مجله مطالعات ایرانی
پیاپی 44 (پاییز و زمستان 1402)

The tale of ebony horse is one of the illustrations of the One Thousand and One Night collection, enjoying considerable substantive and pictorial value. This work was illustrated during the Qajar era and is currently preserved in the Golestan palace complex. The present research aims to analyze dialogism and polyphony, the space-time continuum, the relationship between the self and otherness, and carnivalism in the text and illustrations of the ebony horse tale from the One Thousand and One Night manuscript. This analysis seeks to shed some light on how one can identify the foundations of the theory of dialogical principle in the content of the ebony horse tale and its illustrations. It also takes stock of similarities and differences of dialogism in the story narrative and images of this version.

The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the method of collecting library information is through note-taking and image reading. The analysis method is qualitative. The research community includes the textual and pictorial materials of the 12th and 13th centuries in the Qajar era, especially the illustrations of the One Thousand and One Nights by Sani al-Mulk and the textual content of the One Thousand and One Nights book. The author's perspective in selecting samples has a significant impact. The selection criterion is the compatibility of the work with the components of the losing theory, and 5 illustrations are examined. The exploration of Iranian painting commenced in the early 20th century and has witnessed substantial growth in the past few decades. Given the significant impact of the One Thousand and One Nights across diverse global literary and cultural domains, delving into the illustrations of this ancient literary masterpiece appears imperative.

The largest illustrated cultural book in Iran, One Thousand and One Nights, with over three thousand sessions, was created in the 13th century while preserving traditional cultural values. The Iranian painter connects humans with their environment and highlights the details of everyday life. Ultimately, the human figure emerges and takes center stage. Sani al-Mulk, in his creations, expresses a comprehensive image of a new culture, emphasizing individual values and human greatness while adopting a somewhat innovative approach. He relies on his inherent creativity and, through aesthetic efforts, presents scenes and familiar spaces that are recognizable and even introduces contemporary living characters instead of historical ones, adding allure to his work.One Thousand and One Nights, while retelling mythical tales and fantasies, portrays scenes of life such as streets and markets that reflect reality. The visual elements are drawn in accordance with the narrative of the story and a realistic perspective. Sani al-Mulk, understanding the principles of European naturalism, attempts to achieve a fresh synthesis of European and Iranian visual traditions. His intentional deviation from precise perspective rules, reflective of his inclination towards the traditions of Iranian art, allows him to break free from deep realism and preserve two-dimensional design and coloring.These characteristics are evident in the storytelling and visual representation of the story of the Ebony Horse. The Ebony Horse recounts the story of a king and his son, Hormoz, whose fate is transformed by receiving a miraculous gift. Iranian literature and arts have continuously integrated ancient patterns to describe a universal world passed down from their ancestors.Another important theme is Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of literature in the 20th century, which explores various human activities and the role of speech, understanding dialogical aspects, evaluation, and responsiveness. Art also evolves in line with his thought, showing a certainresemblance between them. Bakhtin sees discourse in the realm of social order, believing that society begins with the emergence of the second person. Language fundamentally possesses a qualitative socio-mental aspect, and its existence is of fundamental importance to humans. Human existence is found in connection with other living entities, and the fundamental reality of human existence is found in the bond between individuals.In this study, the story of the Ebony Horse is briefly mentioned, and then the narrative and visual representation of Sani al-Mulk are analyzed based on Bakhtin's theories. The narrative and forthcoming works are examined and analyzed in terms of concepts such as polyphony, chronotope, otherness, and carnivalesque, which are innovations in the present text.

The research results indicate that narrative expression, dialogical principle, polyphony, chronotope, and carnivalesque elements are identifiable in the content of the Ebony Horse story. Sani al-Mulk adeptly captured these elements in his illustrations. Indeed, there exists an evolutionary connection between the text and the visual portrayal of the linear rendition of the Ebony Horse story. This connection ensures that the identical principles of conversational logic, identifiable in the text, are prominently showcased in the illustrations.

In order to understand the lyric poetry in any language, one should be familiar with the different aspects of its most important concepts. Because despite the common meaning overlap in words such as love and beauty in the world’s lyric poetry, there are still special cultural and linguistic differences without which it’s impossible to properly understand a poetry. One of these concepts is madness and its various images and interpretations in Persian poetry. This article tries to use descriptive – analytical method to examine various aspects to show how a common word finds its way in to Language of lyrical poetry and gradually expands other concepts of the poetry tradition, it becomes permanent, and then due to its parallelism with intellectual currents in the context of history, culture and thought. It is possible not to present it as a discourse in lyrical poetry. The results of this study show how the concept of insanity travels the discours path and undergoes changes from the dictionary meaning with the passage of time and political situation, and it is promoted from the socially unpleasant meaning ti the concept of love and then in the context Mutazila and Ashari philosophical conflicts become a suitable term for anti – rationalism, and with the spreadof Sufi ideas, it becomes a valuale term. And it goes beyond the limit of a mere word and opens its place as a common discourse by expanding the semantic realm and become one of the basic discourses of Persian lyrical poetry

