Encyclopaedia Iranica Online

in the Bactrian language. See KUSHAN DYNASTY ii. Inscriptions of the Kushans.

East Syrian monk (7th century CE); the monastery he founded in Ḵuzestān, in the mountains of Šuštar, exercised noteworthy influence on monastic practice in the Persian Gulf area and Fārs, as well as Beth Huzāye, during the 7th century. RABBAN ŠĀPUR, East Syrian monk (7th century CE).The main source concerning Rabban Šāpur is the Chronicle of Seert (LIV, Scher, 1919, II/2, pp. 459 [139]-461 [141]; see Chabot, 1896, p. 30, no. 55; Gismondi, 1897, p. 57-58). We learn the name of Šāpur’s village in Beth Huzāye (see AHVAZ i. HISTORY) was Ad-Dolāb. After c…

the charitable foundation ( abwāb al-berr) established by the physician, vizier, and historian Rašid-al-Din Fażl-Allāh in an eastern suburb of Tabriz. RABʿ-E RAŠIDI , the charitable foundation ( abwāb al-berr) established by the physician, vizier, and historian Rašid-al-Din Fażl-Allāh (ca. 1247-1318) in an eastern suburb of Tabriz (Wilber, no, 34, pp. 129-31). Due to Rašid-al-Din’s position as one of the chief ministers in the Il-khanid government, he accumulated a vast fortune, which he used to construct pious foundations in various places aroun…

19th-century Indian author of Persian works (d. 1268/1851-52). RĀBEṬ, ʿABD-AL-AḤAD, 19th-century Indian author of Persian works (d. 1268/1851-52). He was born at Amthi, the eldest son of Mawlawi Moḥammad-Fāʾeq, and was raised and educated in nearby Lucknow. He entered the service of the East India Company in 1240/1825 and rose to the position of sareštadār (reader) in the office of Colonel (later Sir) John Low, the British Resident at Lucknow (1831-42). At the request of the Resident’s second assistant, Lieutenant John Dowdeswell Shakespeare, Rābeṭ wrote his Waqāʾeʿ delpaḏir in 12…

(Thunder), the name of a newspaper published by Sayyed Żiyāʾ-al-Din Ṭabāṭabāʾi in Tehran, 1913-1921, with interruptions. RAʿD (Thunder), the name of a newspaper published by Sayyed Żiyāʾ-al-Din Ṭabāṭabāʾi in Tehran, from 5 Āḏar 1292 to 28 Bahman 1299/27 November 1913 to 18 February 1921, with interruptions. Raʿd was preceded by Šarq (east) and Barq (lightning), also published by Seyyed Żiyāʾ. The publishing life of Raʿd was divided into two periods. During the first period, which ended in 1916 when Sayyed Żiyāʾ departed for Russia, Raʿd was issued four times a week in the first…

(1939-2007) dramatist, short story writer, university lecturer, and an influential figure in popularizing theatre as an art in modern Iran, whose incorporation of colloquial Persian in his works, has contributed to the preservation of the dialects of the northern provinces. RADI, AKBAR (Akbar Rādi, b. Rasht, 31 October 1939; d. Tehran, 26 December 2007; Figure 1), dramatist, short story writer, and university lecturer. Radi was born to a middle class family and was raised in the city of Rasht, where he lived the first eleven years of his life until his fath…

(1909-1999), prominent poet. RAʿDI AZARAKHSHI, GHOLAM-ʿALI (Ḡolām-ʿAli Raʿdi Āḏaraḵaši, b. Tabriz, 20 September 1909; d. Tehran, 6 August 1999), prominent poet of the 20th century. Raʿdi Azarakhshi was born in Tabriz where his father, Moḥammad ʿAli Efteḵār Laškar, was an accountant (mostowfi). His paternal roots can be traced back to the mostowfis of Āštiān. His maternal ancestors were among the landowners of Tafreš who migrated to Tabriz with the crown prince, ʿAbbas Mirzā (Raʿdi Azarakhshi, 1991, p. 237). Raʿdi nevert…

