Showing papers in "Iran and the Caucasus in 2016"

And the Pearl Became an Egg: The Yezidi Red Wednesday and Its Cosmogonic Background

Abstract: The paper presents a structural reading of the events accompanying the Yezidi feasts of the New Year (Sere Sale) and the Red Wednesday (Carsemiya-sor), which can be collated with the outlines of the cosmogonic order reconstructed on the basis of the content of the Yezidi hymns. The New Year festival, especially the moment of transition from Tuesday night to Wednesday, can be seen as a representation of the initial cosmogonic stages–the transition from the dark of indefiniteness into the first steps of the new world associated with the appearance of the luminous Pearl, which takes colours and breaks apart. This paper describes the interaction between the descriptions of the Pearl in the hymns and the festival rituals associated with eggs (colouring, breaking, mixing them with clay and flowers).In addition to the relevant literature, the author refers to his own field research conducted during the Carsemiya-sor in Lalish in 2014 and in Ba’adra and Sheikhan where he lived in April 2015.

The Mandaeans’ Religious System: From Mythos to Logos

Abstract: Mandaeans, an ethno-religious group mostly living in Iraq and Iran, are bearers of a Gnostic tradition based on the scriptures written in Madaic. As a small minority living under the threat of cultural extinction and ethnocide, Mandaeans have developed highly elaborated purification rites as the source of their group identity. The concern for group integrity is well encoded in these rituals that symbolically and practically maintain the boundaries of group identity. In a mutual relation, the rituals and Mandaean world-view comprise a cultural system characteristic of Mandaean religion. However, political instability and wars have led to the emigration of a substantive number of the Mandaeans and the formation of diasporas in Australia, Europe and North America. The Mandaean dispersion is a turning point of the people’s history. It liquefies the boundaries of group identity and puts the Mandaean identity challenge in an unprecedented paradigm. Simultaneously, it is bringing about further development in their religious system in terms of accommodation, rationalization and exegeses. These changes can be summarized as pluralism and secularization in the community, especially in the diasporas and an incipient move from mythos towards logos in the religious system.

Yezidi Circumcision and Blood-Brotherhood (Including the Circumcision of the Dead)

Abstract: Amongst Kurds and Yezidis the circumcision of male children and the subsequent bloodbond (kerāfat), formed between the circumcised and the one chosen to hold the boy on his knees during the procedure, has been until the recent past a major rite of passage, as well as a functioning protection mechanism. However, within the last few decades significant changes have occurred in Northern Iraq; and only the Yezidis and a few Kurdish tribes in remote areas still uphold the traditions of the kerāfat. The Yezidis in Armenia and Georgia have completely abandoned this institution and have also altered their practice of circumcision.The present article sheds light on the Yezidi kerāfat, the mutual social obligations of the two blood-brothers, as well as the marriage barriers established between their respective families. Furthermore, it tracks the modifications circumcision has undergone in Northern Iraq, Turkey, and among Yezidis in the diaspora. In this context, it elaborates on the circumcision practices of the Yezidis in Northern Iraq, Germany, and Transcaucasia especially highlighting the changes introduced through contact with, and the social pressures of, the respective majority population—in particular, focusing on Armenia and Georgia where these changes have resulted in the circumcision of the dead.

Contemporary Russia-Saudi Relations: Building a Bridge of Cooperation over the Abyss of Discrepancies

Abstract: For the most part of the twenty-five years of the contemporary Russian-Saudi relationship it has been a mixed baggage of mutual accusations, large-scale suspicions and extremely limited cooperation. Swift regional transformations in the wake of the Arab spring, Russia’s re-emergence in the region as a influential actor and the power transition in the Kingdom have pushed Moscow and Riyadh to seek a fresh start. The relationship has multiple dimensions, is dependent on too many outside factors and is still far from offering an “ideal formula” for adequately marrying each other’s interests. At the same time, it possesses enough resources needed for a more robust cooperation.The present paper examines the nature of the Russian-Saudi relationship, as well as outside factors that frequently define it. It also assesses implications of the crisis in Syria on the bilateral relations and proposes a vision for a potential cooperation.