Common culture arises from the depth of human life steeped in unsaid contents and key notes about the life of tribes and nations during various eras. In fact, these proverbs are the manifestations of common cultures of tribes and nations holding different features, although presenting and teaching moral, didactic and educative contents related to the development of people’s lives is considered as their most basic feature. The present descriptive-analytic study has been carried out by library sources and fields relying on the aforesaid feature. Therefore, Lakish Proverbs have been singled out from original Iranian people to be analyzed in terms of having moral, didactic and educative contents. The findings reveal that Lakish proverbs include moral, didactic and educative contents demonstrating the importance of these proverbs among Laks. Furthermore, the results prove the maximum use and the educative role of these proverbs in the life of this Iranian tribe. Besides, these proverbs include extensive moral, didactic and educative contents like “livelihood”, “communication”, “planning and managing affairs”, “marriage”, “Divine beliefs”, “business and partnership”, “nurture issues”, “moral virtues”, and “immoralities”.

The heart of any state or government's stability is its legitimacy, which confirms the validity of governmental decrees and ensures the continuity of governance. The Sassanid era is one historical period where the very foundations of the state's authority and political ideology were called into question in Iran. Challenges to the religious values, which were the mainstay of the government's legitimacy, led to both social and political upheaval. This was particularly evident following the emergence of new religions and rituals, which posed a threat and underscored the urgent need for the restoration of legitimacy. In response to this crisis, the ideological apparatus of the Sassanid state employed various strategies. Among these, the 'Ardavirafnameh' stands out as a cultural mechanism that articulated the principles, values, and ideals embodying the political ideology meant to reaffirm the state's legitimacy and ensure the survival of Sassanid rule. The research posits, through the application of Skinner's intentionalism hermeneutic framework, that the 'Ardavirafnameh' was written under specific conditions, within a particular context and intellectual milieu, with a definitive purpose. The hypothesis suggests that the text was crafted as an ideological instrument aimed at addressing the legitimacy crisis faced by the Sassanid government. The primary objective of the author in composing this text appears to have been to influence the political culture of the time, thereby reconstructing the foundational legitimacy of the Sassanid state.

The research employs Quentin Skinner's internationalist interpretive methodology to delve into the underlying messages of the text. Skinner's approach underscores the importance of understanding the text's examination in conjunction with the author's intentions and the objective and intellectual circumstances under which it was produced. In the initial phase of applying Skinner's method, efforts are made to grasp the political issues and debates of the Ardaviraf era, as well as the responses and solutions that were proposed at the time. By reconstructing the socio-political climate and the intellectual milieu in which the 'Ardavirafnameh' was composed, we can illuminate the challenges that confronted the Zoroastrian Monads, under Ardaviraf leadership, allowing for a more accurate comprehension of how these issues influenced the author's thinking. Following this, the analysis aims to discern the unique language, meanings, concepts, and prevailing propositions employed in the 'Ardavirafnameh.' This step involves examining the traditions, norms, principles, and conventional rules that shaped the political arguments and discourse of the time. Suchan exploration is crucial for understanding the societal context of the period and the author's intent behind creating the text.

The Sassanid government, during its four-century rule (224 to 651 AD), sought to establish legitimacy through various means to maintain public support. Their legitimacy was built on tradition by associating themselves with Parthian and Achaemenid kings. Additionally, the charismatic personality of the kings and the support of the people formed the basis of their authority. However, the most significant foundation of Sassanid legitimacy was Zoroastrianism. The king derived power from God, and Zoroastrian decrees became the official law of the state, shaping Iranian culture, politics, and ideological legitimacy. The authority of Sassanid clerics, the Mobdans, unified society around religion, unprecedented in pre-Islamic Iran. However, the collision of Zoroastrianism with other religions led to the emergence of religious heresies. Mani's religion, a blend of beliefs, aimed to end conflicts and class divides, subtly guiding followers to oppose the government. Similarly, Mazdak Bamadan's reinterpretation of the Avesta protested Sassanid laws and structures, advocating for equality and sparking socialist changes that led to the collapse of the state system and upheaval in the country. Mani's religion marked the first instance of sedition and religious heresy arising from conflicting beliefs. His teachings combined popular beliefs and religions of the time, aiming to end wars and social injustices by uniting different religions. He offered followers a path of peace and mystical isolation in response to nobles and pious individuals. Mani's religious doctrines concealed a political agenda, subtly guiding people's beliefs towards opposition to the government. Mazdak Bamadan, a prominent cleric of the Qobad era, initiated a social uprising by reinterpreting the Avesta in protest against Sassanian structures and laws. His movement sought to rectify the deviations caused by religious leaders, representing a protest against the Sassanid social and political system. Emphasizing the equality of all individuals, his teachings garnered numerous followers and led to revolutionary socialist changes in Iran. Those advocating fundamental societal changes pushed to extremes, resulting in the collapse of the state system and pushing the country to the brink of ruin. In this way, the emergence of new religions led to people`s suspicion towards the country`s official religion and the threat of political power, which ultimately led to severe repression and the brutal killing of Mani and Mazdak and their followers. However, these religions did not disappear and even after the fall of the Sassanids, they also opposed the muslim religion in the form of social movements. The Sassanid era, which was the era of prosperity and influx of religious opinions and new thoughts, forsed the Zoroastrain rulers and priests as agents of the religious institution to take a stand and react against these new religions and religious opponents, and writing the Ardavirafnameh book as an ideological tool of confrontation. It is with these religions that he trais to define the framework of condition of political conflict and draw the legitimacy clamis of those in power according to the type of political regime and power structures based on cultural contexts.

