Encyclopaedia Iranica Online

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