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(The Provincial Capitals of Iran), the only major surviving Middle Persian text on geography. ŠAHRESTĀNĪHĀ Ī ĒRĀNŠAHR (The Provincial Capitals of Iran), the only major surviving Middle Persian text on geography: it enumerates the cities, their builders, and their importance for Persian history. The text was put to final redaction in the Abbasid period (late eighth or early ninth centuries CE), as it mentions Abu Jaʿfar as the founder of Baghdad (sec. 60), referring to the Caliph al-Mansuˈr (754-775 CE). The picture of Ērānšahr given by the text suggests that it was also redact…

a Persian noble in the 7th century CE who was instrumental in the crowning of Farroḵzād Ḵosrow as Sasanian king. ZĀDUYA, a Persian noble in the 7th century CE who was instrumental in the crowning of Farroḵzād Ḵosrow as Sasanian king. He is said to have been the “chief of the servants” ( raʾis al-ḵawal) during the chaotic period between the reigns of Pērōz II and Farroḵzād Ḵosrow in 631-32 CE (Ṭabari, II/2, p. 1066, tr., pp. 408-9). The office held by him may be the prastīgbed, a term already found in Šāpūr I’s inscription at Naqš-e Rostam (Mid. Pers. plstkpt/Parthian prštkpty, sec. 48) in the e…

the eldest son of the grand vizier ( wuzurg framādār) Mehr Narseh, who appointed him to the high religious office of chief hērbed. ZURWĀNDĀD, the eldest son of the grand vizier ( wuzurg framādār) Mehr Narseh, who appointed him to the high religious office of chief hērbed during the reign of the Sasanian king Bahrām V Gōr (r. 420-38, q.v.) in the 5th century CE (Ṭabari, I/2, p. 869, tr., p. 104). His name, Zurwāndād (created by Zurwān), is significant in that it points out the possible prominence of Zurvanite tendencies in the 5th century CE, although it does not nec…

reformer of the Sasanian military and in charge of the department of the warriors ( Diwān al-moqātela) during the reign of Ḵosrow I Anušervān in the 6th century CE. BĀBAK (Mid. Pers.: Pābag), reformer of the Sasanian military and in charge of the department of the warriors ( Diwān al-moqātela) during the reign of Ḵosrow I Anušervān in the 6th century CE. Ṭabari, who mentions him as a man of noble birth known for his magnanimous qualities and capability, records his full name as Bābak b. ʾlbyrwʾn, conjectured by Theodor Nöldeke as Bērawān (Ṭabari, I/2, pp. 963-64, tr., pp. 262-63;…

(Banquet Speech), a Middle Persian text about a court banquet held in the Sasanian Empire. SŪR SAXWAN (Banquet Speech), a Middle Persian text about a court banquet held in the Sasanian Empire (Cereti, p. 181; Macuch, 2009, p. 168). The mention of three generals ( spāhbeds), the three quadrants introduced with the military reforms of King Kawād and his son Ḵosrow I, suggests that the text was written between the sixth and the seventh centuries CE (Tafażżoli, 1998, p. 293; Gyselen, 2001; Daryaee, 2007). Further evidence of its dating can be seen in the presence of an official in charge of the drōn…

The grand vizier (Mid. Pers. wuzurg framādār) during the reigns of the Sasanian kings Yazdgerd I (r. 399-421 CE), Bahrām V (r. 421-39), Yazdgerd II (r. 439-57), and Pērōz (r. 459-84). MEHR-NARSEH, the grand vizier (Mid. Pers. wuzurg framādār) during the reigns of the Sasanian kings Yazdgerd I (r. 399-421 CE), Bahrām V (r. 421-39; see BAHRĀM v), Yazdgerd II (r. 439-57; Frye, p. 146), and Pērōz (r. 459-84; see FĪRŪZ). Mehr-Narseh was born in the fourth century CE in the village ( qarya) of Abrovān in the rural district ( rostāq) of Dašt-e Bārin in the administrative division ( ḵorra) of Ardašīr-…