Based on the explanation provided in this research, the Ardaviraf era's timeframe, transformations, and historical developments underscore the restoration of political legitimacy as the central concern of Zoroastrianism. The text Ardavirafnameh, portraying heaven and hell, serves as an exposition of Mobdans' thoughts led by Ardaviraf, aiming to influence the political culture of society. It is evident that the societal transformation is linked to changes in the ruling political culture, emphasizing the text's role in shaping this culture and sustaining the state's political legitimacy. Despite being a religious text, Ardavirafnameh reflects the ideology of the Sasanian government and Zoroastrian priests. The Mobdans, as the primary decision-makers and influencers in vital cultural aspects, established the idea that the perpetuation of the royal line depends on their resourcefulness and persistence, taking advantage of the kings' weaknesses for their own benefit. As the most influential class in Sassanid society, the Mobdans sought strategies for integrating and legitimizing political values, norms, and structures with a focus on the campaign. Consequently, this text, as a strategic choice by the political elite, underscores religious ideology's aspects, aiming to foster a sense of political unity, common values, norms, and shared political goals among society members. It serves to capture the minds of individuals and emphasizes the importance of religious and moral beliefs in accepting and obeying the king, religious values, and governmental requirements. Recognizing that political legitimacy hinges on societal beliefs and perceptions, religious leaders aim to leverage Ardavirafnameh as a political instrument to cultivate legitimacy among the people. Therefore, the document's purpose was to return to religious foundations, signifying a return to the basis of Sasanian state legitimacy.

Motif is one of the common terms in various sciences including literature, criticism, painting and other arts. This term is one of the notable cases in the discussion of terminology. In this article, qualitative and quantitative methods have been used to examine the theme and various motifs in the poetry of Farajullah Kamali, a poet from Dashtestani, in order to determine the style of thought and the impressionability by examining the motifs and the implicit meanings arising from them in his two poetry collections. His social issues, his type of worldview and his special attitude to the world and its issues should be identified and analyzed. Also, following the examination of frequent motifs in this article, the type of use of literary industries as well as the intertextual connections of the motifs of Kamali's poems with other poets have been investigated in order to determine Kamali's individual style. By examining the themes of Kamali's poems, it is clear that he, as a local poet, did not consider his audience limited to a specific region. In his poems, the traditional literary industry has taken a new form in the expression of a specific motif with the local language in a symbolic form. The fundamental recurring concepts and motifs in his poems are sometimes used to express emotional feelings, personal issues, as well as political and social concerns. Kamali's critical language in expressing motifs with the use of stylistic norms has created his special style.

Obviously, the Sasanian era is one of the most magnificent historical periods of Iran. However, the collapse of the Sasanian Empire and the migration of thousands of Sasanian musicians and artists along with the royal dynasty (Yazdgerd III) became a new chapter in the influence of Iranian art on China and then on Silla and Japan. The title of this article deals with a critical note on “based golden cup” of the Asian Civilization Museum of Singapore. This cup has been called the “golden shipwreck” object, attributed to the Tang period China, in scholarly published works. The object has been the subject of articles, catalogs, conferences, extensive media and even political programs abroad. The cup reflects eight musicians with eight different musical instruments in hands; each dancer-musician is separated from the next by a string of pearls. According to reports, the golden shipwreck cup was found from a sunken Chinese ship near Sumatra Island (Indonesia); the date of this event is attributed to the Tang period, the sixth century AD. Also, the destination of the ship has been announced to be Iran, but later the creator of this story changed it to Baghdad during the period (9th AD.) of the early Arab caliphs! In this paper, challenging this story, the author will evaluate this work as a fake object!

Adapting and recreating ancient Iranian fiction literature and harmonizing it with the visual and moving expression of animation in a mutual relationship provides the means for the prosperity and expansion of these two literary genres on a wide level. One of the most important cases of failure in animation is the existence of weak points in the structure (form and creator) of these works and the familiarity of the authors with the correct and creative ways of expanding story ideas and how to use the structural patterns of Iran during the process of adaptation and re-creation. The model of "expanding the story idea" is one of the most important theoretical types that provide important and tangible logical processes to the adapters by maintaining the systematic unity between the scripts and following various more objective and detailed characteristics based on information. Since the main goal of this research is how to develop intelligent ideas and adapt the content of ancient literary works to the screenplay model, in this article to show the important and influential role of the element of creativity in the development of the story idea, with a practical approach and using the analysis method. Comparatively, the outline of the "Arslan" screenplay was adapted to the free adaptation of the famous "Amir Arslan" story by the writer and to the different stages of the "story idea expansion" model. Based on the results of the research, by modeling the configuration and structure of successful and audience-friendly screenplays.

