Iranian Studies
Year:2018 | Volume:8 | Issue:1 |Papers Count:8

Manuchehri-ye Damghani is among the poets who expressed considerable interest in music, and the musical terms in his divan are more frequent than the works of many other poets. According to the published texts, some of these terms appeared for the first time in his collection of poems (divan)-as far as observations and studies of music scholars have revealed. Therefore, the precise meanings and correct recordings of these terms are not crystal clear; particularly, since a worthwhile version of the original manuscript of his divan is unfound. This paper obtains an explanation of the meanings or the original recordings of several terms related to music in the divan of Manuchehri. Also, a few verses of his divan have been critically edited. In some cases, the explanation of the author does not provide a new meaning for a term, nor does it reject what has been said before, but conveys more information than other sources.

This paper focuses on Chaharbagh and ʻAliqoli Āqa,two mosque-schools of Isfahan.These monuments were built in the era of Shah Soltan Hossein,and situated within two outstanding urban complexes in Isfahan.The paper proposes two hypotheses.First,the mentioned mosque-schools –as the most significant scientific-religious monuments of the Shah Soltan Hossein era –have regular stylistic components,specifically regarding architectural ornaments.Second,one of the critical factors in the formation of the distinctions and similarities of the two monuments is the support of the shah.The findings of this research indicate that the essential stylistic attributes of the ornaments are the use of textured geometric patterns such as shah-gereh on the mosaic tiles in specific colors,the placement of the quadruplicate and archetypal cross forms called chalipa,as well as various symmetric patterns,and the like.The content of the architectural ornaments reflects the Shiʻa beliefs,and praises the supporter of the two monuments (shah).Despite these similarities and the inscription of the shah’s name in the golden point of the two façades,there are many differences in the architectural and ornamental structures,including the quantitative and qualitative differences in the dimensions of the building,and some elements in Chaharbagh monument,which has no equivalent in ʻAliqoli Āqa.

The city of Sarpol-e Zahab, based on the historical texts and its numerous and famous ancient monuments, has a long history. The existence of the two important rock reliefs, Annubanini, and Iddi(n)-Sî n on a rock at the center of the city, indicates that the place was under the control of the Zagros tribes of Lullubi and Simurrum during the late 3rd and early 2nd millenniums BC. Since then, during the Median, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid, and the Islamic periods, the city has maintained its importance and has repeatedly experienced interval periods of flourish, and decay. This paper discusses the ancient settlements located in Sarpol-e Zahab, some historical features of this region, and the evolution of the toponyms related to it. It can be concluded that from the beginning of the second millennium BC to the Islamic era, the name of the mentioned location has appeared in Akkadian, Greek, Arabic, and Persian texts in various recordings, yet close to one another (Khalmā n, Almā n, Armā n, Halmā n, Khalā and Halvā n). Also, the analysis of the texts and some names related to the old city shows that in the past, as well as the present, the city has held a significant ethnic-religious diversity.

Before the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire, the Greek immigrants in the Western Asia Minor were familiar with the culture of the inhabitants of Asia Minor, and they adopted some traditions from the people of former Asia. With the presence of the Median and Achaemenid settlers in Asia Minor, the relations between the Greeks of Asia Minor and the Asian people expanded. One of the subjects in this cultural exchange was the way of recording history. Greek historiography, despite being independent during the Achaemenid period, has a close relationship with the Persian and Oriental traditions. In Asia Minor, some Persians were occupied in high governmental positions, and they developed their traditions and customs in the area. The influence of the Achaemenid culture on the local traditions of Asia Minor affected the historiography of these communities. This research firstly attempts to recognize the Persian elements in Asia Minor; then, to identify the elements of Persian oral tradition in the form of inscriptions, and compare them with the Greek elements of historiography in Asia Minor. The paper shows the effect of confrontation and cultural exchanges of these two traditions, in the evolution of the historiography of the Greek in Asia Minor. Moreover, it elaborates the development of Greek historiography, which, according to the authors, is the result of the evolution in the historiography of Minor Asia before the 6th century BC.