(d. 1819), pen name of ḠOLĀM JILĀNI, scholar of Arabic and Persian literature, teacher at Rampur, and author of Dorr-e ma nẓum. RAFʿAT (REFʿAT), pen name ( taḵalloṣ) of ḠOLĀM JILĀNI (d. 27 Ḏu’l-ḥejja 1234/17 October 1819), scholar of Arabic and Persian literature, teacher at Rampur, and author of a versified Persian “battlelogue” ( jang-nāma ) titled Dorr-e manẓum. Estimations of Ḡolām Jilāni’s date of birth range from ca. 1720 (Aḥmad-ʿAli Šawq, p. 284) to ca. 1742 (Mināʾi, p. 152). Qodrat-Allāh Šawq (p. 502), writing around 1774, describes him as a youth ( javān) and novice ( naw-mašq). Th…

(d. early 5th/11th cent.), scholar, littérateur, and author of works on Islamic ethics, Qurʾanic exegesis, Islamic theology, and Arabic philology, as well as anthologies. RĀḠEB EṢFAHĀNI, Abul’l-Qāsem Ḥosayn b. Moḥammad b Mofażżal (d. early 5th/11th cent.), scholar, littérateur, and author of works on Islamic ethics, Qurʾanic exegesis, Islamic theology, and Arabic philology, as well as anthologies. Next to nothing is known about his life, since he is hardly mentioned in major biographical dictionaries; and if he is mention…

one of the first Persian periodicals published by the Iranian community in the United States after the Iranian revolution of 1979. RAHAVARD ( Rahāvard), a Los Angeles-based quarterly (website: www.rahavard.com), founded by Hasan Shabaz (1921-2006), writer, journalist and translator, and one of the first Persian periodicals published by the Persian community in the U.S.A. after the Iranian revolution of 1979. Upon an invitation by Nāder Ṣāleḥ, the founder of the “Society of Iranian Residents of the USA,” Hasan Shahbaz, who had left Iran shortly after the …

pen name of prominent 20th century poet and lyricist Mohammad Hasan Mo'ayyeri. See MO'AYYERI, MOHAMMAD HASAN.

(1930-2000), modernist poet of 1960s-1990s, among the few of his contemporaries whose poems did not participate in the ideological discourse of the period in search of social justice and freedom, and whose rebellious discontent manifested itself more in his challenging of social norms and codes of behavior. RAHMANI, NOSRAT (Noṣrat Raḥmāni, b. Tehran, 10 Esfand 1308 Š./1 March 1930; d. Rasht, 27 Ḵordād 1379 Š./16 June 2000), noted poet of the1960s-90s (Figure 1, Figure 2) LIFE Nosrat Rahmani was born to Assadollāh Rahmani, an automobile mechanic with a keen interest in c…

(Guide to life), a biweekly magazine published in Tehran, 1940-41. RĀHNEMĀ-YE ZENDAGI (The guide to life), a biweekly magazine published in Tehran by the then well-known novelist and translator Ḥosaynqoli Mostaʿān from 15 November 1940 to 16 December 1941. Starting with the sixth issue, Māhṭalʿat Pesyān was named as chief editor. Rāhnemā-ye zendagi was a popular magazine due to the variety of topics that it featured, as well as to a series of popular love stories by Ḥ. M. Ḥamid (a pen name of Mostaʿān) that were published separately and given awa…

During the three decades between the 1850s and the 1880s various foreign concerns attempted to introduce railways to Persia, but these did not materialize. RAILROADS i. THE FIRST RAILROAD BUILT AND OPERATED IN PERSIA During the three decades between the 1850s and the 1880s various French, Belgian, British, Russian and American concerns attempted to introduce railways to Persia, but these did not materialize, either due to lack of adequate capital or because of the Anglo-Russian rivalry (Jamālzāda, pp. 87-88; Lorini, pp. 158-59; …

