Khodadad Rezakhani | Leiden University (original) (raw)
Papers by Khodadad Rezakhani
Brill's Companion to War in the Ancient Iranian Dynasties, 2024
This is only a promotion version containing the first few pages of the article. If any colleagues... more This is only a promotion version containing the first few pages of the article. If any colleagues would like a copy of the full article, please write to me and I will send you one.
Navigating Language in the Early Islamic World: Multilingualism and Language Change in the First Centuries of Islam, 2024
New Persian is commonly presented as an anomaly, particularly vis-a-vis Arabic. Nationalistic rea... more New Persian is commonly presented as an anomaly, particularly vis-a-vis Arabic. Nationalistic readings of Iranian history present it as a sign of national unity and "resistance" against Islam and the Arabic language. However, it has been also called the Second Language of Islam. The present article provides a glimpse of the transition from Middle Persian to New Persian in light of the political and social changes in the early Islamic period and proposes one reason for why the language appears first in Central Asia, not in south or southwest Iran, as one might have expected it.
Shapur Shahbazi Memorial Volume, 2024
The first half of the tenth century CE witnessed a major political competition between the Abbasi... more The first half of the tenth century CE witnessed a major political competition between the Abbasis Caliphate in Baghdad and local and regional polities emerging throughout Iran. The most powerful of the latter were the Buyids of Tabaristan. Another Iranian polity to emerge in this period was the Samanid dynasty in Khorasan who gained its power throuh trade with the native people of Eurasia.The Muslims were curious about these people. Therefore, envoys were exchanged between these people and the Abbasid court some of whome left behind travelogues. In this paper, the author explores one of these travelogues, that of Ibn Fadhlan that, in addition to valuable information on the customs and traditions of the steppe people, provides a rich amount of data on the relations between the Abbasid court and the emerging polities in Iran and Central Asia. From Ibn Fadhlan's travelogue it appears that his journey was in response to a letter to the Chief of the Bulgars, an ambitious plan by the Abbasid Caliph, Al-Moqtader-o Bellah to establish contact with the Bulgar chief. The author of the travelogue gives a description of the voyague to the land of Bulgars and their meeting with the Chief that, evidently, failed to secure a favorable conclusion.The author of the travelogue then goes on to discuss the historical context of the voyague.
Scanning, 2015
In this work we used non-destructive SEM imaging and EDS analysis to characterize the material co... more In this work we used non-destructive SEM imaging and EDS analysis to characterize the material composition of an Arabic finger ring, which was found in a 9 th c. woman's grave at the Viking Age (A.D. 793-1066) trading center of Birka, Sweden. The ring is set with a violet stone inscribed with Arabic Kufic writing, here interpreted as reading "il-la-lah", i.e. "For/to Allah". The stone was previously thought to be an amethyst, but the current results show it to be coloured glass. The ring has been cast in a high-grade silver alloy (94.5/5.5 Ag/Cu) and retains the post-casting marks from the filing done to remove flash and mold lines. Thus, the ring has rarely been worn, and likely passed from the silversmith to the woman buried at Birka with few owners in between. The ring may therefore constitute material evidence for direct interactions between Viking Age Scandinavia and the Islamic world. Being the only ring with an Arabic inscription found at a Scandinavian archaeological site, it is a unique object among Swedish Viking Age material. The technical analysis presented here provides a better understanding of the properties and background of this intriguing piece of jewelry. SCANNING 9999:XX-XX, 2015.
Empires to Be Remembered, 2022
In M. Gehler and R. Rollinger (eds) Empires to Be Remembered, Wiesbaden: Sprenger
Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia, 2021
The history of the fall of the Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE) as a result of the Muslim conquests h... more The history of the fall of the Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE) as a result of the Muslim conquests has been told mainly through the evidence of later Muslim historians such as al-Tabari and al-Baladhuri. These histories, meant to be universal histories of Islam or internal accounts of the rise of Islam, often normalise events and obscure details of the events. These narratives can be dominated by a centralising effort, showing the march of the Islamic system toward a centralised caliphate dominating an empire stretching from Afghanistan to Portugal. Non-narrative sources, including coins, can provide a useful corrective to this normalised narrative, shedding light on details of the events and bringing to light many unknown characters. By relying on the latest research into coinage of the late Sasanian and early Islami Ērānšahr, this paper provides examples of the stories that coins can tell us. From sub-Sasanian rulers to those issuing coins on the peripheries of the Islamic empire, the coins show a fascinating picture of the levels of authority in the region and the growth of power in the lands of the eastern caliphate.
