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In this contribution original Pahlavi documents of clearly Zoroastrian provenance from the 7th and early 8th centuries are presented showing direct or indirect connections with increasing Arabic dominance in Iran. There are two groups of documents: 1. documents of the so‑called “Pahlavi Archive”, coming from the region west and south of Qom; 2. the documents from Tabarestān in Northern Iran, i.e. the region of modern Rūdbār on the river Sefīd, dealing mostly with juridical matters. The so-called “Pahlavi Archive” comprises economic documents as well as letters mostly from the second half of the 7th century and are housed in Berlin and Berkeley (about 300 items); there are also some scattered documents in Los Angeles and in private hands, probably in Iran. Though most of the documents in question are of economic content (they refer to daily life) they sometimes give hints at religious facts, taxes and measurements (Iranian and Arabic). Religion is explicitly referred to in a letter on wine growing where we learn of a regular payment for “prosperity” ~ “protection” of the religion (i.e. the Zoroastrian religion). The documents from Tabarestān, again clearly Zoroastrian, show no connections to Arabic matters but mention a Nestorian community. Dans cette contribution, des documents originaux en Pahlavi d’origine clairement zoroastrienne du viie et du début du viiie siècle sont présentés, montrant des liens directs ou indirects avec l’affirmation de la domination arabe en Iran. Il existe deux groupes de documents : 1. les documents de l’« Archive Pahlavi », provenant de la région à l’ouest et au sud de Qom, et 2. les documents de Tabarestān dans le nord de l’Iran, c'est‑à‑dire la région de l’actuelle Rūdbār sur le fleuve Sefīd, traitant principalement de questions juridiques. L’« archive Pahlavi » comprend des documents économiques ainsi que des lettres datant pour la plupart de la seconde moitié du viie siècle qui sont conservées à Berlin et Berkeley (environ 300 pièces) ; il existe également quelques documents épars à Los Angeles et chez des collectionneurs privés, probablement en Iran. Bien que la plupart des documents en question aient un contenu économique (ils se réfèrent à la vie quotidienne), ils donnent parfois des indications sur des faits religieux, des impôts et des mesures (iraniens et arabes). La religion est explicitement mentionnée dans une lettre sur la viticulture où l'on apprend l’existence d’un paiement régulier pour la « prospérité » ~ la « protection » de la religion (c’est‑à‑dire la religion zoroastrienne). Les documents de Tabarestān, là encore clairement zoroastriens, ne montrent aucun lien avec les questions arabes mais mentionnent une communauté nestorienne. في هذا الإسهام تُقَدم مجموعة من الوثائق البهلوية الأصلية ذات المنشأ الزرادشتي الواضح التي تعود إلى القرن السابع وبدايات القرن الثامن الميلاديين والتي تُظهر علاقات مباشرة أو غير مباشرة مع تنامي السيطرة العربية على إيران. وتوجد مجموعتان من الوثائق: 1. وثائق ما يعرف بـ «المحفوظات البهلوية»، القادمة من المنطقة الواقعة غربي قُم وجنوبها، و2. الوثائق القادمة من طبرستان شمالي إيران، أي منطقة رودبار الحديثة الواقعة على نهر سفيد، وتتعلق في معظمها بمسائل قانونية. ويحتوي ما يعرف بـ«الأرشيف البهلوي» على وثائق اقتصادية فضلًا عن رسائل يعود أغلبها إلى النصف الثاني من القرن السابع الميلادي، وهي محفوظة في برلين وبركلي (نحو 300 وثيقة)؛ كذلك ثمة مجموعة من الوثائق المتفرقة في لوس أنجلوس وفي مقتنيات خاصة، من المحتمل أن تكون في إيران. ورغم أن معظم الوثائق المعنية ذات مضمون اقتصادي (يتعلق بالحياة اليومية) إلا أنها تتضمن أحيانًا تلميحات إلى مسائل دينية وأخرى متعلقة بالضرائب والمقاييس (الإيرانية والعربية). وهناك إشارة جلية إلى الدين في رسالة متعلقة بمسألة زراعة الكروم، نعلم منها عن وجود دفع منتظم مقابل «الازدهار» ~ «الحماية» للدين (أي الدين الزرادشتي). أما الوثائق القادمة من طبرستان، وهي بدورها زرادشتية المنشأ بشكل جلي، فلا تتضمن أي روابط بالمسائل العربية وإنما تذكر طائفة نسطورية.