The poets of Azerbaijan school are famous for using meta-poetic information and common knowledge of their time. One of the arts that appears in the court of these poets is music. Falaki Sharvani, Mojiruddin Beilaqani, Nizami Ganjavi and Khaqani Sharvani are four poets of almost the same period, each of them created imagery and meaning with musical instruments, using their interest, knowledge and ability to compose poems. The purpose of this research is to find out the level of knowledge and understanding of each poet about musical instruments and to compare the aesthetics and meaning of the poems that each of them wrote by using this type of musical instruments. The musical knowledge of each poet, the extent of their knowledge of the musical instruments of their time, the ability and level of creativity of each poet in depicting the way of playing and different components of an instrument, knowing the time and place situations where the people of that time used all kinds of instruments; It is one of the findings of this research. The comparison of sample verses written by the four mentioned poets with various stringed-wound instruments leads to the results, the most important of which are: The instrumental art of every poet, understanding the variety and quality of images made with instruments, identifying narrow-minded, creative and innovative poets in creating fresh and pristine images and meanings with instruments. Of course, in the end, according to the attitude of each poet towards musical instruments, the hypothesis of being a musician or at least a musicologist can be put forward.

Examining the aesthetics and meaning creation with stringed musical instruments in some verses extracted from Divan of the poets in question, as well as comparing the art of each of them in creating pure and beautiful images and fresh and pristine concepts is the most important issue that we face in this research.Using library resources and two methods of structural studies and content analysis, this research deals with the description and analysis of subject images in the Divan of poets of Azerbaijan school and gives significant quantitative and qualitative results.

By carefully examining the divan of the poets of the Azerbaijan School, twelve types of stringed instruments have been used as a tool for illustration and theme development. In order to better organize and order the contents, the poetic evidences of the poets in question are given under the headings of instruments. Harp is one of the oldest stringed instruments that has been commonly played in Iran since before Islam. Among the four poets examined in this research, the "harp" instrument is the most used in Nizami’s poems, but the images presented by Khaqani are more novel and debatable. In the term of music, "Rood" is one of the ancient stringed instruments with strings, which are not commonly played today. Poets have considered various meanings and concepts by using this word. Among the examined poets, Nizami can be considered the only poet who knows and is familiar with this instrument, so that in Nizami's poems, this word has the highest frequency among all the instruments used in the divan of all four poets. In terms of music, “Rabab” is a family of stringed and plectrum instruments, or in other words, a field whose various types can be found in every corner of Iran from the past to the present day. None of the examined poets were strangers to the “Rabab” instrument, but in the meantime, Khaqani has created more and more beautiful images. Of course, Mojir's contribution is also after Khaqani and more than Nizami, and the imagery along with the themes of Mojir's advice with this instrument cannot be ignored. The variety of imagery and imagination of Khaqani with the “Barbat” is more than his other contemporaries. Setar is one of the stringed instruments that today has four strings. This instrument is mostly mentioned as "Seta" in literary texts, especially in the 6th century. Khaqani illustrated four verses of his divan with “Setar” and “Seta”, three verses of which are among the poems and one verse of which is included in his compositions. In terms of comparison, Mojir Beilaqani's poem is somewhat close to Khaqani's from an aesthetic point of view, but the verses of Nizami have more of a narrative aspect and are devoid of significant rhetorical beauty. Among all the poems of the researched poets, only one verse of Mojir Beilaqani can be used to imagine a type of musical instrument from the word "Zir". Kamancheh is one of the stringed instruments that is played with fiddlestick. Today, this instrument is one of the common instruments that many people use both as a soloist and as a band playing. Khaqani used this word twice in his poems and both times with the additional combination of "rebab's fiddle", which undoubtedly meant the same arshe or rebab's fiddle. “Mezhar” is an Arabic name and in most dictionaries and music dictionaries, as well as the opinions and thoughts of music researchers, it is considered to be a family of stringed instruments from the category of Harp or Barbat. Falaki and Nizami have not used this word. Mojiruddin Beilaqani and Khaqani have illustrated with this instrument twice in their poems. "Qanun" is the name of an absolute stringed instrument that is still played today, and in appearance, it is in the shape of a right-angled trapezoid, almost similar to the “Santoor”, but it is most likely older than that. Some have attributed its construction to Farabi. Among the four considered poets, Nizami is the only poet who, among the various meanings of "qanun", considered its musical aspect and illustrated with it. Other poets of the Azerbaijani school have not explicitly addressed the musical meaning of this word. "Tanbur" is one of the instruments that is widely used even today, especially in the western regions of the country and Kurdistan. The only poetic evidence of this instrument in the poetry of the Azerbaijani school is a verse written by Nizami in the poem "Khosro and Shirin" and in one of Khosrow's debates with Shirin:I have not been canny in love with you To come to your neighborhood with a "Tanbur” (Nizami, 1388, Volume 1: 290)