Jahan-e Bastan جهان باستان, 2020
مقاله فارسی در مورد انحطاط و احیای امپراتوری روم دراواخر دوره باستان و حکومت های ژرمانیک اروپای غربی
Festschrift in Honor of Michael Bates, 2020
Studi sulla Persia Sasanide e suoi rapporti con la civilta attigue, 2019
Ancient Iranian Numismatics: in Memory of David Sellwood, 2020
A Companion to the Global Early Middle Ages, 2020
Vicino Oriente XXIII, 2019
Thoughts on formation of East Iran as a cultural and political entity as a predecessor of medieva... more Thoughts on formation of East Iran as a cultural and political entity as a predecessor of medieval Islamic Khurasan.
Reflections of Armenian Identity in History and Historiography, 2018
Chapter in King of the Seven Climes (Irvine, 2017)
This is a position article providing a synopsis of my general ideas on the end of the Sasanian ru... more This is a position article providing a synopsis of my general ideas on the end of the Sasanian rule and the rise of Islam
Brill's Companion to War in the Ancient Iranian Dynasties, 2024
This is only a promotion version containing the first few pages of the article. If any colleagues... more This is only a promotion version containing the first few pages of the article. If any colleagues would like a copy of the full article, please write to me and I will send you one.
Navigating Language in the Early Islamic World: Multilingualism and Language Change in the First Centuries of Islam, 2024
New Persian is commonly presented as an anomaly, particularly vis-a-vis Arabic. Nationalistic rea... more New Persian is commonly presented as an anomaly, particularly vis-a-vis Arabic. Nationalistic readings of Iranian history present it as a sign of national unity and "resistance" against Islam and the Arabic language. However, it has been also called the Second Language of Islam. The present article provides a glimpse of the transition from Middle Persian to New Persian in light of the political and social changes in the early Islamic period and proposes one reason for why the language appears first in Central Asia, not in south or southwest Iran, as one might have expected it.
Shapur Shahbazi Memorial Volume, 2024
The first half of the tenth century CE witnessed a major political competition between the Abbasi... more The first half of the tenth century CE witnessed a major political competition between the Abbasis Caliphate in Baghdad and local and regional polities emerging throughout Iran. The most powerful of the latter were the Buyids of Tabaristan. Another Iranian polity to emerge in this period was the Samanid dynasty in Khorasan who gained its power throuh trade with the native people of Eurasia.The Muslims were curious about these people. Therefore, envoys were exchanged between these people and the Abbasid court some of whome left behind travelogues. In this paper, the author explores one of these travelogues, that of Ibn Fadhlan that, in addition to valuable information on the customs and traditions of the steppe people, provides a rich amount of data on the relations between the Abbasid court and the emerging polities in Iran and Central Asia. From Ibn Fadhlan's travelogue it appears that his journey was in response to a letter to the Chief of the Bulgars, an ambitious plan by the Abbasid Caliph, Al-Moqtader-o Bellah to establish contact with the Bulgar chief. The author of the travelogue gives a description of the voyague to the land of Bulgars and their meeting with the Chief that, evidently, failed to secure a favorable conclusion.The author of the travelogue then goes on to discuss the historical context of the voyague.
Scanning, 2015
In this work we used non-destructive SEM imaging and EDS analysis to characterize the material co... more In this work we used non-destructive SEM imaging and EDS analysis to characterize the material composition of an Arabic finger ring, which was found in a 9 th c. woman's grave at the Viking Age (A.D. 793-1066) trading center of Birka, Sweden. The ring is set with a violet stone inscribed with Arabic Kufic writing, here interpreted as reading "il-la-lah", i.e. "For/to Allah". The stone was previously thought to be an amethyst, but the current results show it to be coloured glass. The ring has been cast in a high-grade silver alloy (94.5/5.5 Ag/Cu) and retains the post-casting marks from the filing done to remove flash and mold lines. Thus, the ring has rarely been worn, and likely passed from the silversmith to the woman buried at Birka with few owners in between. The ring may therefore constitute material evidence for direct interactions between Viking Age Scandinavia and the Islamic world. Being the only ring with an Arabic inscription found at a Scandinavian archaeological site, it is a unique object among Swedish Viking Age material. The technical analysis presented here provides a better understanding of the properties and background of this intriguing piece of jewelry. SCANNING 9999:XX-XX, 2015.
