A predominantly bibliographic blog for Iranian Studies
We wish our followers, colleagues and friends a joyful Norouz 1404! As nature awakens with the arrival of spring, may this renewal bring you health, hope and happiness.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement—we truly appreciate it. May the spirit of Norouz inspire a bright and fulfilling year ahead!
نوروز شاد و پیروز!
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 4:00pm Pacific
Royce Hall 306
Hybrid Zoom option available
Registration required
Speaker: Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina
The Sūdgar Nask of Dēnkard Book 9 is a commentary on the ‘Old Avesta’ of the 2nd millennium BCE produced in Pahlavi (Zoroastrian Middle Persian) in the Sasanian (224–651 CE) and early Islamic centuries. This commentary is a value-laden, ideologically motivated discourse that displays a rich panoply of tradition-constituted forms of allegoresis. It mobilizes complex forms of citation, allusion, and intertextuality from the inherited Avestan world of myth and ritual in order to engage with and react to the profound changes occurring in Iranian society. Despite its value and importance for developing our nascent understanding of Zoroastrian hermeneutics and the self-conception of the Zoroastrian priesthood in Late Antiquity, this primary source has attracted scant scholarly attention due to the extreme difficulty of its subject matter and the lack of a reliable translation. This 2-volume work represents the first critical edition, translation, and commentary of this formidable text which will contribute to the philological, theological, and historiographical study of Zoroastrianism in a pivotal moment in its rich and illustrious history. Reading the Sūdgar Nask is a hermeneutic process of traversing texts, genres, and rituals in both the Avestan and Pahlavi corpora, thus activating nodes in a web or network of textual and meta-textual relations that establish new forms of allegoreses or meaning making. It is argued that this entire hermeneutical complex of weaving a ‘new’ text composed of implicit proof text and explicit commentary renews, extends, and, ultimately, makes tradition.
The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of an Iranian Shrine
امامزاده یحیی ورامین: نمایشگاهی آنلاین از زیارتگاهی ایرانی
This project website was brought to our attention by its curator, Keelan Overton. While it falls outside the scope of our work, we present it here for its innovative approach and valuable contributions to the field. We encourage you to explore the bilingual website to discover its diverse range of content. ~AZ
The Emamzadeh Yahya shrine complex is simultaneously the sacred tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya (d. 869–70), a destination for ziyarat (pious visitation), an architectural monument of the Ilkhanid period (1256–1353), the main community center and cemetery of the Kohneh Gel neighborhood, a cultural heritage site, and the source of luster tiles displayed in around fifty museums worldwide. In this exhibition, which is also an exhibition catalog and an academic edited volume, we trace the complex’s many looks, functions, users, and stories over seven hundred years. Through our detailed study of one site, we offer a general exploration of Persian art and Iranian culture from the medieval period to the present.
We invite you to explore the exhibition’s Six Thematic Galleries and read the Introduction by curator Keelan Overton.
The BBC’s podcast In Our Time explores Cyrus the Great in this fascinating episode.
Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the history and reputation of the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great. Cyrus the Second of Persia as he was known then was born in the sixth century BCE in Persis which is now in Iran. He was the founder of the first Persian Empire, the largest empire at that point in history, spanning more than two million square miles.
His story was told by the Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon, and in the Hebrew bible he is praised for freeing the Jewish captives in Babylon.
But the historical facts are intertwined with fiction.
Cyrus proclaimed himself ‘king of the four corners of the world’ in the famous Cyrus Cylinder, one of the most admired objects in the British Museum. It’s been called by some the first bill of human rights, but that’s a label which has been disputed by most scholars today.
With Lindsay Allen, Mateen Arghandehpour, and Lynette Mitchell.
An international conference convened by:
M. Rahim Shayegan, UCLA
William Schniedewind, UCLA
Catherine Bonesho, UCLA
March 13-14, 2025 | 306 & 314 Royce Hall
UCLA
Co-sponsored by:
The Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World
The Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies
Although there has been renewed interest in the Persian period in biblical scholarship, the profound impact of the ancient Iranian world on the biblical books of Esther and Daniel has often been taken for granted. From their dynamic portraits of foreign kings and Jewish communities in the imperial court to their use of Iranian institutions and literary traditions, it is impossible to disentangle the books of Esther and Daniel from their ancient Iranian contexts. This conference foregrounds the influence of the ancient Iranian world on Esther and Daniel and its lasting impact on ancient Jewish communities.