By examining and analyzing the sample poems of Azerbaijani school poets, we find out that Harp, Rabab, Rood, and Barbat instruments are among the stringed instruments that have the most frequency in the divan of the discussed poets.The repetition rate of each of these four instruments alone is even higher than the total frequency of the other eight stringed instruments, and this shows their use and importance in Azerbaijani style poetry. From this statistical comparison, we can find out some important points:1- The low frequency of stringed instruments in the divan of Falaki and Mojiruddin Beilaqani's poems shows that these two poets were not very interested in writing poetry in the field of music, in other words, they are one of those poets who are not concerned with music. Of course, Mojir Beilaqani's musical knowledge is far more than that of Falaki.2- On the other hand, if we cannot or do not want to call Mojir and Falaki, Nizami and Khaqani musicians, then we are forced to call them musicologist poets. They have a high level of musical understanding, both statistically and literary, as discussed in the text of the research.3- The high frequency of sample verses in the poetry of the poets in question with the instrument "Harp" shows that this instrument was very popular in that historical period and in the geographical region of Sharvan and Arran at that time. This point can be a reason for the spread and prevalence of playing the “Harp” in that erea.Khaqani Sharvani is the most image-creating poet of this group, whose range of literary arrays and frequency and type of use are more abundant and distinct than other poets. From the point of view of meaning creation, it can be said that in the few verses that he wrote with stringed instruments, Falaki sharvani has mostly praised his praise. He has used less knowledge and other sciences in composing his poems. Mojiruddin Beilaqani is also a praiseworthy poet, but unlike Falaki, he uses musical instruments. Variety in Concept processing makes his speech more pleasant. In this way, in addition to his astronomical knowledge, he has also entered into religious, philosophical and wisdom issues. The content of most of the verses he wrote with stringed instruments is advice and admonition. Perhaps it can be said that in terms of moral and philosophical conclusions, none of his contemporary poets have done as well as him.But about Nizami Ganjavi, it can be said that according to the Masnavi poetic form that he used, his poetry is different from the other three poets in terms of form and meaning. The audience, faced with the narrative and story of Nizami style, should prepare themselves to enter a long and continuous story, so reading a verse from him without considering the vertical connection of the verses is not a favor. Khaqani's poetry is more prominent in its comprehensiveness and breadth of meanings and themes than the other three poets. Deep thinking and subtlety is a characteristic of Khaqani's poetry, which sometimes leads to the creation of novel and new meanings and concepts. simulating musical instruments to living things is a feature that is rarely seen in the poetry of other poets of his time.

The story of Bijan and Manijeh is one of the charming stories of the Shahnameh, which has gained a lot of influence among the general public. One of the areas where this story has been prevalent for a long time is the Siakh Darengun area of Fars province. The purpose of the author is to compare this narrative with the narrative of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. The author has tried to first record this legend by field method and then to compare it with Ferdowsi's narration by library method and content analysis. The findings of the research show that Naqqali's narrative can be divided into two parts: the first part, which covers the beginning of the story until Rostam's departure to save the king's son, the story progresses slowly and logically. In this section, the outlines of the story are similar to the Shahnameh; However, fundamental differences can be seen. The second part of the story, which includes from Rostam's departure to Turan to the end of the story, the course of events becomes very fast, and of course, the story progresses completely differently compared to the Shahnameh. Part of the differences between the two narratives is the result of the narrators' efforts to be authentic and attractive to the audience; But the reason for most of these differences is not clear. However, this narrative has fundamental differences from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh in various aspects, such as characterization, the main lines of the narrative, and the atmosphere that governs the story.

Literary texts, in connection with the social conditions of their time, also show the complex relations of power. In Naser Khosrow's poems, the existing discourses in the society are represented in a way that mainly shows the poet's resistance against the construction of the power of the Sunni government of Ghaznavid religion. Nasser Khosrow's greatest intellectual challenges are the critique of power (hegemony, domination) and the political and religious discourses of the Ghaznavid era. Based on his religious and linguistic knowledge, the poet challenges the discourse hegemony of Ghaznavid rule. According to the poet, the structure of government in that period is a combination of political and religious authority and the way of exercising power is done by political interpretation of religion and knowledge of Shafi'i jurisprudence in order to legitimize the government. Nasser Khosrow, as a Shiite poet, tries to delegitimize the political rule of his time in the form of his poems. The issue of the present article is how Naser Khosrow reacts to the dominant Ghaznavid discourse in his poems and how his religious beliefs are crystallized in the construction of the discourse of legitimacy and reproduction? The method of the present study is Michel Foucault's discourse of power and modern historiography. The result of the research shows that Naser Khosrow's discourse in order to delegitimize the political and social system of his time, shows the conflict of power discourse between Sunni and Shiite political jurisprudence.

In Zoroastrian religion Yazatas and Amēša-spantas are the greatest agents of Ohrmazd. They are assigned to carry out responsibilities in all three stages of creation, protection, and finalization of the world. Here, as the only creature privileged with intelligence and free will, human must reinforce Ohrmazd’s front by making informed choices. Zoroastrian Middle Persian gnomic treatises are sagacious texts, based on Mazdaean tenets instructing proper way of life and directing to salvation. As such, they are expected to deal with the interaction of these two important icons. In this article, we thrive to figure out the relationship between Man and Yazatas in these treatises and its dimentions. By examining this corpus as listed in The History of Persian Literature before Islam, extracting the relative content, and analyzing it, a meaningful mutual relationship between Man and Yazatas was found out. Some obligations are proposed for Man towards Yazatas, in turn, Man receives protection and bounty from them. As such, Man is ordered to perform religious rites, adhere to friendship and sincerity towards Yazatas, surrender and be submissiveness to them, have trust in them and rely on them. In turn, Yazatas will give him bounties and protection in personal and cosmic levels. Thus, within a mutual relationship, Man and Yazatas contribute to the advancement of the cause of Ohrmazd and his aim of creation of the material world.

