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The historical site of Vigol and Harāskān is located in Isfahan province (Iran). Archaeological studies showed that this site was inhabited at least from the Sasanian period to the Islamic middle ages. Archaeological excavations in 2010 resulted in the discovery of a fire temple belonging to the Sasanian period. Previous studies have shown that this fire temple, in comparison to others such as Niasar and Khoramdasht Fire Temples in Kashan plain, Natanz Fire Temple, Atashkouh of Delijan, Nevis and Chāhak of Qom, and Separoo of Nain, could be considered as the most important fire temple in terms of structure and archaeological evidence in the centre of Iran during the Sasanian period. This fire temple consists of a chāhār tāqi building with religious elements surrounded by a circumambulatory corridor. The fire temple of Vigol and Harāskān is considered as one of the prominent examples of local fire temples in the Sasanian period. The present study indicated that this fire temple was built in the Sasanian period and used for religious purposes until the beginning of the Islamic era. However, this fire temple lost its religious nature and was totally abandoned with the gradual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Mani in his Epistula Fundamenti , many stories have been told about Adam and Eve, but only his version is correct and leads to salvation. This article first explores various Jewish and Christian narratives and ideas about the first humans with which Mani likely engaged. It then shows how he radicalized Gnostic accounts to proclaim the fundamental role of violent, demonic sexuality in the creation of Adam and Eve, as a counter-strategy to prevent the release of trapped light, in support of his strongly anti-reproductive ethic. Finally, it analyzes Mani's story of the first human generations as an implicit critique of Zoroastrian anthropogonic narratives which provided an etiology for next-of-kin marriage. Mani's dialogue with these different traditions situates him at the Roman-Sasanian frontier, engaging with Jewish and Christian teachings, as well as Iranian ones, and resisting simplistic genealogies, whether heresiological or scholarly. Indeed, Mani functions as an interpreter (hermeneutes) between Mediterranean and Iranian cultures: Manichaean doctrine and practice do not represent a final flowering of Gnosticism, nor a fundamentally Iranian system, but a new movement that weaves Christian, Gnostic, Zoroastrian, and other traditions in complex and unexpected ways, combining his foundational critique of sexual reproduction with a hopeful call for struggle against the darkness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Khayyam, Sanai, and Hafez are three great poets and thinkers with different philosophical orientations. Although all the three poets are deeply rooted in Iranian Islamic culture, they have also been influenced by the pre-Islamic Iranian culture and Zoroastrian tradition. The effect of both Zoroastrian and Islamic cultures has often led to penumbras of meaning of same words over the centuries. One of those words is the term "Dūsh", which traditionally meant "last night" and occasionally synonymous with "dawn" until the time of Khayyam and Sanai. We can view "Dūsh" from two perspectives. Firstly, the well-regarded status of "night" from the perspectives of Zoroastrianism and Islam, and secondly, the connection between "night" or "dawn" with the time of drinking wine and the morning wine ("sabūhi"). Both before and after Khayyam and Sanai, "night" and "dawn" have had an inseparable link with celestial hidden messages. In the verses of Ferdowsi, Manuchehri, and Naser Khosrow, we can vividly observe the connection between "night"/"dawn" and nocturnal inspirations. Sometimes these inspirations are conveyed by hidden messengers such as "Sorūsh" - the celestial messenger angel in Zoroastrianism - and at other times, "night" alone serves as the carrier of secrets and mysteries. The connection of "Sorūsh" with "night" is also reflected in Islam through "revelation" and "Gabriel" which set the groundwork for the divine perspective on "night", "last night" and the "presence of the hidden messenger" in the poetry of later centuries specially, in Hafez' poems. Before the genesis of this perspective, "Dūsh" undergoes its first semantic transformation in Khayyam's Rubayiat, distancing itself from the divine concept associated with "Sorūsh" and Zoroastrian beliefs. Later, with the appearance of mysticism and Sanai's poetry, it once again rediscovers its divine essence. In the light of the concept of "love," it obtains a new meaning. Finally, in The Ghazals of Hafez, in which all former concepts and ideas are evolved and