Today is the blessed day of Dey be-Mehr Izad and the month of Amordad, 15 Amordad in year 3759 of Zoroastrian calendar, Monday, 11 Amordad 1400, Amordad symbol of eternity and immortality, August 2, 2021 AD.
11th of Amordad is the birthday of Shirin Bayani, an Iranian historian, researcher, university professor, and writer. Her three-volume book “Religion and Government in Mongol Iran” won the Iran Book of the Year award.
When she was only 14 years old, she translated a book by one of France’s most famous Children’s Authors. Dr. Shirin Bayani can be called the first translator in Iran under 15 years old. At the age of 26, she officially became a faculty member of the University of Tehran. Hence, she may be considered the youngest faculty member of the University of Tehran. In addition to teaching at the University of Tehran, she has undertaken research trips to Asia, Europe, and the Americas and has written history books. Dr. Bayani’s primary specialty is Mongolian history and Mongolology, which has numerous and excellent translations and writings in this field, such as winning the Book Prize of 1370 for the three-volume volume “Religion and Government in the Mongol Era” or the translation of “The Life of Chingis-Khan” by Boris Yakovlevich Vladimirtsov, which is one of the valuable researches that has been done about Genghis Khan and after more than half a century of its writing, is still worthy and valid. In addition to the Mongol period, Dr. Bayani has books and essays on pre-Islamic Iranian history and even Iranian literature.
The book “L’Auberge de l’Ange gardien” by Comtesse de Ségur, was the first translation of Bayani as a teenager, and was published with Dr Khanlari’s introduction. In the introduction to this book, Dr. Khanlari wrote about Miss Shirin Bayani: “Perhaps this talented and young translator of today will be a brilliant writer of tomorrow.” Dr. Khanlari’s prediction came true, and Shirin Bayani became one of the authors, and she has never left her pen on the ground until now. Dr. Bayani’s last book entitled “Anoushirvan Dadgar” was made available to lovers of Iranian history in bookstores in November 2020.
Shirin Bayani was born on August 2, 1938, in Tehran, to a family with cultural/political background. Her parents, Malekeh Malekzadeh and Khan Baba Bayani, were both professors at the University of Tehran. Her father, Dr. Khan Baba Bayani, was a distinguished professor at the University of Tehran, the founder of the University of Tabriz, the founder of the Department of History of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Tehran University, independence and development of the teacher’s college (today’s Teacher’s training school); She is the author of numerous works in the field of history. Her mother was an archaeologist, coin specialist, lecturer in archeology and art at the University of Tehran, custodian of the Museum of Ancient Iran (now the National Museum of Iran), and author of several reputable books on coins, stamps, and various articles, as well as a painter.
Shirin Bayani is also the granddaughter of Mahdi Malekzadeh, the author of a 7-volume book on the history of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and the great granddaughter of Malek-al-motakalemin, one of the prominent figures of the Constitutional Revolution. Shirin Bayani started learning French at the age of six and had her education at Manuchehri Primary School, Jandarak French School (seventh to ninth), and Anoushiravan Dadgar High School, and standing first in class in the 12th grade, in literature.
After her secondary education, she stood first in the entrance exams in her field of study, and continued her studies in history at the University of Tehran. Three years later, as the first student, she earned a bachelor’s degree from that university. In the same year, she left for France to continue her studies, and in 1963, she received a doctorate in history from the Sorbonne University in Paris with an “excellent” degree. After returning to Iran and passing a challenging exam, at the age of 25, she joined the teaching staff of the history department of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran. At the age of 26, she officially joined the faculty of the University of Tehran. At the same age, she published her first published scientific work entitled “History of Jalayirid,” published by Tehran University, which was translation of her doctorate dissertation. At the beginning of her arrival at Tehran University, the Department of History gave her the responsibility of teaching pre-Islamic history at the doctorate level. Thus, Dr bayani had her first experience with a challenging and more or less non-specialist course with students from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Japan, the former Yugoslavia, and so on. Students, most of whom were older than their professors and each of whom was or later became a well-known scholar and political figure in their own country. Dr. Bayani was promoted to associate professor in 1967. In 1974, she became a full-time professor at the University of Tehran, and in 1994, she became a professor with the rank of “associate professor.”
Shirin Bayani was married to Mohammad Ali Eslami Nodooshan in 1966 and had two sons, Ramin and Mehran.
The fifteenth day of each month in the Zoroastrian calendar is called Dey be-Mehr. Three days in each Zoroastrian month is associated with the prefix “dey.” The eighth, fifteenth, and twenty-third days of the Zoroastrian month are known by the suffix of the day’s name to avoid mistakes; For example, the day after Dey be-Mehr is Mehr day.
Dey in Avestan is” Dathush,” which means God and Lord. Dey days of each month are days of public worship, going to the fire temple and sympathy, and rest days in Zoroastrianism.