In organizing this conference, we hope to offer a truly interdisciplinary analysis of Esther, Daniel and ancient Iranian Studies by inviting speakers specializing in subjects related to Second Temple Judaism, Hebrew Bible, and the Achaemenid Empire. Topics explored at the conference include Jewish constructions of the diaspora and Persian court, Achaemenid religions, Aramaic scribalism, and imperial ideology and hybridity.
As we mark a decade of sharing bibliographic updates and scholarly announcements, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our colleagues, readers and supporters. What began as a small initiative has grown into a platform reaching around 1,200 readers per week. Your engagement, encouragement, and feedback have been invaluable in shaping and sustaining this project. We deeply appreciate your continued interest and look forward to many more years of collaboration, discovery, and shared enthusiasm for Iranian Studies.
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Sometime in 2012, I began experimenting with posting bibliographic announcements on what was then called Twitter. I made several attempts, but Twitter’s character limit prevented me from posting full bibliographic information. Initially, I was hesitant to connect the Twitter account to a website, but Ursula Sims-Williams encouraged me to do so.
I rejoined Twitter in 2013 and made my first announcement on 7 November 2013, which was linked and preserved on my personal website. I continued this until 10 May 2015, as the general response was positive. It was then that I approached Shervin Farridnejad and Yazdan Safaee with the idea of collaborating on a new website to announce new publications related to Iranian Studies.
In everything I do, I prioritise simplicity, but I also wanted an open and collaborative approach. With this in mind, I proposed limiting our work to announcing new publications and events without adding further commentaries. My goal was to ensure that the new site remained active for as long as possible.
Although I write most of the public announcements related to BiblioIranica and manage the website, our achievements are the result of the open and friendly collaboration that the three of us have maintained over the years. The past decade—and the one ahead—owe much to Shervin and Yazdan’s dedication, endurance, and contributions. I could not be more grateful to them.
We had to leave Twitter—now X—after Jetpack discontinued its X plug-in. We are now active on our Bluesky, Facebook, and Mastodon accounts. Each announcement is also posted on our personal social media accounts. However, the most complete and uninterrupted collection remains the website itself.
As we approach a decade, I have slightly revised the website design and will be refining a few details. I am delighted to relaunch BiblioIranica with a beautiful logo, designed by my friend Amir Mahdi Moslehi—a talented calligrapher, font designer, musician, researcher, and, above all, an exceptional human being.
Amir Mahdi Moslehi is an Iranian type designer, calligrapher, and researcher based in Hamburg, Germany. He holds a Post-Master’s degree in Typographic Research from the Atelier National de Recherche Typographique (Nancy, France) and is currently pursuing a master’s in Manuscript Culture at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) in Hamburg. Recently, he became a PhD candidate at the CSMC, University of Hamburg.
His Arabic-script typefaces blend research with calligraphy and are distributed by Maryamsoft (Iran) and Rosetta Type Foundry (Czech Republic). His work has received multiple awards, including the Certificate of Typographic Excellence from the New York Type Directors Club and Granshan Type Design Prizes.
Short bio of Amir Mahdi
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Mobed Mehraban Firozgary, a distinguished Zoroastrian priest, on 7 March 2025. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and community.
FEZANA‘s announcement is here. Amordad‘s announcement, in Persian, is here.
From FEZANA’s announcement:
Mobed Mehraban Firozgary was a distinguished Zoroastrian priest, deeply revered for his unwavering dedication to the spiritual and cultural preservation of the Zoroastrian community in Iran. For over four decades, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Tehran Anjuman e Mobedan (Council of Mobeds), playing a pivotal role in guiding religious practices and upholding traditions.
FEZANA
Renowned for his profound knowledge of the Avesta and Yasna prayers, Mobed Firozgary was instrumental in the ordination of new priests through the Nowe Zooty (Navar) ceremony, ensuring the continuity of priesthood in Iran. His commitment to religious education inspired many young Zoroastrians to embrace and perpetuate their ancestral faith.
