Salmiya

In several postings I have tried to trace the rather good relationship between Iranians and Jews during almost the entire history of ancient Iran. After the Arab conquest of Persia (633-656 CE) Jews were allowed to practice their religion. During Mongolian rule (1256-1318) there were periods of persecution, however. Later, when the Safavids proclaimed Shi’a Islam as the state religion, and in particular during the Qajar dynasty from 1794 onwards, things worsened dramatically. It is sad to say that the European antisemitism found its counterpart in Shi’a-ruled Iran. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979 the majority of Jews left their home country for good. I do not entirely believe that the Persian Jews are directly threatened by the present regime with its hardliner President who consistently uses strong and unacceptable rhetoric with regard to the State of Israel. However, ‘Death to Israel’, 'Death to USA' shouting students on Quds Day (the last Friday in Ramadan) or on every...

I have reported on my five visits of Esfahan in Central Iran many times. The city is famous for being one of the most beautiful in the world. Its final grandeur arose in the early 17th century when the Safavid Shahs’ architecture culminated in magnificence which has not been seen before. It is not so well-known that Esfahan was colonized already during the Achaemenid reign by Jews. When Cyrus the Great freed them from Babylonian captivity in 539 BCE, some of the exiled went to the Northeast until they settled at the Zayandeh-Rud, where they founded Yahudiyah, now Jubareh, the Jewish Quarter. I have posted previously some astonishing discoveries I had made when strolling along the tree-lined alley in the old city of Esfahan last November. The more than 2000 years old Jewish cemetery in Pir Bakran and its still active synagogue are other amazing examples of the important contribution Jews played in Iranian history. After the fall of the Achaemenian Empire upon Alexander’s conquest, th...

I have recently reported on my visit of Pir Bakran near Esfahan and its very old Jewish cemetery and a small but still active synagogue . Recent distressing strong rhetoric of the Iranian president but also the response of a highly-ranked Israeli politician (not to mention new remarks of outgoing Bush and presidential hopeful Obama ) augur badly . Remember, Jews and Persians have lived most of the time in harmony, even under Islamic rule. Presently, the Jewish community in Iran (of course less than 40'000) is the largest in the Middle East outside of Israel. Representing a minority (like Zoroastrians), a Jew is also a member of the Iranian Majlis. So, the abject rhetoric is definitely (and fortunately) not directed to Jews as a people or religious group. As a matter of fact the canonization of the Tanakh was accomplished under Persian rule, in particular in the first half of the two centuries of the Achaemenian Empire (539-330 BCE). Most interested in the millennia-old history of...