One of the main rock sites of Maragheh is the rock-cut architectural complex at the west part of the Observatory Hill. Despite being on the National Monuments list; this rock-cut site’ s use is not studied comprehensively yet. The structure is located at the end of Pasdaran (former Darayi) Street, below the historical site of the Observatory Hill. This valuable complex includes a number of troglodytic spaces consist of barrel vault and vault revetments on the foundation of limestone. The chronology and use of this site – like many other rock sites in Iran – are the essential questions raised about it. This paper describes the structure and architecture of the rock-cut complex of the Observatory Hill, and seeks to determine its use and relative chronology. Regarding the archaeological data of the site and the history of this architecture in Maragheh, and comparing it with other rock-cut structures, it can be concluded that the site was created during the Islamic era. The structure had a ritualistic use for Christians and Buddhists, and during the Ghazan Khan religious reforms it was enlarged and extended; however, until the Qajar period was used as the monastery of the Assyrian Christians.

The Zoroastrians has the burial custom of offering their dead to the dakhme. The early dakhmes were extremely simple buildings on the wall of the mountains. In the Islamic era, the handmade dakhmes of clay and stone were called borj (tower). In India, the immigrant Zoroastrians, called Parsis, preserved their burial custom. Over time, the Parsis made newer dakhmes in accordance with the humidity of India. The custom of burial in dakhme is called Tana among Parsis. The ceremony included principles such as laying the foundation of dakhme, sanctifying it, and driving 301 nails into the ground and rolling a cotton rope around them. The description of these ceremonies is recorded in texts such as Revayat-e Farsi and Wijarkard-e dini. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, the dakhme ritual has been abolished in Iran as a result of the religious intellectual movement. In India it became a challenge between the radical and reformist religious Parsis. In this research, various types of Zoroastrian dakhmes are studied. Also, the evolution of dakhme building is evaluated, regarding its ritual and religious aspects, and the position of Zoroastrian dakhmes in the present time is regarded as well.

The accurate pronunciation of words in ancient Persian texts has always been problematic, due to the changes that have occurred in the Persian language. In this paper, the pronunciations of some words in Shahnameh are studied. The study includes the words which the literati do not have an agreement on their pronunciation, or the common idea about them is incorrect. Some of these words have wrong diacritics in all Shahnameh editions, and others do not have correct diacritical marks in some editions. In this paper, more emphasis is placed on the Khaleghi-Motlagh, and Jeyhouni editions of Shahnameh, because their editors have used diacritical marks more than others, although they did not pronounce all the words correctly. Through proper consideration of how Ferdowsi rhymes, as well as some other literal harmonies in his poetry, the accurate reading is achievable, provided that the entire text of Shahnameh be examined. This paper is based on such an approach.

It seems that in the Safavid studies, the political and diplomatic relations between Shah Ismail and Bayezid II, which was in a relatively peaceful environment, were overshadowed by subsequent wars. In general, Safavid studies have focused on a period that began with the wars due to the coming of Salim. Perhaps the most important reason is the lack of resources in which they refer to such points. However, the Ottoman Army records show that both sides have had a high level of diplomatic relations before the period of long wars. The main purpose of this paper is to study a peaceful period of relations between the Safavid and Ottoman states based on the sources and documents of the Ottoman archives. In fact, before the Salim I, the Ottoman government had a good relationship with the Safavid, who had arrived from Sheikh to Shah in the early 16th century. In this framework, both sides sent each other ambassadors and presents. According to the Ottoman sources and the bailiffs of Bayezid II sent to Sheikh Ismael Ardabilly, we will examine the Ottoman look for the king of Iran and accept him as a leader of the cult. In addition, we will explain how the ambassadors travel on both sides and use it to express their strength.