(lit.: “return”), theological term that has had many meanings according to the context in which it was professed. RAJʿA (lit.: “return”). Abuʾl-Ḥasan Ašʿari (q.v., d. 935) introduces this concept in his work Maqālāt al-eslāmiyin as a belief held by a large majority of the “Rāfeża”—which in this context means Imami Shiʿites (Ašʿari, p. 46; on the term in general see Kohlberg, “Rāfiḍa”). In his Ketāb al-enteṣār, the Muʿtazilite Ḵayyāṭ (d. between /902 and 912) also attributes this doctrine to the Rāfeża, all the while adding that the latter conceal it from non- Shiʿites (Ḵayy…

(1931-2003), composer, vocalist, and flute player. RAM, EMAD (ʿEmād Rām, b. Sāri, Māzandarān, 11 Esfand 1309 Š./3 March 1931; d. Germany, 3 Ḵordād 1382 Š./24 May 2003), composer, vocalist, and flute player. Ram started playing the flute in elementary school. By age 12 he was able to play the folk songs of Māzandarān as well as the music he had heard on the radio. His experiments with various reed instruments enabled him to learn and play Persian folk songs on the flute at an early age, which astonished his audiences. Upon graduation from the Sāri School of Agriculture, he was employe…

a town and sub-province in Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. RĀMHORMOZ, town and sub-province in Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. The town is located at lat 31°16′ N, long 49°36′ E, elev. 587 feet, about 60 miles east of Ahvāz, 70 miles northwest of Behbahān, and 100 miles southeast of Šuštar. The sub-province ( šahrestān) has one district ( baḵš), and four sub-districts ( dehestān): Abu’l-Fāres, Ḥuma-ye šarqi, Ḥuma-ye ḡarbi, and Solṭānābād. Rāmhormoz is the only town in the sub-province and is bordered in the north by Bāḡ-e Malek and Haftgel …

an early 17th-century Persian translation of an ancient Indian love story epic in Vālmiki’s Sanskrit Rāmāya ṇ a that narrates the earthly career of Rām, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his wife Sitā. It was translated in the maṯnawi genre by Masiḥ Saʿd-Allāh Pānipati. RĀM WA SITĀ, an early 17th-century Persian translation of an ancient Indian love story epic in Vālmiki’s Sanskrit Rāmāya ṇ a (ca. the 2nd cent. BCE) that narrates the earthly career of Rām (Skr. Rāma), an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his wife Sitā. It was translated in the maṯnawi genre by Masiḥ Saʿd-Allāh Pānipat…

old district encompassing eastern Gilān in the 19th century. It became a part of Lāhijān sub-province ( šahrestān) in 1937 and was divided between the sub-provinces of Langarud and Rudsar in the 1960s. When Rudsar was subdivided in 1998 into the two sub-provinces of Amlaš and Rudsar, the name Rānekuh was given to the southern, mountainous district ( baḵš) of Amlaš sub-province. See LANGARUD, RUDSAR.

Download this sound. title Raqs: Dozala va Tombak genre/topic Dance language   performer   instrument Dozāla; tombak composer   author/poet   first line of poem recorded by   place of recording   date of recording   duration 3:16 source Regional Music of Iran. Hasht Behesht. Mahoor Institute of Culture and Art, 2005 (M.CD-25, CD2), track 7.Used with permission of the publisher note Collection and accompanying notes by Hoseyn Hamidi EIr entries DOZĀLA

the largest distirct in the plain of Gilān and the most populated in the whole province. RASHT ii. The District The district ( šahrestān) of Rasht, 1,224 km², is the largest in the plain of Gilān and the most populated in the whole province. Its population was 857,519, constituting 35.8 percent of the province, according to the 2006 census (see Markaz), and included, besides the 557,366 inhabitants ofthe capital city of Rasht itself, 45,989 persons in five sub-district centers ( markaz-e baḵš) and 254,164 persons in 296 rural settlements. Rasht District encompassed the two h…

city and district in Gilān province, the capital of Gilān and the largest city along the Caspian coast of Iran. RASHT (Rašt), city and district in the providence of Gilān. i. The City Located at lat 37°17′ N, long 49°35′ E, with an average elevation of 5 m, Rasht is the capital of Gilān and the largest city along the Caspian coast of Iran. Nestled between the Zarjub and Gowhar-rud rivers, Rasht is distinctive in appearance from cities of the Iranian plateau. The old city is not surrounded by gated walls, and the bazaar is open, not covered. Such distinctive …

