{"id":160585,"date":"2025-12-26T17:28:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/?p=160585"},"modified":"2025-12-26T17:28:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:58:55","slug":"dr-hassan-balkhari-shahnameh-the-link-between-language-and-iranian-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/?p=160585","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Hassan Balkhari: Shahnameh, the Link Between Language and Iranian Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The word \u201cart\u201d appears in Avestan, Pahlavi, and the Shahnameh, reflecting a distinctly Iranian identity. While the Shahnameh is considered a starting point for understanding art and a key link between language and Iranian culture, it does not mark the end of this exploration.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the session \u201cEpistemology of Art in the Shahnameh,\u201d Dr. Hassan Balkhari noted: \u201cTo understand art in the Shahnameh, we must first identify the cultural framework in which it is placed and then analyze it within that context.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Shahnameh reflects ancient Iranian culture and depicts art that originated and evolved there. Although it is primarily reflective rather than generative, Ferdowsi\u2019s influence is evident throughout.<\/p>\n

Dr. Balkhari highlighted the Bundahesh as a foundational text mirrored in the Shahnameh: \u201cIt covers creation, the Kiani and Pishdadian dynasties, the gods, and myths, then moves to the Sassanids without mentioning the Achaemenids. Linguists can trace words across the Bundahesh, Dinkard, the Avesta, and the Shahnameh, but it is crucial to understand why the Achaemenid section was omitted in these ancient texts.<\/p>\n

Before analyzing Pahlavi and Avestan texts and their links to the Shahnameh, Dr. Hassan Balkhari explored the origins and equivalents of the word art. He explained: \u201cWe must consider how words change and expand over time. Art, an Iranian term, has evolved in Avestan, Pahlavi, and the Shahnameh. Its equivalents vary across cultures: Tajiks use san\u2019at, Arabs fan, Avicenna san\u2019at, and Hafez refers to both fan and honar. Despite semantic shifts, the connection of art to our contemporary understanding remains clear.\u201d<\/p>\n

He emphasized that ancient Iranian culture is key to understanding art: \u201cThe Avesta, written on over ten thousand cowhides between roughly 1200\u20131900 BCE, preserves this heritage. Its language closely resembles Sanskrit. Much of the Old Avesta was lost when Alexander the Great destroyed the texts, leaving only the sacred Gathas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balkhari also noted the evolution of Iranian script: \u201cThe Avesta was rewritten in Pahlavi, but this script could not capture its full meaning. Later, the Din-dabireh (religious script) was created for the Avesta. Only the Gathas, among all Zoroastrian texts, are fully sacred, attributed directly to Zoroaster. They are pure, monotheistic, and free from deviation, forming the foundation for understanding Iranian conceptions of art.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Farneshin of the Faculty of Arts examined the word honar (art) and its usage in the Avesta: \u201cIn both the Avesta and its accompanying Zend commentaries, written in Ham-dabireh script, the term honar appears. In the Gathas, it is written as (ho + nar) and occurs in two of the 17 hats. This compound word carries profound meaning: ho denotes goodness, beauty, virtue, and strength, while nar refers to man, often implying courage. Thus, honar conveys far more than our modern understanding of art\u2014it signifies a virtuous, wise, and capable individual.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that in the Avesta, ho is a key, highly nuanced term: houkaret means well-formed and graceful, houkhrat denotes wisdom, and houkhastra represents a righteous king endowed with divine glory. In the Shahnameh, which draws on these ideas, wisdom and knowledge are closely linked to virtuous action.<\/p>\n

In Zoroastrian thought, asha signifies truth, justice, and order, akin to Sanskrit dharma. Art (honar) is embodied in figures like Anahita, Jamasp, and other wise, knowledgeable beings, combining creativity with purity and righteousness. The Avesta also uses tashan to describe an artist\u2019s innovative and constructive abilities; even tools like the axe are conceptually rooted in this term.<\/p>\n

Honar appears prominently in the Gathas (Yasna 43, 50). As Professor Pourdavoud translates: \u201cAnd I recognized you, O Mazda Ahura, when I first observed life in creation, how you reward deeds and words, giving evil to the evil and good to the good, through your honar at the end of creation\u2019s cycle.\u201d This highlights that in the Avesta, honar is inherently sacred and divine.<\/p>\n

He also discussed key Zoroastrian concepts like the Amesha Spentas, which form the foundation of Iranian cosmology: \u201cThe Amesha Spentas are sacred, immortal aspects of Ahura Mazda, each revealing part of divine glory. They include Vohu Manah (Good Mind), Asha Vahishta (Best Truth, Ordibehesht), Khshathra Vairya (Power and Valor, Shahrivar), Spenta Armaiti (Holy Humility and Patience, Spandarmad), Haurvatat (Wholeness, Khoradad), and Ameretat (Immortality, Amordad). Understanding and following these divine qualities allows humans to connect with Ahura Mazda and grasp the divine order of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Balkhari referenced a passage from the Gathas: \u201cO wisest one, with uplifted hands and hymns of praise full of devotion, I ask to be received as a faithful and humble friend, so that through truth (Ordibehesht) and good conduct (Vohu Manah) I may approach You.\u201d<\/p>\n

He highlighted linguistic distinctions within the Avesta, noting that in the Yashts, the term artist conveys praise, differing from the monotheistic context of the Gathas. For instance, in the Hormazd Yasht, Ahura Mazda declares: \u201cI am Ahura, I am wise, I am pure, I am fortunate, and I am the artist who has adorned and nurtured the world with goodness.\u201d Here, artist is presented as a divine quality of Ahura Mazda.<\/p>\n

Balkhari also addressed how religious texts simplify language to guide and inspire people. Though Pahlavi is simpler than Avestan, its understanding of art remains consistent with earlier traditions, portraying the artist as a revealer of beauty whose inner virtues are wisdom and intellect. Without discernment and insight, one cannot truly be an artist.<\/p>\n

He concluded by emphasizing Ferdowsi\u2019s contribution through the Shahnameh: \u201cFerdowsi preserved the thoughtful, divine, and monotheistic culture of Iran. Within this framework, enduring works and names connect art to purity and divine order, sustaining the legacy of Iranian thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The word \u201cart\u201d appears in Avestan, Pahlavi, and the Shahnameh, reflecting a distinctly Iranian identity. While the Shahnameh is considered a starting point for understanding art and a key link between language and Iranian culture, it does not mark the end of this exploration. In the session \u201cEpistemology of Art in the Shahnameh,\u201d Dr. Hassan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":160586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1412,59],"class_list":["post-160585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zoroastrians","tag-dr-hassan-balkhari","tag-shahnameh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160585","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=160585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/160586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=160585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=160585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=160585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}