reach their pinnacle, the concept "Dūsh" becomes the central theme of his thought, especially by the addition of the meaning of "eternal" to this concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parsi legal culture produced clear benefits for Zoroastrians in the late colonial era. It also played an underacknowledged role in the constitutional life of modern India, helping nationalists pivot from extra-legal resistance to the business of running a state. Independent India could re-activate constitutionalism and the rule of law as ideals because these values were well established among nationalists, albeit in a tradition that had been relegated to the back burner in the run-up to independence. This tradition, exemplified by early Congress figures like Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, and Dinsha Wacha, was heavily influenced by Parsi legal culture. This article also suggests that rule-oflaw values were not inescapably colonial. As an ideal, the rule of law caused division within the colonial state, powered anti-colonial critique, and reinforced constitutionalism. Because the rule-of-law agenda was distinct from colonialism, there was no inherent contradiction between Parsi legal culture and the rejection of colonial rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religiosity is a desirable alternative coping strategy for many people when facing negative life events including age-related infirmities and stressors. Religious coping mechanisms (RCMs) have been investigated meagerly with regard to religious minorities around the world and, to the best of current knowledge, no study has been conducted on Iranian Zorostrians to explore their religious coping mechanisms in dealing with age-related chronic diseases. This qualitative research, therefore, was aimed to canvas perceptions about RCMs that are utilized by Iranian Zoroastrian older adults to deal with chronic diseases in the city of Yazd, Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposefully selected fourteen Zoroastrian older patients and four Zoroastrian priests in 2019. The main extracted themes included performing certain religious behaviors and having sincere religion-based beliefs as employed mechanisms for better coping with their chronic diseases. Prevalent dilemmas/barriers with mitigating impact on the coping capacities in dealing with a persistent illness was another predominant identified theme. Identification of RCMs that religious and ethnic minorities are using to better confront diverse life events, such as chronic diseases, could pave the path to expand new approaches in planing sustainable disease management and proactive quality of life improvement initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The description of wine (and the othere names of wine such as: mey, Bade, nabiz, siki and sahba) is one of the most common themes in Persian poetry. From describing its color, taste, and smell to enumerating its properties and functions such as healing, alleviation of grief, and immortality of life. In the Avesta and other Zoroastrian texts, we find the same pattern in the praise of "haoma" in three forms: God, Plant, and Drink. In this article, after enumerating the common descriptive themes of Zoroastrian haoma and sharab (wine) in Khorasan style poetry, we will attempt to answer the question of how tenable is the hypothesis of the transfer of the Zoroastrian haoma tradition to Persian poetry. The common themes of the two mentioned textual fields are: giver of eternal life, healer, grief-reliever, brave-maker, bright, shining and good as well as description of colors. This research is qualitative in nature and was conducted using the content analysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the use of Persian in comparison with Dari, a dialect of Persian language used in Kerman, one of the cities of Kerman Province located in southeast Iran. It is based on a random selection of 47 subjects from different sex, age, and occupational groups of Zoroastrian people with different levels of education in seven domains, i.e. family, friendship, neighborhood, transaction, education, government, and employment. In this study, the subjects were asked to determine which language they use in different domains on Likert’s 4-point scale. After collecting the data by the use of a questionnaire with 30 situations in the seven domains and analyzing them, the researcher concluded that there is a Persian-Dari diglossia in Zoroastrian speech community in which Dari functions as the Low language whereas Persian is the High one. As a matter of fact, Dari has been restricted to family domain and the young generation has lost it to a large extent.

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.