 Man has a dual existence, and just as he needs food to cultivate his physical powers, he must take measures to cultivate his spiritual powers. One of the most important actions that can help to strengthen and refresh the spiritual dimension of a person is recreation. Realizing this need from the distant past, people tried to develop their spiritual powers by engaging in various types of entertainment. This problem is especially observed among ruling families who had more facilities. The Seljuk sultans were also among these families who, understanding this need and following the entertainment tradition that remained for them from the previous period, used different ways to spend their free time. During this period, various recreational activities such as hunting, strolling, traveling the countryside in temperate climates, polo, playing backgammon and chess, shooting, horseback riding, and holding banquets were common. In addition to their primary and immediate function, i.e. leisure, these entertainments also had a political-military function. Most of the time, this type of entertainment function was created unintentionally, and in some cases, the political actors of this era deliberately and with prior knowledge carried out a type of entertainment with the aim of the political-military exploitation of the occasion. This issue caused the courtly classes to become aware of the conspiratorial and political nature of some types of entertainment and in many cases, when they suspected the intentions of their organizers, they refrained from engaging in such entertainments. However, these functions in some cases played a constructive role in the political-military developments of the Seljuk era. And in other cases, they had harmful effects on the political life of the period and became a place for political settlements and conspiracies of opponents against each other. The political-military functions of the pastimes of this period were in some cases related to sultans and in other cases to Seljuk officials and officials such as great emirs and ministers.

The current research was done in a historical way. In this method, by using the method of library research, first by referring to the sources related to the Seljuk period, all the necessary data for writing the research have been collected. In the next step, the aforementioned data were reviewed and analysed, and then the reliable information was written in a descriptive manner in line with the purpose of the research. Also, the authors have tried to contribute to the richness of the article by providing analysis based on witness accounts and remaining documents.                   

 The decentralized structure of the Seljuk government, which was influenced by the political and social traditions of this dynasty, consisted of a central government and various local and tribal dynasties. This feature has turned this period into one of the most turbulent periods in the history of Iran. The political actors of this era, including sultans, local rulers and nobles, court families and great nobles, used every opportunity to settle political accounts with their rivals and opponents. The entertainments of this period were among the important opportunities for the exploitation of different political groups. During the Seljuk era, there were entertainments such as banquets, celebrations, hunting, traveling, sexual entertainment, dance and music, wine parties, history and story-telling, shooting, riding, polo, humor, poetry and intellectual games. Although most of these recreational activities served political-military functions, it was particularly obvious in some activities such as hunting, polo, banquets, poetry and satire. In terms of its essence, this function can be examined in two ways, military and political. Some types of entertainment such as hunting and polo had a military nature, and some, such as banquets, had great potential to turn into events for deceiving, arresting and eliminating political opponents. Thus, the political-military functions of the entertainments of the Seljuk era can be investigated in terms of their influence on the political events of this era in the form of two groups of positive and constructive functions, as well as negative or non-constructive functions. The first positive political-military function was to increase the combat and operational power of the Corps, which was achieved through simulating the battle scene and strengthening the physical strength of the soldiers by doing recreational activities such as hunting and polo. These activities, in addition to increasing the fighting power and agility of the soldiers, were a simulation of the battle scene with the enemies. Also, sometimes the players acted under the guise of such entertainments as hunting, killing enemies or collecting secret military information. The second positive function of these entertainments was to increase the legitimacy of the sultans. The sultans of this dynasty used some types of entertainment of this age as a weapon in order to increase their legitimacy. In this regard, we can mention the skill of hunting strong animals such as lions as a means of propaganda. Maintaining and promoting the status of government officials was another political function of the entertainments of this era. The skill of some government officials in performing entertainment or providing conditions for the entertainment of the sultans further secured their position as agents of the government. The entertainments of this period also played a constructive role in the relations between the central government and the local rulers, and the great Seljuk sultans used the capacities of some entertainments such as poetry recitals to create convergence between themselves and the rulers. Or they used to de-escalate the tension between themselves and their subordinates in the course of friendly meetings while engaging in such entertainments as banquets. The giving of various gifts related to the entertainments of this era, such as special horses and hunting animals, was one of the other capacities of the entertainments of the Seljuk period to create convergence between the central government and its agents and other local rulers. In some cases, a type of entertainment led to the acquittal of the angry and even saved the life of the mentioned person, and thus the entertainments of this era played an important role in the political developments of the Seljuk era in a different way. In this context, we can point out the sugar-coated language of satirists with regard to the sensitive cases of reprimanded or persecuted officials, which would end up saving their lives. Also, the skill of some government officials in performing some types of entertainment such as polo caused their mistakes to be ignored by the sultans, and the poisonous propaganda of their opponents was neutralized. The removal and installation of sultans and some local rulers was the first negative and non-constructive political-military function of the entertainments of the Seljuk period. The extravagance of some sultans and local rulers gave their opponents an excuse to surprise them by using the capacity of some types of entertainment such as banquets and then remove them from their positions. The removal and killing of government officials were the second negative political-military function of the entertainments of this period. In this way, they killed their opponents on the pretext of overdoing it through a surprise attack. Also, by getting the satisfaction of the sultans in providing the means to engage in a hobby, they provided the basis for killing their rivals.                                                                                        

