Hossein Ziai » Books

Addenda on The Commentary on The Philosophy of Illumination

olibroman — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:36 +0000

In this volume, Part One of one of the most significant and truly philosophical texts of the post classical period in Persian and Arabic philosophy, is published for the first time in a critical edition. The text, “Addenda on The Commentary on The Philosophy of Illumination: Part One on The Rules of Thought (al-Ta‘liqat ‘ala Sharh Hikmat al-Ishraq: al-Qism al-Awwal fi Zawabit al-Fikr)”, is an exemplum work in the revivalist scholastic tradition in Iran known as the “School of Isfahan.”

This text represents the apogee of philosophical analysis of post classical Persian and Arabic philosophy, and in many ways it is the most innovative composition by the renowned Persian philosopher Muhammad b. Ibrahim Shirazi best known as “Molla Sadra.” This work continues the illuminationist tradition that was founded by Sohravardi, and is distinct from the text-book genre where philosophy is limited by predetermined doctrine and is reduced to “handmaiden of theology.” The text demonstrates that rationalist philosophy did not end in the East after the classical period, and many creative Persian thinkers continued the philosophical endeavor at a high level of creativity.

Three Memories of Homayun

olibroman — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 08:00:41 +0000

In the sixteenth century “Tajik” Persian was the lingua franca of all Central Asia, as it is still the common language of Afghanestan, Tajikestan, and cities in Uzbekestan like Bukhara and Samarkand. The texts published here together with Thackston’s trnasltions form one of the most significant sources in Mughal history. The texts also are invaluable sources for the study of Persian used in India.

Poet and Hero in the Persian Book of Kings

olibroman — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:00:00 +0000

This new edition of Davidson’s work will allow the increasing number of students in Iranian studies to gain access to a meaningful and creative study of Ferdowsi’s Book of Kings, the jewel of Persian poetic expression of the dynamic mythos and epic constructs of the Iranian people.

Knowledge and Illumination (Persian Translation)

olibroman — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 07:00:52 +0000

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The Aura of Kings

olibroman — Wed, 01 Jan 2003 07:00:31 +0000

Abolala Soudavar’s work is innovative, and it proposes a novel interpretation of ancient iconography of Iranian kingship. The author has spent a lifetime studying Iranian archaeological and historical iconography from the ancient to the medieval periods. By examining imagery relative to textual traditions, Soudavar has been able to uncover hidden dimensions and significances in an important body of Iranian literary and artistic works.

Al-Tanqihat fi Sharh al-Talwihat

olibroman — Fri, 01 Nov 2002 07:00:11 +0000

A Thirteenth Centuryt Text on Natural Philosophy and Psychology. Critical Edition, with Introduction and Analysis by Hossein Ziai & Ahmed Alwishah. One of the most refined medieval Arabic texts on physics published for the first time.

The Mirror of Meanings

olibroman — Tue, 01 Oct 2002 07:00:04 +0000

A parallel English-Persian text translated by A.A. Seyed-Gohrab, and critical Persian text by N. Pourjavady. The author of this highly significant medieval Persian literary text, Jam®l¬ of Delhi (A.D. 1483-1542) is one of the outstanding Indian poets, who followed the rich tradition of Persian mystical poetry. He was the poet-laureate of Sultan Sikandar Ludi (r. 1489-1517) and wrote several works in Persian in India. The book sheds light on the intricate technical terminology of mystical expression in Persian poetry.

Shahrestaniha-i-Eranshahr

olibroman — Tue, 01 Jan 2002 07:00:49 +0000

A Middle Persian Text on Geography, Epic, and History, with English and New Persian Translations and Commentary. By, Touraj Daryaee. The Pahlavi text here edited and translated is one of the few ‘secular’ Middle Persian texts we have. In this excellent work, Tourja Daryaee presents a small, but histyorically and ideologically significant Middle Persian text. This work will be of interest for specialists and for all those interested in the view o f the Iranian world in the centuries prior to the coming of Islam.

Nasir-i Khusraw's Book of Travels

olibroman — Sat, 01 Sep 2001 07:00:41 +0000

Nasir-I Khusraw, well known for his philosophical works and ranked as one of the great poets of Persian, made a seven-year-long journey that began in his native Marv in the spring of 1046 A.D. and ended at Balkh in the fall of 1052 A.D. The book gives us a vivid picture of the 11^th-century Islamic world from Transoxiana to Egypt, and the author provides minute descriptions of the two major shrines of Islam, the Dome of the Rock complex in Jerusalem and the Haram at Mecca. In addition, Nasir-I Khusraw records interesting architectural features he found in the towns and cities he visited, relates encounters with out-of-the-way people, sets down folklore from various regions, and gives a detailed description of some of the more colorful public ceremonies in Egypt.

Education, Religion and the Discourse of Cultural Reform in Qajar Iran

olibroman — Wed, 01 Nov 2000 08:00:53 +0000

This is the most comprehensive and analytical account of educational reform in 19th century Iran. This book locates educational reform within the broader context of the process of modernization in a non-Western society. It is based on a wide variety of sources and is the only history of the New schools and Anjoman-e Ma’aref. Topics include: the Nezam-e Jadid, the Dar al Fonun, the New schools, foreign, missionary and minority schools, students abroad, the Anjoman-e Ma’aref. It emphasizes the evolving attitudes of proponents and opponents of educational reform towards its benefits and dangers. The book describes modernizati at posed by educational reform to the ulama. It charts the dialectic between competing visions of Iranian polity, society and culture.