In the early twentieth century, an esoteric interpretation of Zoroastrianism known as Ilme kṣnum became popular among the Parsis of India. Although research on the subject is scant, most scholars suggest that Ilme kṣnum draws largely upon the ideas promoted by the Theosophical Society in India. By examining primary sources in Gujarati, the present article illustrates the interpretation of the Zoroastrian cosmology proposed by Ilme kṣnum. Through a comparative analysis of its main concepts and terms, Ilme kṣnum is historicized in the context of the relations of the Parsi community with the Persianate and Western worlds. By framing Ilme kṣnum as a reconciliation between Persianate and Western forms of knowledge, the present article looks at historical entanglements as resources for the Parsi quest for religious authenticity, placing Zoroastrianism in global religious history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the use of Persian in comparison with Dari, a dialect of Persian language used in Kerman, one of the cities of Kerman Province located in southeast Iran. It is based on a random selection of 47 subjects from different sex, age, and occupational groups of Zoroastrian people with different levels of education in seven domains, i.e. family, friendship, neighborhood, transaction, education, government, and employment. In this study, the subjects were asked to determine which language they use in different domains on Likert's 4-point scale. After collecting the data by the use of a questionnaire with 30 situations in the seven domains and analyzing them, the researcher concluded that there is a Persian-Dari diglossia in Zoroastrian speech community in which Dari functions as the Low language whereas Persian is the High one. As a matter of fact, Dari has been restricted to family domain and the young generation has lost it to a large extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Faculty of Divinity of Ankara University / Ankara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Ankara Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present article is elucidation of Parsi’s and their personal laws to make it a less confused and more comprehensible study matter. The title “Fons et origo of Zoroastrianism” means the source or the origin of Zoroastrianism. Those who believed that there’s only one Supreme God namely “Ahura Mazda” are known as Zoroastrians. The researcher has discussed the status of Parsis from its inception till date. This piece of work starts with a detailed study of their origin, simplifying their upbringing and tracing their movements and further stressing on the enactment & application of their laws in India. This piece of literature, emphasizing on the origin of the Zoroastrians further focuses on the legal provisions relating to Parsi marriages, divorce and maintenance as well. In Toto it’s a compilation of the most needed information and majorly required provisos relating to Parsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of the Northern Zhou (557–581AD) tomb of Shi Jun (494–579 CE) presents us with spectacular visual information about the Sogdians in medieval China, which was previously available to us only through written sources. The iconography-heavy sarcophagus in the tomb is an important vehicle for understanding the practices of religious (and everyday) life in the Sino-Sogdian community. The imagery on the Shi Jun sarcophagus reveals a mix of religious beliefs that existed among migrants in the premodern Eurasian world. Due to the absence of a dominant religion associated with Sino-Sogdian funerals, the iconography of the sarcophagus cannot be interpreted within an orthodox theological framework. Instead, it is possible that more syncretistic, indigenous, and regionally based folklore, tales, and hymns, in combination with a diversity of religious beliefs, might explain the sarcophagus’s enigmatic imagery, since the social order and religious order are often mutually reinforcing.

Abstract Background The Parsis are one of the smallest religious communities in the world. To understand the population structure and demographic history of this group in detail, we analyzed Indian and Pakistani Parsi populations using high-resolution genetic variation data on autosomal and uniparental loci (Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA). Additionally, we also assayed mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms among ancient Parsi DNA samples excavated from Sanjan, in present day Gujarat, the place of their original settlement in India. Results Among present-day populations, the Parsis are genetically closest to Iranian and the Caucasus populations rather than their South Asian neighbors. They also share the highest number of haplotypes with present-day Iranians and we estimate that the admixture of the Parsis with Indian populations occurred ~1,200 years ago. Enriched homozygosity in the Parsi reflects their recent isolation and inbreeding. We also observed 48% South-Asian-specific mitochondrial lineages among the ancient samples, which might have resulted from the assimilation of local females during the initial settlement. Finally, we show that Parsis are genetically closer to Neolithic Iranians than to modern Iranians, who have witnessed a more recent wave of admixture from the Near East. Conclusions Our results are consistent with the historically-recorded migration of the Parsi populations to South Asia in the 7th century and in agreement with their assimilation into the Indian sub-continent's population and cultural milieu "like sugar in milk". Moreover, in a wider context our results support a major demographic transition in West Asia due to the Islamic conquest.