Syrian Identity in Bethlehem: From Ethnoreligion to Ecclesiology

Abstract: At first sight, the Syriac Orthodox community in Bethlehem appears to be well-described as “ethno-religious”: while many Palestinian siryān emphasise their connection to an ancient Aramean ethnos, this identification also usually entails some relationship to the Syriac Orthodox Church. However, “religion” (ethno or otherwise) is arguably too overburdened a category to tell us much about how being siryāni in Bethlehem compares to being something else. I propose, instead, that thinking of Syrian self-articulation as a kind of ecclesiology, a tradition of incarnating a body (specifically Christ’s), draws attention to the creative, situated and dialogic process of being and becoming siryāni, while problematising categories with which social scientists customarily think about groups. Unlike ethno-religion, ecclesiology captures the fraught pursuit of redeemed sociality, connecting Bethlehem’s destabilized local present to universal and eternal hope. In Bethlehem, what’s more, these dialogues proceed in tantalizing proximity to places and paths, which are haunted by the incarnate (Aramaic-speaking) God whom Syriac Orthodox Christians embody and envoice. Indeed, while this Syrian body is often narrated as an organic, racial fact, nevertheless it is susceptible to a kind of transubstantiation at the margins when an “other” participates fully in the life of this body, especially via the church.

Is there an Ethno-religious Aspect in Balochi Identity?

Abstract: The paper deals with certain aspects of the complex phenomenon of Balochi identity in their traditional habitat, including the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan, the Pakistani province of Balochistan, as well as the areas of Afghanistan where the Baloches live compactly. Considering quite different socio-political and cultural situations in the mentioned environments, it is argued that the identity perceptions among the Baloches themselves and among the others towards the Baloches (Persian-speaking Shi‘a population in Iranian province, as well as mostly Sunni diverse ethnic groups in the Pakistani province and in Afghanistan) are not fixed ideas bound by ethnicity and/or religion, but, rather, flexible constructs dependent particularly upon the peripeteia of the state policies. The multiple aspects of the Balochi identity could constantly be negotiated, as well as manipulated by engaged parties. The main argument of this paper rests upon the speculation that the already existing and bona fide aspects of Balochi identity, such as ethnicity and religion, could be paralleled into the aggregate of ethno-religiousness depending on the socio-political and cultural landscape.

Notes on Mountain Cults in Dagestan

Abstract: As a sacral space, mountains in Dagestan are traditionally considered to be the abode of gods and demons. Rainmaking rituals and folk medical procedures are performed on the mountain sites. On the tops of mountains, their slopes and passes there are many buildings transformed later into Muslim places of worship. The paper describes some cases of orolatry among the peoples of Dagestan, based on the relevant sources and personal field materials.

Are Zoroastrians a Nation? Different Identity Formations/Patterns of Iranian and Indian Zoroastrians

Abstract: The article contributes to the debate on the modern transformations of collective identities and nation-building processes. We compare different identity patterns of Zoroastrians in Iran and India and answer the question whether one can consider them as a nation or as separate ethno-religious communities. The paper is an answer to a suggestion made by Rashna Writer about national ties linking Zoroastrians worldwide. Basing on field research of Zoroastrians in Iran and India, we argue that among them there are no visible traits regarding the construction of a national identity, only certain trends to remember ties with their diasporas. We believe that among the factors shaping rather a sense of belonging to a local ethno-religious community, are the concept of local ethnohistory, the usage of the Zoroastrian Dari language, strong Iranian nationalism based on a common Iranian history and a culture effectively separating Iranian Zoroastrians from their Indian coreligionists.The focus of the article is collective identity understood as something socially constructed mainly by local community’s leaders. We compare the process of identity construction of Iranian and Indian Zoroastrians, considering it as something rooted in different historical, as well as sociocultural and political contexts.

