Iranian Studies
Year:2017 | Volume:7 | Issue:1 |Papers Count:7

Excluding two famous cups of Jamš ī d and Key-xosrow with magical properties (similar to a crystal ball), some other historical and fictional characters also have magical cups in Iranian texts and narratives. Among them Kā vū s, the eminent Kayanid monarch, is the owner of the famed magical cup in the naqqā li tradition (the dramatic story-telling and performance). The Indian Kē d gave Alexander a cup, which is called the cup of Eskandar (Alexander)/ Sekandar/ Sekandari in Persian poetry. The content of the cup of Eskandar was not reduced by drinking; and in some sources the cup acted as a crystal ball as well. In historical sources there are indications to Xosrow-parvī z’ s magical cup with attributes of a crystal ball, and self-filling property; and it seems that Dā rā / Dā rā b and Anū š ī ravā n also had such cups. In this paper, the evidences related to the magical cups from literary, historical and fictional sources are collected and studied.

Maelstroms are powerful and violent whirlpools in the sea, sucking in objects such as ships within a given radius. Not only most of the geographers mentioned the maelstroms, but also cartographers mapped them, to protect sailors from being drawn into them. One of the most recognized maelstroms in the Persian Gulf is Fam al-asad or Kā m-e š ī r, which means the mouth of lion. Kā m-e š ī ror Dahā n-e š ī r, which is used frequently in ancient poetry and prose, is sometimes referred to as Fam al-asad. It seems that merely the surface meaning of "Kā m-e š ī r" (the mouth of lion) is focused on in interpretations; hence, the accurate understanding of these expressions can alter the interpretation of the texts and maps. The present paper describes the name of Fam al-asad or Kā m-e š ī r and other maelstroms in the old texts, and analyses the history of them with the help of some instances.

On the outskirts of the old fortification of Isfahan, the Chahā r-bā gh avenue was built during the expansion of the city in the reign of Š ā h ʻ Abbā s I. At the starting point of Chahā r-bā gh, the Jahā n-namā palace was built by his command as well, which was the entrance monument of the Dowlat-xā neh. Chahā r-bā gh and Jahā n-namā , like many other monuments of Isfahan, were destroyed after Safavids' collapse, particularly during the reign of Ẓ el al-Solṭ ā n, the Qajar governor of Isfahan. In some travel books of European travelers in Safavid era, and the textual and visual sources of Qajar, this district of Isfahan is mentioned and illustrated. The remaining visual sources of Safavid and Qajar era, and the documents of Dowlat-xā neh district in Pahlavi period, give us keys to find the location of the palace, and shed light on some of the architectural aspects of the complex that cannot be deciphered from textual sources. The present article is an attempt to a concurrent analysis of textual and visual sources. The extracted data helped in the development of the archaeological project of the Jahā n-namā palace, and the northern and southern parts of the palace, which belong to the periods before Safavids, and after them.

Superiority of the Sunni jurists and scholars was one of the historical developments of the Saljuq era from educational, social, and cultural points of view. Despite the vast quantitative studies, the historical dimensions of this subject have not been analyzed thoroughly yet. In this paper, based on the findings of statistical analysis method, the situation of the religious scholars of the Saljuq era, in three fields of their scientific activities, sects, and the places of residence is investigated. For this purpose, the essential historical sources such as Al-kā mil by Ibn al-Athī r, Al-montaẓ am of Ibn al-Jozī , Vafayā t Al-aʻ yā n of Ibn Xallikā n, Siyā q-e Tā rix-e Neyš ā bū r by ʻ Abd al-ghā fer-e Fā rsī , and Al-ansā b of Samʻ ā nī have been studied. According to this research, the geographical regions known as ʻ Irā q-e ʻ Arab and Xorasā n were in first places in terms of the presence and activity of religious scholars; and ʻ Irā q-e ʻ Ajam was in the third place. Moreover, around 80 percent of the known scholars belonged to the Š ā feʻ ī school. From intellectual and educational points of view, around 70 percent of known religious scholars of the Saljuq era were involved in the field of Ḥ adith. This situation was the result of historical background and centricity of the above mentioned regions in the Saljuq era, establishment of Neẓ ā mī yyeh schools in the important cities of those regions, as well as the Saljuqids' support of the Š ā feʻ ī sect and the Sunni traditional studies.

The process of reform in the time of the second parliament (November 15, 1909 – December 24, 1911), which resulted in inviting Morgan Shuster for financial improvements in the late Qajar era, represented the controversy between tradition and modernism in Iran. Many factors were against the process of change in Iran and could lead to social crises. Actually, the implementation of fundamental reforms was very problematic, regarding the specific social model of Iran, and the resistance of the traditional forces. This research, which is based on archival documents and historical sources, seeks to answer these questions: what were the main powers against Shuster's measures, and what were their motivations? The hypothesis was that the challenge between tradition and modernism was very influential; but the research findings demonstrate that in addition to traditional domestic factors such as princes, courtiers, landlords, and. . ., who generally opposed any changes, foreign forces of Russia and Britain were among the main opponents as well.

Abū-Helā l ʻ Askari, is a scholar with Iranian root, who was born in the fourth century A. H. in Xū zestā n. He, like many other Iranian authors of his age, chose to write his works in Arabic. Al-avā ʼ el is the title of his historic-literary book on ethnic groups, and its ninth chapter is dedicated to the "ʻ ajam", with outstanding reports on pre-Islamic-specifically the Sassanid-era. His Iranian origin and acquaintance with the Persian language, led to valuable considerations on the meaning and origin of some words such as Mehmā n and Mehregā n. Al-avā ʼ el, including valuable unique accounts on Iran, outranks other literary and historical works in Persian or Arabic. According to the studies, researchers' unfamiliarity with Al-avā ʼ el has resulted in its oblivion; therefore, in this paper firstly Abu-helā l is introduced, then those accounts of the book which are related to Iran are translated, studied, and explained.

The life story of Zā l-the son of Sam of Narī mā n-is one of the most adventurous and astonishing stories of epic-heroic Iranian texts. Having white hair, being banished by his father, growing up in the Sī morgh's nest, and finally living a long life, are among the features which differentiates Zā l from other heroes of national stories. In Š ā hnā meh, Zā l is a mighty hero in his youth, but as soon as Rostam reaches adulthood, Zā l secedes the battlefield due to the weakness of senility, and gives way to Rostam; thereafter, Zā l plays the role of a wise hero who advises the kings and other heroes. Apparently this drawback in his life provoked the future storytellers to create narrations, in which Zā l despite his oldness, is one of the greatest heroes with many heroic actions in battlefields. One of these stories is the battle of Zā l with demons in his youth, that ended up with his victory. In this paper, firstly the stories of Zā l in the epic-heroic texts of Iran is studied; afterward, the unknown epopee of “ Zā l va Maqā tel-e Dī v” is introduced, and the approximate time of its composition is estimated according to textual evidences.