Avestan Rašnu, the deity of the ancient Iranian pantheon who functions as the divine Judge. RAŠN, Avestan Rašnu, the deity of the ancient Iranian pantheon who functions as the divine Judge. The word rašnu- is a primary derivative in - nu- (see Wackernagel/Debrunner, §575) of the verb raz- (OInd. ⎷ raj-, IE * ⎷ h3reg -) “to move in a straight line; to direct.” It occurs both as an adjective “just, rectus” and as a proper name. The etymologically related superlative razišta- “straightest, most just” is his standing epithet. While there is no reflex of his name in Old Indian, i…

the Middle Persian title given to the twelfth Yašt of the Avesta. It is dedicated to the Zoroastrian deity Rašnu RAŠN YAŠT, the Middle Persian title given to the twelfth Yašt of the Avesta. It is dedicated to the Zoroastrian deity Rašnu (MP. Rašn, Skt. Satyapati-). RAŠNU The Avestan proper noun Rašnu ultimately derives from the PIE root * h3reĝ “to direct, make straight” (see Rix, 304, s.v. *h3reĝ-) together with the primary suffix nu-. C. Bartholomae translated the name as ‘Justice’ (Bartholomae, col. 1516, s.v. rašnav- 2), “Name des Gotts der Gerechtigkeit’’) while I. Gershevit…

Returning to Iran in 1962, Rassekh taught asassistant professor at the University of Tehran Department of Psychology and Education. She was promoted to full professorship and in 1973 was appointed head of that department— the first woman department head in an Iranian university. RASSEKH, MEHRI, née Arjomand (b. Tehran, 6 October 1922; d. Geneva, 15 November 2008; Figure 1), a leading research scholar in the field of psychology and education, professor of psychology at the University of Tehran. Mehri Rassekh was born into a prominent and well-educated Bahāʾi family. Her ma…

(Resurrection) newspaper published 1915-16 in Baghdad a group of Iranian expatriates in Europe, headed by Sayyed Ḥasan Taqizāda. RASTḴIZ (Resurrection). With the outbreak of the First World War, a group of Iranian expatriates in Europe, headed by Sayyed Ḥasan Taqizāda, formed the Iranian Nationalists Committee (Komita-ye melliun-e Irāni) in Berlin in opposition to the Anglo-Russian domination of Iran. The strongly pro–German Committee established regular contacts with Iranian activists both inside and outside Ira…

a six-language glossary compiled by or prepared for the sixth Rasulid king of Yemen (r. 1363-77). RASULID HEXAGLOT, a six-language glossary compiled by or prepared for the sixth Rasulid king of Yemen, al-Malek al-Afżal al-ʿAbbās b. ʿAli b. Dāʾud b. Yusof b. ʿOmar b. ʿAli Derḡam-al-Din (r. 1363-77). It is a collection of vocabularies, listing forms in Arabic with matching entries in Persian, Turkic ( Turki, in three dialects), a dialect of colloquial Byzantine Greek, a dialect of Western Armenian (in all likelihood Cilician), and a dialect of Mongol (most prob…

a general of Pharnabazos, the satrap of the Daskylitis (see DASCYLIUM) under Dareios II and Artaxerxes II (see DARIUS iv and ARTAXERXES II). RATHINES (Gk. Rathínēs), a general of Pharnabazos, the satrap of the Daskylitis (see DASCYLIUM) under Dareios II and Artaxerxes II (see DARIUS iv and ARTAXERXES II). Rathines and Spithridates (for whom, see MEGABATES, no. 4; RE IIIA2, 1929, cols. 1815-16) were sent out by Pharnabazos with a large force of cavalry and infantry; they sought battle with the Ten Thousand Greeks in 400 BCE somewhere in Bithynia (Xenophon, Anabasis 6.5.7) and suffered …