Turkey and the Kurdish Question: Last Exit before the Bridge

Abstract: The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government initiated a peace process with the Kurds in January 2013 to become the first government since 1984 to systematically negotiate with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) instead of using the military against them. Nevertheless, a bloody war restarted after AKP lost its majority in the parliament due to the Kurdish backed Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) success in the 7 June 2015 elections. In the coalition negotiation process, the AKP, which is under the strict control of Erdogan, did not make a serious offer to any of the opposition parties, and Erdogan did not mandate other parties to form a coalition government. Thus, holding a snap election remained the only option. Erdogan’s strategy to attract the nationalist voters worked, and the AKP re-gained the overall majority in the parliament by receiving the nationalist votes again. Nevertheless, this was a Pyrrhic victory for the AKP. In addition to the domestic polarization, the new AKP government has needed to deal with the Kurdish Question, which has turned into armed conflict since the 7 June elections, along with re-formulating its relations with the allies of the PKK in Northern Syria and in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Furthermore, increasing activism in the ISIS issue and the “jet crisis” experienced with Russia seems to have complicated Turkey’s foreign policy and compelled the AKP to revise its approach towards the Kurdish Question.

Daily Arithmetic of Pashtun Tribal Rulers: Numbers in The Khataks’ Chronicle

Abstract: The Khataks’ Chronicle compiled by the Pashtun tribal rulers Khūshḥāl Khān (d. 1689) and Afzal Khān (d. circa 1740/41) abounds in figures, which relate to calculation of people and things, as well as measurement of time and distances. Within dominant human statistics the most numerous and diverse in numbers are calculations of military strength, often divided into main arms (foot, horse, guns), and war losses. Demographical data proper include numbers of descendants in lineages and occasional statistics of tribal populace. Among frequently calculated things are money (in Mogul rupees) and cattle. Time intervals in tribal stories are usually short and measured generally in nights and days, while distances between key geographical objects—in kurūhs (≈ 2-2,2 km). Although most figures are likely to be approximate (usually round after 20), The Crhonicle’s authors aimed at being very careful with all numerical data, which, on the whole, are to be considered historically adequate. Almost all basic lexemes of Pashto numbers are found in The Chronicle. The largest numbers are sums of money in rupees related to the Moguls’ military budgets (1,700,000; 900,000; etc.). Of particular note are archaic forms of hundreds (dwaṣū, terṣū, etc.) and reflexes of vigesimal calculation. Numerical data in The Khataks’ Chronicle well describe the place, which elementary arithmetic occupied in the education of Pashtun tribal rulers in the mediaeval and pre-modern times and may serve as a primary resource for studying the inventory of numbers in early written Pashto.

Sun-Gods and Soviets: Historicising a North Caucasian Nart Saga

Abstract: This paper examines the potential historical value of the Nart Sagas, a cycle of North Caucasian folk epics. It discusses the methodological problems in dating them, and especially in treating them as a corpus of entirely ancient date. In response, the author proposes the use of a ‘rhizomatic’ approach: treating the surviving sagas as unique, ‘frozen’ performances, which concentrate a number of strands, some of which may lead into other extant parallel texts. To test this theory, it is applied to a single saga, the tale of the hero Shoshlan’s journey to the underworld, and this saga’s apparent parallels with Sarmatian art and with early mediaeval Christian Apocalypse Literature. The paper concludes with a summary of how this method can be more widely applied, through the use of thematic analogy.

Turkic Loanwords in Nor-Nakhichevan Armenian

Abstract: The goal of this paper is to demonstrate and assess Turkic loanwords in the vocabulary of Nor-Nakhichevan dialect of Armenian. Turkic loanwords include borrowings of ultimate Turkic origin, as well as Persian, Arabic, Greek, and Italian words that were borrowed through Turkish.

The Term for Muslims in Pahlavi Literature

Abstract: Until recently, it was a common thought that followers of the Prophet Muhammad never have been mentioned in Middle Persian texts by their real name. The only known use of the term Muslim(s) found at the turn of the century in the 5th book of Dēnkard, has been enriched by two new attestations identified in the Pahlavi texts Nāmagīhā ī Mānūscīhr and Zand-ī Wahman Yasn.

Sūdābeh and Rūdābeh: Mythological Reflexes of Ancient Goddesses

Abstract: Many female characters in the Sāhnāmeh are striking for their extraordinary independence and self-assertion, qualities not typically associated with women in the medieval Islamic society in which Ferdowsi lived. This may be an indication that such female figures have superhuman roots, possessing features that may be derived from those attributed to goddesses in ancient mythology. The characters of Sūdābeh and Rūdābeh who can be seen as representing opposing archetypes of feminine power are analyzed in terms of their possible derivations from female divinities in Iranian and Mesopotamian mythology.