This article gives a new reading and interpretation of a Coptic legend accompanying a wall-painting in a medieval church at Tebtunis, first published by C. C. Walters in this journal in 1989. Among depictions of the punishment of various sinners, the figure of a woman whose breasts are attacked by snakes can be connected with a belief in the sinfulness of wet-nursing, which is paralleled in Byzantine, Zoroastrian, and Mandaean contexts. Such scruples, foreign to Egypt in earlier times, may be owed to Gnosticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Art-Sanat Journal / Art-Sanat is the property of Art-Sanat and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Zoroastrian’s tower of silence (Dakhma) in Kerman, is one of the most valuable religious monuments of Kerman and its history dates back to 1233-1261S.H. Alongside, there is the main and older Dakhma that probably belongs to Sassanians. Since about 1320 S.H. that Zoroastrians burial tradition was changed because of the social and hygienic reasons, it was disused and now, is in undesirable condition. On the base of contemporary theory of conservation, one of the best ways to conservation of architectural heritage is regeneration and rehabilitation and put them into consideration if possible. There is three basic method to conserve an architectural monument based on contemporary and classical theories: the first one is protective preservation with focus on maintenance of physical conditions of monument in present situation and prevents it from changes; the second is restoration in old usage for continuity, and the third one is revitalization and rehabilitation with new usage that is relevance to the authenticity and identity. Each of above methods will follow different problems that are depended on the type of monument and various values and conditions of physical and nonphysical status of the building. At first, in this paper, the information of Dakhma gathered for the field study and then analyzed in qualitative research and deductive reasoning to find the best intervention in the monument. In the end, according to the result of subject value essay and at the other hand, the needs of stakeholders, the third method as giving a new usage with emphasize the authenticity and identity of the subject regeneration it, is resulted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been much interest in the role of free radicals and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of this study was to assess the possible association between genetic polymorphisms of the glutathione S-transferase-Theta (GSTT1) and the risk of the development of DM in Zoroastrian females in Yazd, Iran. Materials and Methods: This was a case-control study in which GSTT1 polymorphism was genotyped in 51 randomly selected DM patients and 50 randomly selected healthy controls among Zoroastrian females whose ages ranged from 40 to 70. Results: The frequencies of GSTT1 null genotype and GSTT1 present were 72% and 28%, respectively, in control samples, while in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the frequencies of GSTT1 null genotype and GSTT1 present were 27.5% and 72.5%, respectively. There were higher levels of triglyceride (TG), fasting blood sugar (FBS), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), Urea, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in cases of GSTT1 null genotype compared to the GSTT1 present genotype in controls. Conclusions: Our results indicated that healthy subjects had a higher frequency of the GSTT1 null genotype than patients with T2DM. However, we observed no significant association between the GSTT1 null genotype and T2DM in the current study.

Background: People give you an idea about variety of behaviors when confronting diseases. Different factors such as age, sex, economic and social situations have effect on its. Recognition of these behaviors helps politicians to deliver better services. This study aimed to identify health seeking behaviors of Zoroastrian residing in Yazd province due to advanced number of them in comparison to the other provinces. Materials & Methods: This study is a cross sectional. The sample size was 196 cases which selected by using simple sampling method. The data was collected via the questionnaire, then data were analyzed by spss.11 software with two test of chi square and exact test of Fisher. Results: The findings showed that 64.3% of the population was female whereas remaining 35.7% were male. 15.58% of participants were single, 76.5% married and the rest of them (7.7%) were widow. Data indicated that 4.1% of individuals were illiterate, 17.3% were high school , 51.3% had diploma, 23.5% had Bachelors degree and 3.6% had Masters Degree or Ph.D. 43.4% of studied population were unemployed and the rest of them (46.7%) were employed. 94.4% of participants had health insurance whereas 5.6% did not had uninsured card. The results showed that the following direct variables had relation with the following mentioned indirect variables sex with the action during the period of being sick, Place of born with reasons of neglecting sickness, marital status with action during the period of being sick, educational status with action during the period of being sick and referring to practitioner in different stages if sickness and using consultation of different groups, occupational status with the first place to get medical treatment, economical status with reasons of neglecting sickness and completion of treatment period and having health insurance with action during the period of being sick and using consultation of different groups. Conclusion: Considering the fact that educational, occupational and economic status have relation with health seeking behaviors in individuals, developed in education and occupation status could be lead a chance to choose a better health behavior in people.

