Spektrum Iran

Abstract Out of Iranian hospitality culture in the Safavid era emerged some royal courtesy and etiquette which formed a basis for Safavid diplomatic protocol. However, the details of the protocol and etiquette, perhaps due to the familiarity or the insignificance of them in the eyes of Iranian people, are less documented in Persian historical records and should be tracked down to non-Iranian sources, in particular 15th-18th century European travelogues, whose writers were unaccustomed with Iranian formalities and therefore recorded them in their writings. For that reason, in the present study, efforts have been made to gather and classify the said protocol and etiquette rest on data extracted from European travel literature; various aspects of the formalities, including the date of entry and departure of embassies, the date and the place of the royal levee, order of precedence and the manner of receiving foreign delegations, the way of paying respect to Shah, seating arrangements, the manner of giving and receiving royal gifts, and gaining royal decree to leave the country, are all part of the diplomatic protocol and etiquette in Safavid Iran which differ significantly from their previous historical periods. The etiquette and protocol in the Safavid court led to the emergence of some titles and positions such as Mihmāndār and Mihmāndār-bāshi, whose owners were obliged to serve their international guests and foreign diplomatic delegations and show them high regard and respects from the moment of their arrival until the time of their departure.

Abstract Zhale Amouzgar’s Von der Vergangenheit Irans is a concise yet profound contribution to Iranian studies, particularly focused on the pre-Islamic period. Drawing on Middle Persian sources and Zoroastrian religious concepts, Amouzgar examines how historical memory and cultural identity were shaped in ancient Iran.
She resists any ideological homogenization of the past, emphasizing instead its layered and often discontinuous character. Her interpretation of Sasanian religious policies and mythical kingship is grounded in a nuanced understanding of history as a dynamic process of cultural self-definition.
Amouzgar’s approach is primarily cultural-hermeneutic. Religious and political ideas are not analyzed in isolation but as symbolically interwoven. Ancient Iranian kingship is thus interpreted as a manifestation of cosmic order, legitimized by the unity of religion and rule.
The book offers not only an introduction to ancient Iranian thought but also a meaningful intervention in present-day debates on Iranian cultural identity. Through critical clarity and scholarly precision, Amouzgar reclaims the past as a living resource—beyond myth-making or ideological appropriation

Abstract This paper focuses on the history and content analysis of Šokūfe - the second journal of Iranian women - which was published in the late Qajar period (1330 to 1334 AH/ 1911-1915). Its editor-in-chief was Maryam ‘Amīd Semnānī (Mozayyan ol-Salṭaneh), who was one of the pioneers in the areas of girls' education, women and children's health, and women's cultural and social issues. Mozayyan ol-Salṭaneh was the founder of the "Muzayyanīye" school and the "Hemmat-e Khawātīn" association, both of which are reflect-ed in editorials and reports of Šokūfeh. The content analysis of Šokūfeh seeks to provide a quantitative and qualitative picture of the intentions, goals, and actions of the editor-in-chief and writers of the journal, as well as the wishes and activities of Iranian women in line with the social changes of late Qajar period.