This study examines the religious and political existence of the Sassanids from the period of Jāhiliyya to the beginning of the prophethood (Risālā) in the Arabian peninsula by taking into consideration the historical background of the concept of “Majūs/Mad̲j̲ūs” mentioned in the Qur’an. By focusing on the concept of majūs, the context and the pattern of the relationship of the Jahiliyya Arab with the Persian culture will be elaborated. During examining this concept, the significant role of Ḥīra and South Arabia in Arab-Persian interaction will be analyzed. In particular, the location of Hire, part of the Sassanid domination and close to the Arabian peninsula, stands out as the ground of this cultural interaction. Through this interaction, the religious context will be pointed out by the expression majūs, while shedding light on the ancient history of the Sassanids in this region. Thus, this research reveals that the concept of majūs used by the Qur’an has a reflection in the intellectual mind of the Jahiliyya Arab, and therefore the religious understanding of the Sassanids came into existence through this concept in the Arabian peninsula. At the same time, the parallelism of the issue of being accepted as the People of the Book as the Majūs/Zoroastrians in the risāla with the perception of the Jahiliyya Arab of ignorance will be discussed., Bu çalışmada Cahiliye döneminden risalete Sāsānīlerin Arap Yarımadası’ndaki dinî ve siyasi varlığı, Kur’an-ı Kerim’in bahse konu ettiği mecūs kavramının tarihsel arka planına temasla irdelenecektir. Bu çerçevede Cahiliye Arabı’nın İran/Pers kültür havzasıyla münasebetinin boyutu, mecūs kavramının odağa alınmasıyla tartışılacaktır. Bu kavramın oluşum sürecinde Ḥīre’nin ve Güney Arabistan’ın Arap-Pers etkileşimindeki kayda değer rolüne temas edilecektir. Özellikle Sāsānī hakimiyetinin Arap Yarımadası’na bakan yüzü olan Ḥīre’nin konumu, kültürel etkileşimin zemini olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Bu yolla Sāsānīlerin bu coğrafyadaki kadim tarihine ışık tutulurken mecūs ifadesiyle dinî bağlama işaret edilecektir. Böylelikle Kur’an’ın kullandığı mecūs kavramının Cahiliye Arabı’nın zihin dünyasında bir karşılığının olduğu ve dolayısıyla Sāsānīlerin dinî anlayışının Arap Yarımadası’nda bu kavram üzerinden varlık bulduğu ortaya çıkarılacaktır. Aynı zamanda risalet sürecinde Mecūsīlere ilişkin onların da Ehl-i kitap gibi kabul edilmeleri hususu, Cahiliye Arabı’nın anlam dünyasıyla arz ettiği paralellik açısından bahse konu edilecektir.

For centuries, fire has been a sacred symbol from the eastern cultures to western regions. As one of the four states of matter, fire represents the great essence in our daily lives as an energy source with its warmth, light and aura, kindling feelings of truth and spirituality within us. In his poetic verses, fire was venerated by Zoroaster who led mankind to believe that there is one supreme lord that we may follow; a being that can only be known by the quest for truth (Asha). For Zoroaster truth was symbolic with fire as it brought people together in prayer. With the passage of time fire became consecrated in different orders with the higher ones being placed within covered buildings for protection. These buildings became temples of fire or Fire Temples where an eternal flame was kept and looked after by a priest so as to keep alive the salvation of humankind and continue our journey towards righteousness with the blessings of the supreme. With this, faith stayed alive as long as the Fire burned. Herein lies my celebration of fire where I announce it to the follower on the path to truth as an eternal flame burning, yet resting in a place worthy of all its glory; an ambiance created to venerate the flame and reassure the traveler that its light has more to offer than meets the eye. Master of Architecture