Imami author, traditionist, and jurist (d. Qom, 14 Šawwāl 573/5 April 1178). RĀVANDI, Qoṭb-al-Din Saʿid, Imami author, traditionist, and jurist (d. Qom, 14 Šawwāl 573/5 April 1178; his birthday is not known). His full name is Abu’l-Ḥosayn Saʿid (or Saʿd) b. ʿAbd-Allāh b. Ḥosayn b. Hebat-Allāh b. Ḥasan b. ʿIsā, often abbreviated to Saʿid b. Hebat-Allāh. He belonged to a scholarly family from Rāvand, located 12 km west of Kāšān. He studied with both Sunni and Imami masters; the latter include Fażl b. Ḥasan Ṭabr…

a ruined Buddhist stupa and monastery complex located about 40 km northeast of Hotan/Hetian in Xinjiang Province, western China; translated as “high building” or “steep house”. RAWAK VIHARA, a ruined Buddhist stupa (a reliquary representing the passing, or nirvana, of the Buddha) and monastery complex located about 40 km northeast of Hotan/Hetian (see ), in Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Province, western China. Rawak means “high building” or “steep house” in Uyghur, and vihara is the Sanskrit term for “monastery.” The modern Chinese name of Ravak is Rewake Fosi yizhi …

His first relevant activity was to copy the trilingual inscriptions of Darius I and Xerxes I at Mount Alvand (Elvend) near Hamadān, in April 1835. Rawlinson's fascination with cuneiform (see CUNEIFORM SCRIPT) began shortly after he was posted to the Near East. His first relevant activity was to copy the trilingual inscriptions of Darius I (r. 522-486 BCE) and Xerxes I (r. 486-465 BCE) at Mount Alvand (Elvend) near Hamadān (DE and XE in modern sigla), in April 1835. Not long after (Adkins, 2003, is useful for relative ch…

a family of Arab descent that controlled parts of Azerbaijan and Armenia from the late 8th through the 11th centuries. RAWWADIDS (Ar. Rawwādiya, Rawādiya), a family of Arab descent that controlled Tabriz and north-eastern Azerbaijan in the late 8th and early 9th centuries. Their Kurdicized descendants ruled over Azerbaijan and parts of Armenia in the second half of the 10th and much of the 11th century. There is some uncertainty over the correct spelling of the dynastic name, and it has been suggested that it is necessary to distinguish between Rawwād, the nam…

RAYḤĀNI, ABU’L-ḤASAN ʿALI b. ʿObayda (d. ca. 219/834), a prolific author, a high ranking civil secretary ( kāteb) to the ʿAbbasid caliph al-Maʾmun (q.v.; r. 189-218/813-33), and an outstanding littérature ( adib), whom some medieval critics preferred to Jāḥeẓ (q.v.) in eloquence and erudition.Next to nothing is recorded about his parentage and upbringing. The attribution rayḥāni implies that his father or grandfather had been engaged in selling basil ( rayḥān), a sign of the family’s modest social origins. His patronymic ( konya) Abuʾl-Ḥasan suggests that he probably had a s…

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the site was excavated unscientifically by Western archeologists and local dealers, mostly to search for precious objects; a large proportion of the finds found their way to the black market. At present several museums conserve some specimens from Ray belonging to this antiquarian surge. RAY i. ARCHEOLOGY The first Western accounts of Ray (Rayy) were produced by British travelers such as Sir James Morier (pp. 231, 403) and Sir William Ouseley (pp. 174-99), who visited Ray between the 1810s and 1830s. These de…