The nature of some types of entertainment in the Seljuk era, along with the tense and complex political atmosphere of the time, caused the traditional entertainments of this period to acquire a political-military nature in addition to their function of invigorating and making people happy. Entertainments of the Seljuk period had seven political-military functions, which are divided into two groups: positive functions and negative functions. The political functions of these entertainments, which had a constructive effect on the course of events in this era, include strengthening the physical and operational strength of the army, promoting the legitimacy of the sultans, maintaining and promoting the status of government officials, acquitting political dissidents, and improving the relations between the Seljuk court and the local rulers. Negative functions also included the removal and installation of sultans and local rulers and the removal and killing of government officials. Although the recreational and invigorating function of the pastimes of this period was fully conscious, most of the political-military functions of the types of pastimes of this era were involuntary and unconscious. This means that the activists of this era did not perform these entertainments with the motivation of fulfilling such functions, but during their occupation, such functions arose involuntarily. Of course, some of the political functions of the pastimes of this era prioritized their recreational function, and even in some cases, the political nature played a more important role than the recreational aspect in engaging in a particular type of recreation. The political-military functions of the entertainments of the Seljuk period included all political spectrums and groups, including sultans, great emirs, ministers, slaves, and other Seljuk appointees and vassals in the states

Lion Gabbeh which shows a wide range of aesthetic and cultural-artistic principles of Iranian carpets that among them, the Ghashghaei pieces of the Fars province can be considered as an important group. The Lion Gabbeh weavers are very deep and ancient legacy of traditional heritage who are closely related to the rich Iranian culture. The tradition of weaving Lion Gabbeh does not belong only to Iranians, but a wide range of East Asian weavers, especially Chinese weavers, have created valuable samples of such hand-knits. This important cultural similarity between the two domains of Iranian and Chinese civilization is the basis of the most important goal of this research, which is to compare the Chinese and Iranian Fars Lion Gabbeh, in order to recognize the stylistic differences of each of them, the relations of design and its role as well as the fields of formation of these relations are discussed. In this regard, the main question arises, that what are the bipartite relationships in the form structures, style and animal species of the Fars and Chinese Lion Gabbeh?the selection of these samples in a targeted manner is an indicator sample and the required information and data have been collected in the form of documents. One of the most important findings of this research is the rooted role of Lion in the art of Gabbeh weaving in two regions, but the history of symbolic function concept of Lion in Iranian culture has a longer history.

Even though Kashtaritu or Kashtariti was not an urban ruler, but he gained such power during the time of Esarhaddon (669-680 BC) that Assyria and other lands were afraid of this issue. This person's position in terms of military point of view had turned the heart of the Assyrian king, and therefore, the name of Kashtaritu is seen many times in the prophetic letters related to the god "Shamash", in which Esrahaddon repeatedly asks whether or not to participate in the war with him. There is a theory about Kashtaritu 's identity, in which he is considered the same as Phraortes described in Herodotus' history. In this article, while examining the details of the information related to Kashtaritu , this adaptation is rejected and then the scope of his territory, who he is in relation to the Medes and his place in the history of Media are discussed. The upcoming research, by examining the documentary data in the Assyrian written sources and comparing them with the information related to the mythological history of the Medes in the writings of authors such as Diodorus (cited by Ctesias), Eusebius, Khorni and Agapius, will determine the position of Kashtaritu from the perspective of this analysis. This article shows that Kashtaritu 's deeds did not affect the historical memory of the Medes, but their memory of his character had an impact on the identity of these people.

According to the theory of intertextuality, no text is closed and self-centered. All literary works are influenced by the texts before them. Manifestations of this influence can also be seen in Persian literature. Hafez has always paid attention to the works of his predecessors and used them. Nizami's sonnets have been one of Hafez's sources of inspiration. In this research, by using the theory of intertextuality and analytical-comparative method, Hafez's impact of Nizami's sonnets has been investigated in two areas of extratextual and intratextual communication. The result of the research shows the superficial and sometimes deep similarities between these two poets. Although Hafez created a new revolution in lyric poetry; But in places of his divan, one can clearly observe signs and manifestations of intellectual and linguistic similarities with Nizami's sonnets. In terms of extratext (structure), Hafez has been influenced by Nizami's sonnets in terms of rhythm, weight, rhyme, line, words, compositions and other musical elements. In the intratextual field (infrastructure) there is also a clear link between these two poets; Allusions, descriptions, images, analogies and similar interpretations can be seen between the sonnets of these two poets. The existence of these connections shows Hafez's influence and use of military sonnets. This use is not in the form of imitation, repetition or plagiarism, but with the aim of creating more delicate poems. These connections were due to the influence of the lyrical literary traditions that were prevalent among these poets,.

