide scope and dimensions, and knowing its examples, scope and mechanisms can clarify its individual, social, spiritual and cultural functions. Considering the impact of philanthropy on the morality and life of individuals and society, the explanation of this concept can clarify the perception and view of society and individuals towards it. The purpose of this article is to examine philanthropy and its dimensions in Pahlavi texts that were formalized in the Sasanian period or the first Islamic centuries. Depending on the period in which these texts were written, it is possible to learn about the definitions and activities of individuals, religious institutions and the state apparatus in this field, which required interaction between them. Studies show that the interests of the individual and the family, the community and the religious community were taken into account in the discussion of philanthropy.

Abstract The purpose of writing this article is to investigate the language mechanisms in the Shiite discourse that led to the recovery and revival of the concept of "Iran" in the Safavid era.The importance of dealing with this concept is because many social-political relations and relationships, ways of power generation, how to form the Iranian-Islamic identity, and how to build a centralized Shiite government are hidden in its underlying layers of meaning. One of the important texts of this period, which was written in the style of a political book in the year 1402 AH and was dedicated to Shah Abbas II, is the book Roza Al-Anwar by Mullah Mohammad Baqer Sabzevari.This book, with its frequent use of the word Iran, is a good example for examining the way Iran and Shiism are discursively blended as two pillars of identity in contemporary Iran. By reading this text in accordance with Ryan Kozlak's conceptual history approach and Ruth Wodak's historical-discursive method, the following results were obtained:The concept of Iran has been mentioned and used in the widest semantic and historical form in this text, and all the discursive and semantic capacities available in it, including mythological, geographical, religious and cultural forms, have been used to produce the political power of the all-embracing and emerging Safavid state. and all levels and layers of historical meaning of this concept have been summoned in this text.

Abstract Historical–literary studies of the Qajar era—especially travelogues—have often settled for superficial, stereotypical depictions of women and neglected deeper discursive analysis. Aiming to fill this analytical gap, the present study examines the process of “othering” of Iranian and Western women in these texts and asks how the representation of women in travelogues, at the intersection of patriarchal and colonial discourses, has led to the effacement or redefinition of female subjectivity. Using a qualitative–critical analysis of a corpus of Iranian and Western travelogues, and drawing on an intertwined theoretical framework of Paul Ricoeur’s narrative identity, Michel Foucault’s power/knowledge, and Homi Bhabha’s concepts of double representation and the third space, the study’s preliminary data indicate that images of women are not neutrally rendered or derived from social realities; rather, they are ideological constructions formed at the boundary between internal patriarchal and external Orientalist discourses, ultimately resulting in the erasure or distortion of female subjectivity. Deeper findings show that the discourse of power has been exercised upon the Iranian female body; yet, paradoxically, travelogues also reflect traces of women’s agency and resistance in political, economic, and social arenas. These forms of agency are analyzable within the “third space” and contribute to redefining female identity in the face of stereotypes.

Abstract The study of Mesopotamian inscriptions, especially from the Middle and Neo-Assyrian periods, has provided researchers with much geographical data. Based on the topographical coordinates provided by this information, the cultural and historical background of the western and central regions of the Iranian plateau has been better investigated. This process has formed the basis for many historical, cultural, and archaeological studies. Assyrians gradually began to pay attention to the east of their land from the era of Tiglath-Pileser I, and this view gained strength during the Neo-Assyrian periods. Therefore, in this upcoming research, we will use the geographical basis of the royal inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian kings to investigate which territories described in those written documents corresponded to the boundaries of the current Ilam province or at least its northern part. This article demonstrates that contrary to opinions raised about the land of Namri, an important part of the coordinates of this ancient area coincided with the boundaries of Ilam province. Furthermore, this research argues that based on this conclusion and a study of the cultural components of Namri, we can gain a better understanding of the cultural state of the coordinates of Ilam province in the first millennium BCE .



The study of Mesopotamian inscriptions, especially from the Middle and Neo-Assyrian periods, has provided researchers with much geographical data. Based on the topographical coordinates provided by this information, the cultural and historical background of the western and central regions of the Iranian plateau has been better investigated. This process has formed the basis for many historical, cultural, and archaeological studies. Assyrians gradually began to pay attention to the east of their land from the era of Tiglath-Pileser I, and this view gained strength during the Neo-Assyrian periods. Therefore, in this upcoming research, we will use the geographical basis of the royal inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian kings to investigate which territories described in those written documents corresponded to the boundaries of the current Ilam province or at least its northern part.

Abstract In this connection, Max Weber's theory and comparative strategy have been put as a basis so that an ideal type of family change in the demography of the history of most societies becomes a mechanism for speculating about the sociological causality of the change in family dimensions in the Safavid era, and because The influence of the family on the propulsion of governance, as mediating variables, the method of path analysis is adapted. The relevant hypothesis is that; the governors of Safavid rule have created the initial and possible grounds for changing the dimensions of the family. The question corresponding to the hypothesis is that; is it possible to consider the change of the dimensions of the family based on the governors of Safavid rule? Therefore, the analytical viewpoint of the research has voted for the threshold situation of changing the dimensions of the family, from broad to broad dimensions, in the Safavid era; because it is possible that the propulsion of power relations diplomacy have affected the development of the profession, and further, the development of the profession has influenced the possible passage of the extended family and indicates the possibility of the correctness of such an assumption. Of course, the aforementioned change was only a preface to the extensive text of the family change and had a completely preliminary status in the Safavid era, and it can only be proposed as a hypothesis-generating research in the realm of historical analysis.

Abstract Frēdōn is one of the most famous mythical heroes of Iran who defeated Zahhak and imprisoned him on Mount Damavand. In this study, the myths about Frēdōn that appear in the Sūdgar Nask and Waršt-Mānsar Nask, along with the Manichaean text “dr”, in which Frēdōn’s name is mentioned as the destroyer of fever and disease, are compared with the Avesta and Zand to determine whether the myth of Frēdōn in these texts is authentic or not. According to the investigations, it was found that the myth of “beating and imprisoning Zahhak by Frēdōn” is an original myth that is also found in Avesta and is also mentioned in the Shahnameh, Garshaspnameh, and Kushnameh with similarities to the Sūdgar Nask. The myth of “Frēdōn’s use of enchantment and magic to overcome the Māzandar Daēvas” is not original and was created by the guest verses in this chapter, and it has not been mentioned in the Shahnameh and Kushnameh.The myth of “Frēdōn’s healing and his struggle with fever and illness” that appears in the Manichaean text “dr” is an original myth and appears in the Avesta. The myth of “Ohrmazd’s offering the mission of religion to Frēdōn and Frēdōn’s disobedience to Ohrmazd” that is mentioned in the Waršt-Mānsar Nask is a created myth and is made by the guest verses mentioned in this chapter.