Beyond his religious duties, he was appointed by the Iranian Justice Ministry as the Chief Registrar for Zoroastrian marriages in Tehran, reflecting the trust and respect he garnered within both the religious and broader communities.
His lifelong dedication to the Zoroastrian faith and his community has left an indelible mark, ensuring that the rich traditions and teachings of Zoroastrianism continue to flourish.
Shavarebi, Ehsan. 2025. A numismatic history of Barikot (Veröffentlichungen zur Numismatik 69). Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. With a contribution by Luca M. Olivieri.
This volume offers a ‘catalogue and analysis of the coin finds from the excavations at Bīr-koṭ-ghwaṇḍai (Barikot), Swāt, Pakistan (1984–2022)’.
For the table of contents, see here.
The present volume explores the coins unearthed during the excavations at the ancient city of Barikot (Swāt Valley, northern Pakistan) between 1984 and 2022. The excavations of the Italian Archaeological Mission at Barikot have revealed numerous settlement phases from the prehistoric to the Islamic times. Of particular significance are over 500 coin finds, which are placed in their historical context in this volume to draw a clear picture of the monetary circulation in the Swāt Valley (Uḍḍiyāna) throughout antiquity and the early Islamic period. The chronological framework of the coin finds spans from the third century BCE to the twelfth century CE, i.e., from the Indian Maurya dynasty to the Ghaznavids. The majority of the coin finds are from the Kušān period (first to fourth century CE). Various historical, typological, metrological, and topographical aspects of the coinage and monetary circulation of each period are addressed in separate chapters. The finds from Barikot are also compared with those from other documented sites in Uḍḍiyāna, Gandhāra, and adjacent regions in the Indo-Iranian borderlands. What should be highlighted is the stratigraphic documentation of the find contexts, which, based on the radiocarbon analyses, makes it possible to bring the coins into relation with other types of archaeological artifacts. This subject is discussed in an archaeological contribution by the director of the excavations, Luca M. Olivieri.
Benfey, Thomas. 2025. Middle Persian documents and the making of the Islamic fiscal system: Problems and prospects. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 87(3). 395–420.
This article charts a new course for the study of the Middle Persian documents from early Islamic Iran, which takes their early Islamic context into account more fully than has hitherto been done. This approach and its potential fruits for the study of early Islamic history are illustrated through an in-depth treatment of four seventh-century documents from the Qom region (previously edited and discussed by Dieter Weber), each of which contains a fiscal term that is apparently otherwise unattested in the documentary corpus. I show that the existing interpretations of these documents anachronistically project the fiscal terminology and structures of a later time into early Islamic Iran, and that these documents, considered in aggregate, suggest a certain course of development for the Islamic fiscal system in the post-Sasanian territories in the decades following the initial conquests: from broad and relatively unspecific impositions to more targeted exactions, based on increasingly detailed assessments.
Abstract
SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies
and
Department of Religions and Philosophies (SOAS)
in collaboration with the
World Zoroastrian Organisation
St Petersburg
Thursday, 1 May 2025, 6pm
Location:
Khalili Lecture Theatre
SOAS Main Building
Russell Square
London, WC1H 0XG
This is a public lecture. However, registration is essential for both in-person and online attendance. Please visit this link to register.
In this lecture, Prof. Lurje will attempt to summarise what we know of fire worship in Sogdiana (the land in present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) which was inhabited by eastern Iranian people. These groups, being active traders on the Eurasian tracks, developed a sophisticated culture in the pre-Islamic period. The images on mural paintings and other media, archaeological discoveries, and the few references in the written texts show that worship in front of a fire was a significant part of the ritual practices of Sogdians. However, some ritual features that relate to the kindling of fire can be questioned. In some cases, the fire rituals depicted or described have a direct link to Zoroastrian practices spanning from Sasanian Iran to the present day. In many other cases, however, they have an unmistakable relation to the Buddhist incense burning known in Gandharan, Serindian and Chinese contexts of the first millennium CE. These later instances, however, could be a heritage of the worship practices of the pre-Buddhist population of the Indo-Iranian frontier region.