The article is one in the series of articles related to glycaemic management in festivals across all religions in India. The article discusses issues in glycaemic management among Parsi culture, which represent a small but ever important group of Indian population

Zoroastrians of Babylonia had long lived alongside an important Jewish community whose presence in the region can be traced back to the Achaemenid period (c. 550‒330 BCE). Such long coexistence should justify an interest in the examination of cultural sharing between these two religious groups of Ērānšahr; however, it is just recently that the question of the level of cultural contact between them has become a more important source of inquiry and research by scholars of Iranian history, religious studies and Late Antiquity. The exchanges between the Jews and Zoroastrians of the Sasanian period and their impact on the character of the Babylonian Talmud have been the subject of a number of recent studies, notably by Shaul Shaked, Yaakov Elman, Geoffrey Herman and Shai Segunda, among others. The aim of this article is to contribute to these efforts by exploring the roots of some distinctly Sasanian marriage customs that transcended religious lines and were shared by the rabbinic Jews and Zoroastrians of Ērānšahr. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of metabolic disturbances, and its prevalence is increasing worldwide. MS exhibits variations among ethnic groups. Zoroastrianism is an ethnic minority which has maintained its isolation and endogamy up to now. So, we evaluated the frequency of MS in Zoroastrians of Yazd, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, participants aged =30 years were selected using a systematic random sampling. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waistto- hip ratio (WHR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured using standard methods. Also, blood levels of glucose, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), urea, creatinine and uric acid (UA) were measured. Both revised National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII) and Joint Interim Statement (JIS) criteria were used to diagnose the MS. Results: The mean±SD age of the participants (n=403) was 56.9±12.8 years. The frequency of MS was 69.7% and 74.9% based on JIS and ATPIII criteria, respectively; this was significantly different by age, marital status, job, educational level, and menopausal status (p<0.05). The most prevalent abnormal parameters of MS according to ATPIII and JIS criteria were high WC (95%) and low HDL (87.9%), respectively. Mean LDL, systolic BP, WHR, UA, urea, and creatinine were different between men and women. The difference between the age groups was statistically significant for BMI, systolic BP, diastolic BP, TG, WHR and urea (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed a high frequency of MS in Zoroastrians of Yazd, Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been much interest in the role of free radicals and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of this study was to assess the possible association between genetic polymorphisms of the glutathione S-transferase- Theta (GSTT1) and the risk of the development of DM in Zoroastrian females in Yazd, Iran. Materials and Methods: This was a case-control study in which GSTT1 polymorphism was genotyped in 51 randomly selected DM patients and 50 randomly selected healthy controls among Zoroastrian females whose ages ranged from 40 to 70. Results: The frequencies of GSTT1 null genotype and GSTT1 present were 72% and 28%, respectively, in control samples, while in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the frequencies of GSTT1 null genotype and GSTT1 present were 27.5% and 72.5%, respectively. There were higher levels of triglyceride (TG), fasting blood sugar (FBS), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), Urea, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in cases of GSTT1 null genotype compared to the GSTT1 present genotype in controls. Conclusions: Our results indicated that healthy subjects had a higher frequency of the GSTT1 null genotype than patients with T2DM. However, we observed no significant association between the GSTT1 null genotype and T2DM in the current study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With Such a Long Journey, Rohinton Mistry has focused on the hopes and aspiration, anxieties and frustrations, strengths and weaknesses, customs and beliefs of the people of Parsi community. Mistry has set his first novel Such a Long Journey, in Bombay, a city of great past. He reviews the decades of 1960's and 1970's and marks the slow erosion of idealism in the Nehruvian dream of a secular India. This novel is set against the backdrop of Indo-Pak war of 1971 and delves into the human predicament meted out to the central character, Gustad Nobel, ruining all his hopes by circumstances. He, as a typical Parsi, is quite charitable, benevolent and imbibes the good words and deeds of Zoroastrian values. As the novel progresses, it becomes quite clear that it is not only a saga of a Parsi family, but it also serves as a metaphor for the national and international scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Millennium as described in Revelation 20 is the penultimate terminus in the premillennial dispensational end-time scheme, not much attention has been given by scholars or commentators to its precise nature. Scant mention is made of the nature of human life during this period. Claiming fidelity to absolute literalism, yet lavish in artistic license, three authors have recently plotted fictional accot, nts of what they imagine will happen after Christ returns to earth to reign for 1000 years. These novels are 1000...a Novel of the Millennium by Salem Kirban, Kingdom Come by LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins and Thunder in Paradise: Satan's Last Storm by Jonathan Cash. This article seeks to draw out a correlation between these animated accounts and the text of Revelation 20, and in a step further, to examine their apparent resemblances to ancient Iranian texts in the post-exilic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People give you an idea about