Spektrum Iran

Abstrakt Khuzestan with its capital Ahwaz and Iran‘s largest and only navigable waterway, the Karun that discharges into the Persian Gulf, features a tremendous historic and cultural heritage, and is noted for its ethnic diversity. This applies not least to the monotheistic gnostic Mandaeans (mandāyi – also called Ṣābeʾin, sobbī or Nasoreans) who most likely immigrated from Palestine during the first centuries A.D. and whose traditional settlements are located on both sides of the Iraqi-Iranian border strip in the river systems of the Euphrates, the Tigris and Karun. Scientific research contributed a good deal to examine Mandaean script and language with strong Parthian influence and a multitude of Iranian loanwords. Regarding the religious and profane literature special attention had been drawn to Iranian shares in the numerous Mandaean orally handed down legends – among them a Mandaean version of the tragedy of „Rustam and his son Sohrab“ which is incorporated in the Shāhnāme, the „Book of Kings“ – the national epic of Greater Iran. This legend is supposedly based on a Parthian tradition and had not only been adopted but rather adapted by the Mandaens who gave the storyline a different shape and a happy end. This brings into focus the age-old religious beliefs and practices of the last Gnostics of ancient Mesopotamia.

Abstrakt This article examines the dynamics of migration and cultural exchange between the East (particularly Iran) and the West (focusing on Al-Andalus) from the 8th to 12th centuries. It challenges the simplistic notion of "migration enriches" by exploring the complex processes of acculturation, where not all transferred elements were accepted or preserved. The study highlights the role of merchants, scholars, and artisans as vehicles of cultural transmission, emphasizing Persian influences in religion, architecture, poetry, and medicine. Key themes include the Jewish-Persian diaspora, the adaptation of Sasanian artistic motifs in Andalusian architecture (e.g., the Alhambra’s lion fountain), and the linguistic legacy of Persian loanwords in Spanish. The article also critiques the politicized narratives of migration, noting how "portable homelands" (lieux de mémoire) helped migrant communities preserve identity. Examples range from the Karaites’ westward migration to the syncretic blend of Zoroastrian and Islamic symbols in Iberian art. The study concludes that cultural exchange was often incidental, shaped by trade, conquest, and scholarly networks rather than deliberate policy.