Swiss scholar of comparative grammar of the Indo-European languages and Iranian dialectology. REDARD, GEORGES (b. 1922 in Neuchâtel, d. 2005 in Kirchlindach), Swiss scholar of comparative grammar of the Indo-European languages and Iranian dialectology. Georges Redard was born in Switzerland, close to the French border. He studied classics at Neuchâtel University, where he also studied Russian, Lithuanian, Sanskrit, and Persian. He was a pupil of Max Niedermann, who guided his doctoral research on Greek morphology. At the age of …

Cervus elaphus, in Persian: Marāl and also Gavazn and Gāv-e kuhi. i. Natural history. ii. In Persian art. The red deer ranges from Europe to Northeast Asia, its appearance changing gradually, until, from Central Asia eastward, it becomes quite similar to the North American wapiti. i. NATURAL HISTORY The red deer ranges from Europe to Northeast Asia, its appearance changing gradually, until, from Central Asia eastward, it becomes quite similar to the North American wapiti (Figure 1). The race or subspecies found in the Crimea, the Caucasus, Turkey, and Iran is generally designated Cervus…

REHATSEK, EDWARD (b. Ilok, 3 July 1819; d. Bombay, 11 December 1891), Hungarian-born Orientalist and translator of a number of Persian and Arabic works.i. Life Edward Rehatsek, the son of a forest inspector, was born in Ilok (now in Croatia). As a child, he was sent to study Magyar in Pécs (Hungary), where he also studied Slavic and German and privately learned French and design. He eventually attended the university in Budapest (now the Budapest University of Technology), where he trained as an engineer and a surveyor…

HANS (b. 20 April, 1877 in Baden near Vienna, d. 12 May 1939 in Baden), Austrian scholar of Indo-European and Iranian studies. REICHELT, HANS (b. 20 April, 1877 in Baden near Vienna, d. 12 May 1939 in Baden), Austrian scholar of Indo-European and Iranian studies (FIGURE 1). The son of a printer he enrolled in 1896 at Vienna University for taking up studies of classical, Germanic and Indo-Iranian philology and comparative linguistics with Georg Bühler, Friedrich Müller, Rudolf Meringer and others; later he went to Gie…

REKOM is the most important traditional religious shrine in Ossetia, a region in North Caucasia divided between Russia and Georgia. It is dedicated to the principal Ossetian deity, Uastyrdzhi (q.v.). The shrine is located in the eastern part of the heavily forested Tsey Valley about 80 km southwest of Vladikavkaz, near the border with South Ossetia. The site is accessed on foot by a short climb from the road crossing the valley, a few kilometers before reaching a popular ski resort.Nestled within a clearing about 1 km from the road and accessed by a stony path climbing thro…

Download this sound. title Reng-e Čahārgāh genre/topic Reng-e Čahārgāh language   performer Ali Akbar Shahnazi instrument Tār composer   author/poet   first line of poem   recorded by   place of recording   date of recording   duration 3:04 source Ostād Ali Akbar Shahnazi, Mahoor Institute of Culture and Art M.CD-53 (2000), track 14. note   EIr entries  

a treatise of some 130 pages by Abd-al-Baha, internally dated in 1292/1875, which calls on the Iranian people to ‘awake’ and take the steps necessary to modernize the country. RESĀLA - YE MADANIYA, a treatise of some 130 pages by Abd-al-Baha (ʿAbd-al-Bahāʾ), internally dated in 1292/1875 (Abd-al-Baha, 1984, p. 72; 1957, p. 62), which calls on the Iranian people to ‘awake’ and take the steps necessary to modernize the country. The treatise is written in a highly literary style, making extensive use of alliteration, rhyme, rhyth…

small town and sub-provencial unit ( šahrestān) in the western part of Gilān Province. REŻWĀNŠAHR, small town and sub-provencial unit ( šahrestān) in the western part of Gilān Province. The town is located at lat 37°33′ N, long 49°07′ E. The district is created from the traditional region of Ṭāleš Dulāb, which resulted from the division of the large district of Gaskar, when Fatḥ-ʿAli Shah Qājār (r. 1797-1834), at the beginning of his reign, divided the Persian Ṭāleš between local leaders in order to weaken the famil…