Persian and Iranian Studies

This essay provides a detailed description of each manuscript the author acquired during this sojourn among the Jews of Persia. A discussion of the rituals of the Jewish people which the author met offers great insight into their liturgical life.

Originally compiled by Destur Hoshangji Jamaspji Asa, this historic dictionary was revised and enlarged by Martin Haug. This edition of the glossary represents the first time that the Pahlavî-Pâzand, or Saanian Farhang, was published in its ancient form and arrangement. The dictionary is of an Aramaic translation into Middle Persian, in Pahlavi script. A substantial introductory essay on Pahlavi begins the work; entries are translated into English, occasionally reaching substantial essays. A truly historic attempt to document a language far removed from many European and new world scholars, Haug has produced an indispensable historic dictionary.

This historical dictionary contains an English translation of the Frahang-I Oim-evak, an antique Avestan and Middle Persian dictionary. A collaboration between Martin Haug and Destur Hoshengji Jamaspji, this rare glossary provides the Pahlavi translations for almost 900 Avestan words. Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language used by the Zoroastrian Avesta. It represents one of the earliest known Iranian languages. This dictionary was one of the earliest attempts to present the material to a western readership. Still considered a historic entry-point into the language, Haug’s glossary has become a rare find. Gorgias Press is pleased to bring it back into circulation as a part of our Historical Dictionary series.

For the student of ancient Iranian documents, this time-honored source for using the sacred texts of the Zoroastrians, this glossary and index is an historical dictionary of an unusual sort. The materials from three works provide the basis for this glossary: the Pahlavi text of Arda Viraf, the tale of Gosht-I Fryano, the Hadokht Nask, and extracts from the Din-Kard and Nirangistan. All of these documents pertaining to Zoroastrian belief and practice are facilitated by this historic glossary. Based on the edition of E. W. West, the text was revised by Martin Haug. A work of scholarly erudition in the nineteenth century, this book, now difficult to find, has now claimed a place among Gorgias Historical Dictionaries.

The Parsis, descendants of the ancient Persians, are a Zoroastrian people that have survived into modern times. Dauphine Menant’s classic study on the history of the Parsis in India is made available in its first French edition. In the style of the travelogue, the study contains illustrations of parts of the Parsis life in the late nineteenth century. Twenty-one plates as well as illustrations within the text serve the valuable function of enabling the reader to visualize this swiftly disappearing culture. This basic introduction to the history and life of the Parsis will appeal to those interested in the state of religious minorities in Asia, as well as those who are researching the living traditions of Zoroastrianism

As the title of the volume ably indicates, this historical catalogue is a record of the Arabic, Persian and Turkish codices in the library of the Royal University of Uppsala. After a substantial introduction in Latin he divides the materials into the different types of documents they represent. A wide variety of topics are covered. A set of indices help to locate specific topics addressed in this wide variety of materials. An unsurpassed catalogue of the holdings in Uppsala, this reference is now once again accessible to scholars and general readers alike.

Presented in the original Persian, this volume represents the solely published first volume of the Haft Ásmán “seven heavens,” or a compendium of poetry in the seven epic meters of Persian poetry. This history of the masnawí, or Middle Persian poetic form, written in rhymed couplets, is here presented by one of the recognized teachers of Persian in India. This, his final work, was intended to be an introduction to the works of Nizami. As such it contains invaluable nuggets about the Persian poets and their poetry.

This book investigates the socio-cultural and maritime history of 18th century – early 19th-century Southern Iran and the Persian Gulf in terms of the merchants, mariners and captains who lived and died in the turbulent waters of the western Indian Ocean. This “uncertain frontier” between a revitalized Ottoman Empire to the west and an emergant British India to the east became a testing grounds for the communities of the Gulf. Generally assumed to be a period of anarchy, the 18th-century maritime peoples resolved differences by marriage, forged alliances, and adapted their mercantile skills to the emerging age of global power.

The full title of this work indicates the scope of its contents: A Catalogue of the Arabic, Persian and Hindustany Manuscripts of the Libraries of the King of Oudh, Compiled by Order of the Government of India. This first volume was the only part of the project completed by editor Aloys Sprenger, and it contains the Persian and Hindustani poetry. This catalogue includes biographies of Persian and Urdu poets, a chapter of works of Persian poets, and a brief chapter on the work of Hindustani poets, which concludes the works.

Edwin Fay's mathematical model for the patterns of mutations in nasal Sanskrit verbs.