Glossary
Ahura Mazda: the supreme god of the ancient Iranians, whose cult was propagated by the prophet Zoroaster.
alam: a standard carried in Shia Muslim processions, used especially in Mohurram ceremonies.
amin: Central Asian custom, similar to the Christian sign of the cross, in which people stroke their hands through the air as a blessing and confirmation of prayer.
ashoura: the tenth day of the Islamic month of Mohurram, when the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Imam Hossain, was killed along with his family and supporters on the plains of Kerbala.
Avesta: the Zoroastrian scriptures, compiled mostly between 800 and 200 BCE (although they include many texts composed in earlier times). Among them are the Gathas, seventeen hymns that are traditionally attributed to the prophet Zoroaster.
azan: the Muslim call to prayer.
barbari: a type of Iranian flatbread, typically crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, with deep ridges and speckled with sesame seeds.
basiji: the brown-shirts of the ayatollahs’ Iran, commonly seen on motorbikes tearing down the highways, known for their moral policing and their often violent tactics (not the kind of people to bump into if you’re at a demonstration). These paramilitary volunteers belong to the Mobilization Resistance Force, under the authority of the Supreme Leader and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and they have a group in every Iranian city.
caliph: often called the “pope” of Islam. Originally the official “successor” to the Prophet Mohammed, the caliph ruled the Islamic community by the sharia. In Ferdowsi’s day, the caliph was based in Baghdad.
camancheh: stringed Iranian musical instrument about the size of a viola, made of wood and played with a horsehair bow.
caravanserai: literally a “caravan palace,” a roadside inn where travelers took their rest. Usually the caravanserai had high walls built around a central courtyard, with a single large gateway and separate stalls for animals.
chador: literally a “tent.” A woman’s covering, wrapped around her body and covering her head, sometimes kept in place by gripping its ends between her teeth. chapan: padded coat worn especially in Central Asia.
Dari: the name for the dialects of Persian spoken both by the Zoroastrians of Yazd and the Tajik Afghans, although there are differences between their respective dialects. It comes from the old word for “courtly.”
dehkan: originally the head of a village and member of the lesser feudal nobility, who traditionally acted as the middleman between the king and the peasants. After the Arab conquest, dehkans continued to be responsible for local administration and largely retained their lands. By Ferdowsi’s day, however, their position and influence was in decline. Nowadays, the term is used in Central Asia to denote an individual or family farm.
div: the monsters that appear in the Book of Kings, with cloven hooves, sharp teeth, and furry hides. Still used to denote monsters in popular culture today (for example, in the Persian-language version of Shrek, the title character is described as a “div”), it is also the root of the Persian word for “mad.”
diwan: a book or collection of poetry (although the word can also refer to a register or a governmental office).
dotar: literally “two strings,” a plucked instrument like a mandolin.
dhoti: a rectangle of unstitched cloth, wrapped around the waist and legs, traditionally worn in India.
dugh: a popular drink in Iran and Central Asia, consisting of yogurt and water.
duhul: a very big traditional drum, covered in goat hide and beaten on both sides.
faravahar: the iconic image of Zoroastrianism—a winged man with a ring around his waist, holding another ring in his hand. There is debate as to its precise meaning, but it is generally taken to represent the human soul, turning away from evil and toward good.
gabillin: large hand-woven rug common in Central Asia.
hadith: an account of what the Prophet Mohammed said or did, or of his approval of something said or done in his presence; widely considered to be second in authority to the Quran.
Hajji: an honorary title for someone who has performed the hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca.
Haram: an Islamic sacred compound, coming from the same root as the word for “forbidden.”
hijab: literally “cover.” A general term referring to a Muslim woman’s veil or head covering. For many Muslims, the importance of female modesty is sanctioned in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Quran: “And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts, and display not their ornaments, except those which are outside; and let them pull their kerchiefs over their bosoms and not display their ornaments.”
herbad: a Zoroastrian priest who has undergone the first stage of initiation into the priesthood.
iwan: a large vaulted hall or space, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open.
joob: narrow streetside channels common throughout Iran, which carry water down from the mountains.
Ka’aba: the most famous sanctuary of Islam, located in the great mosque of Mecca, toward which Muslims throughout the world direct their prayers and around which pilgrims make ritual circuits on the hajj. The Ka’aba is a fifty-feet-high stone cube set on a marble base and covered in a curtain. According to the Quran, its foundations were laid by Ibrahim and Ismail.
karnai: a long brass horn with a flared nozzle, played at weddings and other ceremonial occasions in Central Asia.
korymbos: a globe traditionally worn on the crowns of Sassanian kings.
koshti: a plaited cord worn by Zoroastrians, similar to Jewish tzitzis.
mahout: an elephant driver.
marshrutnoe: a minivan used as public transport in Central Asia.
mobed: a Zoroastrian priest.
Mohurram: the first month in the Islamic calendar, in which Imam Hossain was killed at Kerbala.
mujahid: literally “one who fights jihad.” The plural is mujahideen.
mullah: a Muslim educated in Islamic theology and jurisprudence, able to lead prayers in mosques and perform ceremonies such as birth and funeral rites. The term is usually applied to low-level clerics in Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asia.
nas: tobacco used in Central Asia, usually cut with spices or lime and chewed inside the cheek.
neyanban: the Iranian bagpipes, an inflated goatskin with a mouthpiece at one end and a reed-pipe for finger placement at the other.
Nowruz: Persian New Year, usually falling on March 21, or the spring equinox.
pahlavan: the name given to the knights or warriors of the ancient Iranian legends, and more recently to the sportsmen at Iranian strength houses.
pishtaq: the screen that rises up in front of the dome in some Islamic buildings, especially prominent in Uzbekistan.
qanun: musical instrument like a zither, played with two plectra on a trapezoidal box.
Qanun: literally “Code”; the name of the medical encyclopedia written by Ibn Sina.
Quran: the holy book of Islam, which according to tradition is the direct word of God, passed down to Mohammed by the Angel Gabriel over the course of twenty-three years.
rawi: a reciter and transmitter of poetry and narrative traditions.
salavat: Islamic blessing, invoking the Prophet Mohammed.
samovar: a metal container for heating and boiling water, used especially for tea.
Savak: the Iranian secret police in the time of the Pahlavi shahs.
Shahnameh-khwan: a “reader of the Book of Kings,” men who recite verses from the Shahnameh, often by heart.
shalwar qameez: literally “trousers shirt.” The long shirt and baggy drawstring trousers worn by most Afghan men.
taarof: literally “offer.” The custom of humbling oneself as an act of politeness, which is characterized by the tradition of refusing something three times before finally accepting. Practiced widely throughout Persian-speaking society.
zurkhaneh: “strength house,” the traditional Iranian gymnasiums, in which men practice sports associated with ancient battles.