Sasanian king, whose reign is marked by wars with Byzantium in the west and the Hephthalites in the east. He stayed in the east for some years fighting the nomadic tribes and is known for imposing Zoroastrianism in Armenia. YAZDEGERD II (r. 439-57 CE), Sasanian king, whose reign is marked by wars with Byzantium in the west and the Hephthalites in the east. He stayed in the east for some years fighting the nomadic tribes and is known for imposing Zoroastrianism in Armenia. Yazdgerd II was the son and successor to his father Bahrām V (r. 421-39 CE), known as Bahrām Gōr. He is re…

Abarshahr was the northeastern province (Middle Persian shahr) of Sāsānid and early Islamic Iran. Its principal city was Nīshāpūr (Middle Persian Nēw-Shābuhr, “Brave is Shāpūr”; Arabic Naysābūr), established by Shāpūr I (d. 272 C.E.) (Daryaee, 39). In the Islamic period “Nīshāpūr” replaced “Abarshahr” as the name of the main city. Two etymologies have been advanced for the name of the province. The first derives the name from * Aparn-xšahr (Parthian ’prhštr), “land of the Aparnak or Aparni,” the leading tribe of the Dahae confederation, who established the Parthia…

Abarqubādh was a ṭassūj (sub-district) in lower Iraq, located east of the Tigris between Wāsiṭ and Baṣra. Its main city was Fasī (Yaʿqūbī, 101). Its name is said to be derived from the Middle Persian Abar-kawad, meaning “Superior is Qubād,” referring to the Sāsānian king Kawādh I (Ar. Kubādh or Pers. Kavād, r. 488–96/499–531), who made administrative reforms in the area (Gyselen, 76). According to Yāqūt (d. 626/1229), Abarqubādh was one of the four ṭassūj of Maysān (Middle Pers. Mēshān, al-Madhār) (Morony, 35), along with Bahman Ardashīr (al-Furāt), Dasht-ī Maysān, an…

Abarqūh is a town first mentioned in the 4th H./10th Century C.E., in the northeastern province of Fārs, belonging to the khurra (district) of Iṣṭakhr (al-Iṣṭakhrī, 96). The road from Isfahan to Shiraz, in the south, went through Abarqūh, both north to Isfahan and east to Yazd. The town was located by hills of ash, which were believed to have been the location of the “Fire of Nimrod,” associated with the story of the burning of Abraham (Ibn Ḥawqal, 291; al-Iṣṭakhrī, 131–2). The town is described as having fair weath…

Three Sasanian king of kings and a number of notables of the Sasanian and later periods were called “Shapur.” ŠĀPUR I: History ŠĀPUR I, second Sasanian king of kings (r. 239-70) and author of several rock-reliefs and the trilingual inscription on the walls of the so-called Kaʿba-ye Zardošt [ŠKZ]. The name. Three Sasanian king of kings and a number of notables of the Sasanian and later periods were called “Šāpur.” The name is derived from Old Iranian *xšayaΘiya.puΘra “son of king” and originally must have been a title, which came to be used, at least from the last decades…

(Hedāyat, Ṣādeq), the eminent fiction writer (1903-1951), who had a vast influence on the next generation of Persian writers. A version of this article is available in print Volume XII, Fascicle 2, pp. 121-135 HEDAYAT, SADEQ (Hedāyat, Ṣādeq), the eminent fiction writer (b. Tehran, 28 Bahman 1281 Š./17 February 1903; d. Paris, 19 Farvardin 1330 Š./9 April 1951), had a vast influence on the next generation of Persian writers. HEDAYAT, SADEQ i. LIFE AND WORK Sadeq Hedayat (Figure 1) was the youngest child of Hedā-yatqoli Khan Eʿteżād-al-Molk, the notable literary historia…