{"id":157262,"date":"2025-02-07T15:22:30","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T11:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/?p=157262"},"modified":"2025-02-07T15:22:30","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T11:52:30","slug":"professor-jalal-matini-a-visionary-in-the-study-of-irans-epic-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/?p=157262","title":{"rendered":"Professor Jalal Matini: A Visionary in the Study of Iran\u2019s Epic Heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"

The distinguished Professor Allameh Jalal Matini, a luminary in Persian literature, an unrivaled scholar, and a humble intellectual, departed this world on Dey 30, 1403 (January 19, 2025) to return to the Creator. A true gem of Persian literary elegance and a steadfast figure in the study of epics, Professor Matini was a rare blend of visionary leadership, intellectual depth, and scholarly excellence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to his unparalleled administrative achievements, Professor Matini was a masterful educator and a prolific researcher. A product of the \u201cNational School\u201d in the 1950s, he embodied the virtues of a dedicated scholar, an incorruptible administrator, and a passionate patriot. His deep love for Iran resonated in every aspect of his work. As the President of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (1975\u20131978), he elevated the institution to international standing while shaping a generation of exceptional talents.<\/p>\n

As one of his humble students, I would like to highlight a unique aspect of his scholarly contributions\u2014his distinct approach to analyzing epic texts. Among his lasting works is the critical study and publication of Kushnameh, a manuscript by Iranshan Ibn Abolkheir preserved in the British Library. This endeavor remains a landmark in Persian literary studies. Beyond his precise editing, detailed references, and insightful suggestions, it is the preface to this work that stands out. Only Professor Matini\u2019s masterful pen could unveil the profound truths hidden within this lesser-known text.<\/p>\n

While much of the prior research on epic texts like Samnameh, Faramarznameh, and Kushnameh has focused on their connection to Ferdowsi\u2019s Shahnameh, Professor Matini\u2019s preface offers a fresh and unique perspective. He stands out as the first Iranian scholar to insightfully explore the thematic ties between Kushnameh and the Arab invasion of Iran, as well as the forced migration of the Sasanian royal family (Yazdegerd III) to China.<\/p>\n

Professor Matini goes beyond the familiar narrative of Sasanian princes seeking refuge in China. For the first time, he delves into the mention of Silla (an ancient Korean kingdom) in the text\u2019s preface, meticulously identifying seventy-five variations of its name with exceptional precision. His unwavering dedication to tracing the names \u201cSilla\u201d and \u201cBasilla\u201d within the story and historical events is evident in his thorough research, including correspondence with Rajabzadeh in Japan.<\/p>\n

In his relentless search for evidence of those who preserved identity and nationhood following the fall of the Sasanian Empire, Professor Matini extended his studies to the Far East, even traveling to Japan\u2014the Land of the Rising Sun\u2014in pursuit of traces of \u201cFereydoun.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The distinguished Professor Allameh Jalal Matini, a luminary in Persian literature, an unrivaled scholar, and a humble intellectual, departed this world on Dey 30, 1403 (January 19, 2025) to return to the Creator. A true gem of Persian literary elegance and a steadfast figure in the study of epics, Professor Matini was a rare blend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":157263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[914],"class_list":["post-157262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zoroastrians","tag-jalal-matini"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=157262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/157263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=157262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=157262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=157262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}