Mantra and Its Function in ZoroastrianismMantra is one of Zoroastrian most essential teachings. Avestan Mantra denotes “Avesta as a sacred book,” “holy discourse,” and certain Avestan prayers whose accurate recitation is crucial. It is claimed that this notion was granted to humanity by Ahura Mazda and the deities via Zoroaster’s teachings. Mantra is regarded as holy since it is linked with divinity and myths. This sacred relationship is represented via rituals. In such rituals, the deities must be summoned through certain sacred chants. The requirement for precision in reading the prayers and performing the rituals necessitates the presence of Zoroastrian clergy, whereas ordinary Zoroastrians must refrain from chanting them. Mantra has several uses in Zoroastrianism, including chanting the holy words in Yasna practices of worship, being used in rites of cleansing and embracing the faith, being used as a healing tool, repelling evil spirits, and being used in prayers. This descriptive-analytical study seeks to analyze the Avesta and other Pahlavi literature and to provide evidence from Zoroastrian experts to define the concept and functions of Mantra.Keywords: Mantra, holy discourse, Zoroaster, Avesta, Pahlavi texts, rituals in Zoroastrianism

With the collapse of the Sassanid Empire, many elements and fundamentals of Iranian thought were at risk of destruction in opposition to the intellectual system of Muslim Arabs. It only in several regions supported by geographical and human features found possibility to continue. The southern coasts of the Caspian Sea including Daylam with the help of their special geography was able to resist against the Arabs for a long time, provided background to keep its cultural bounds with its ancient past. The paper is going to use the descriptive – analytical method and to question the exciting information in order to analyze the circumstances of continuity and evolution of Iranshahri idea in Daylam and to explain the attempts of the ruling Daylamis for recovering the Iranian intellectual basics The continuation of the discourse based on Iranian and non-Arab identity in the mentioned land gave the possibility to the local rulers to confront the Abbasid caliphate system and dominate it, and ultimately succeeded in establishing the "shahi" institution with all its requirements in the era of Al-Boyeh.

Imageology is a branch of comparative literature that studies how one's culture is portrayed in the culture and literature of another. The images that belletrists of a nation present as a result of communicating with the people of another nation can represent the attitude of their people towards another nation. Jahiz, known as the father of Arab writers in the Abbasid era, presented numerous images of different nations in his writings, with a deep attitude and vast knowledge gained from the sciences of his time and before. Iranians, with a large population in Jahiz's era and living environment (Basra), are among the nations that Jahiz knew well, as well as their history and culture. Therefore, in his various and numerous writings, he describes some of Iranian characteristics according to the context. In his book, "Al-Taj fi Akhlaq al-Muluk", Jahiz brings in different political, cultural, and social aspects of ancient Iranians. In this research, we classified different images of ancient Iran in this book of Jahiz, based on imagology, and analyzed the reasons for Jahiz's attitude towards Iranians. The results show that Jahiz values the ancient Iranian civilization and the sultans of this land, and by presenting images of the ancient Iranian civilization to the Abbasid rulers, he tries to encourage them to imitate the behavior and performance of the Iranian kings in political, cultural, and social issues.

 Ardalani dialect belonging to the central group of Kurdish dialects, is mainly spoken in Sanandaj and its suburbs. The word “Ardalani” is derived from the name of Ardalan family who had ruled over the city. The dialect is also known as “Sanandaji (Sene’i)”. This article is devoted to the verb conjugation in Ardalani dialect. At the first, verb components such as stems, personal endings, verb inflectional affixes are discussed. Then the formation of in different tenses, modes, and voices, as well as the modals and auxiliaries are discussed. According to the results of this research, the most important characteristic of Ardalani dialect is preserving the passive stem of Old and Middle Iranian which distinguishes it from other Iranian languages. Another characteristic is that Ergative structure is used in conjugation of the past tense of transitive verbs.

One of the most important developments in Persian poetry after the constitutional revolution is the attention to the political and social issues of the country. Pro-constitutionalist poets, along with the changes in society, wrote poems for the constitution and paid attention to social events. One of the most frequent themes is the description of the uprising of the people of Azerbaijan led by Sattar Khan against Muhammad Ali Qajar, which has a special place in constitutional literature. Sattar Khan started the uprising and his companions also stood up and continued the uprising with the hardest struggle, resistance, enduring famine, torture, insults and insults. The most important performance of Sattar was that he resisted and fought for eleven months during the campaign of the Qajar government to Tabriz. After Sattar Khan, Mohammad Khayabani revolted against the Qajar government. The events of Tabriz and Sattar resistance were not far from the eyes of the poets. Prominent poets such as Mohammad Taqi Bahar, Aref Qazvini, Adib al-Mamalek Farahani, Vahid Dastgerdi, Mirzadeh Eshghi, Nasim Shamal, Farrokhi Yazdi are among the poets of this period who paid attention to the issues of Azerbaijan. . The results show: Describing the Despotism of Mohammad Ali Shah, Denunciation of Russia, praising the people's resistance against internal Despotism and the presence of characters in the country, praising Sattar Khan and sympathizing with the people are important components in relation to Azerbaijan in the poetry of the constitutional period.