variety of behaviors when confronting diseases. Different factors such as age, sex, economic and social situations have effect on its. Recognition of these behaviors helps politicians to deliver better services. This study aimed to identify health seeking behaviors of Zoroastrian residing in Yazd province due to advanced number of them in comparison to the other provinces. Materials & Methods: This study is a cross sectional. The sample size was 196 cases which selected by using simple sampling method. The data was collected via the questionnaire, then data were analyzed by spss.11 software with two test of chi square and exact test of Fisher. Results: The findings showed that 64.3% of the population was female whereas remaining 35.7% were male. 15.58% of participants were single, 76.5% married and the rest of them (7.7%) were widow. Data indicated that 4.1% of individuals were illiterate, 17.3% were high school , 51.3% had diploma, 23.5% had Bachelors degree and 3.6% had Masters Degree or Ph.D. 43.4% of studied population were unemployed and the rest of them (46.7%) were employed. 94.4% of participants had health insurance whereas 5.6% did not had uninsured card. The results showed that the following direct variables had relation with the following mentioned indirect variables; sex with the action during the period of being sick, Place of born with reasons of neglecting sickness, marital status with action during the period of being sick, educational status with action during the period of being sick and referring to practitioner in different stages if sickness and using consultation of different groups, occupational status with the first place to get medical treatment, economical status with reasons of neglecting sickness and completion of treatment period and having health insurance with action during the period of being sick and using consultation of different groups. Conclusion: Considering the fact that educational, occupational and economic status have relation with health seeking behaviors in individuals, developed in education and occupation status could be lead a chance to choose a better health behavior in people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Iran is ethnically, linguistically and religiously diverse. However, little is known about the population genetics of Iranian religious communities. Aim: This study was performed in order to define the different paternal components of the Iranian gene pool. Subjects and methods: Fourteen Y chromosome bi-allelic markers were analysed in 130 male subjects from Assyrian, Armenian and Zoroastrian groups in comparison with 208 male subjects from three Iranian Muslim groups. Results: Among the three Iranian Muslim groups, the Uromian people possessed a particularly close genetic relationship to the Armenian, whereas the Zoroastrian group was different from the Uromian, but had a close genetic relationship to the two other Muslim groups (Kermanian and Shirazian). The genetic results indicate a relationship between Armenian and Assyrian groups in Iran and a clear distinction of the former from the Zoroastrian group. However, Assyrians had elevated frequency (40%) of R**(xR1a) and low frequency (11%) of J. Conclusion: The results of this study may suggest that the Assyrian population either experienced Eurasian gene flow (possibly from Armenia) or that enforced relocations and expulsion of conquered people with different origin led to the integration of descendants with R haplogroup. This could also be due to genetic drift due to small population size and endogamy resulting from religious barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Parsis, India's most Anglicized community. It is said that the Anglicization of the Parsis can be seen as negotiation of national and cultural identity and space. The perspective was based on Homi Bhabha's theories of hybridity, and on fiction by Parsi authors. It is mentioned that Anglicization was a perfomative identity that manifested itself in public and in private space. It is suggested that totalizing national identity from which one group or another strays, rather than to recognize the nature of what Bhabha terms nationess.

The paper reviews common uses of disability models and terminology, then sketches a few social responses in historical Zoroastrian, Jaina and Daoist philosophies. In a discussion of the 'merits of uselessness', Chuang-tzu's holistic social model is reconstructed. A Buddhist tale of 'hunchback Khujjutara' suggests that karma may be seen as an educational rather than retributive force. Contested histories of blind Japanese and Chinese people, and the dramatic enactment of contradictory behaviours towards them, support the view that Asian meanings of disablement should not be forced into modern European categories but may challenge and refresh them. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The discovery of the Northern Zhou (557–581AD) tomb of Shi Jun (494–579 CE) presents us with spectacular visual information about the Sogdians in medieval China, which was previously available to us only through written sources. The iconography-heavy sarcophagus in the tomb is an important vehicle for understanding the practices of religious (and everyday) life in the Sino-Sogdian community. The imagery on the Shi Jun sarcophagus reveals a mix of religious beliefs that existed among migrants in the premodern Eurasian world. Due to the absence of a dominant religion associated with Sino-Sogdian funerals, the iconography of the sarcophagus cannot be interpreted within an orthodox theological framework. Instead, it is possible that more syncretistic, indigenous, and regionally based folklore, tales, and hymns, in combination with a diversity of religious beliefs, might explain the sarcophagus's enigmatic imagery, since the social order and religious order are often mutually reinforcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is one in the series of articles related to glycaemic management in festivals across all religions in India. The article discusses issues in glycaemic management among Parsi culture, which represent a small but ever important group of Indian population [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]