Empires to Be Remembered, 2022
In M. Gehler and R. Rollinger (eds) Empires to Be Remembered, Wiesbaden: Sprenger
Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia, 2021
The history of the fall of the Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE) as a result of the Muslim conquests h... more The history of the fall of the Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE) as a result of the Muslim conquests has been told mainly through the evidence of later Muslim historians such as al-Tabari and al-Baladhuri. These histories, meant to be universal histories of Islam or internal accounts of the rise of Islam, often normalise events and obscure details of the events. These narratives can be dominated by a centralising effort, showing the march of the Islamic system toward a centralised caliphate dominating an empire stretching from Afghanistan to Portugal. Non-narrative sources, including coins, can provide a useful corrective to this normalised narrative, shedding light on details of the events and bringing to light many unknown characters. By relying on the latest research into coinage of the late Sasanian and early Islami Ērānšahr, this paper provides examples of the stories that coins can tell us. From sub-Sasanian rulers to those issuing coins on the peripheries of the Islamic empire, the coins show a fascinating picture of the levels of authority in the region and the growth of power in the lands of the eastern caliphate.
Jahan-e Bastan جهان باستان, 2020
مقاله فارسی در مورد انحطاط و احیای امپراتوری روم دراواخر دوره باستان و حکومت های ژرمانیک اروپای غربی
Festschrift in Honor of Michael Bates, 2020
Studi sulla Persia Sasanide e suoi rapporti con la civilta attigue, 2019
Ancient Iranian Numismatics: in Memory of David Sellwood, 2020
A Companion to the Global Early Middle Ages, 2020
Vicino Oriente XXIII, 2019
Thoughts on formation of East Iran as a cultural and political entity as a predecessor of medieva... more Thoughts on formation of East Iran as a cultural and political entity as a predecessor of medieval Islamic Khurasan.
Reflections of Armenian Identity in History and Historiography, 2018
Chapter in King of the Seven Climes (Irvine, 2017)
This is a position article providing a synopsis of my general ideas on the end of the Sasanian ru... more This is a position article providing a synopsis of my general ideas on the end of the Sasanian rule and the rise of Islam
An interview on VOA Persian on Mithraism, Christmas, and Iran, and dismissing some myths about th... more An interview on VOA Persian on Mithraism, Christmas, and Iran, and dismissing some myths about their connections.
A BBC Persian special on the historical roots of anti-Arabism in Iran
A series of webinars on the Iranian Historical Memory, presented as part of an Iran Media project
Rowshan, 12, May 2015
The first instalment of my regular bi-weekly column in the Iranian culture and society magazine, ... more The first instalment of my regular bi-weekly column in the Iranian culture and society magazine, Rowshan.
An "in progress" podcast hosted by Khodadad Rezakhani, detailing the history of Iran from the Old... more An "in progress" podcast hosted by Khodadad Rezakhani, detailing the history of Iran from the Old Elamite period to the early 20th century.
A website dedicated to matters of Iranian Studies, particularly the history of the Iran and the n... more A website dedicated to matters of Iranian Studies, particularly the history of the Iran and the neighbouring regions.
An article on BBC Persian website about the code-switching and dialectology of Modern Persian
Interview on Radio Farda on the history of the Iranian New Year, Noruz and dispelling some of the... more Interview on Radio Farda on the history of the Iranian New Year, Noruz and dispelling some of the more prominent myths.
![Research paper thumbnail of The Anonymous Syriac Chronicle Known as the Chronicle of Khuzistan, [In Persian] (2016)](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/56438944/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Persian translation, with historical commentary and introduction.
A narrative history of Central Asia after the Greek dynasties and before Islam Central Asia is c... more A narrative history of Central Asia after the Greek dynasties and before Islam
Central Asia is commonly imagined as the marginal land on the periphery of Chinese and Middle Eastern civilisations. At best, it is understood as a series of disconnected areas that served as stop-overs along the Silk Road.
However, in the mediaeval period, this region rose to prominence and importance as one of the centres of Persian-Islamic culture, from the Seljuks to the Mongols and Timur.
Khodadad Rezakhani tells the back story of this rise to prominence, the story of the famed Kushans and mysterious ‘Asian Huns’, and their role in shaping both the Sasanian Empire and the rest of the Middle East.
Contextualises Persian history in relation to the history of Central Asia
Extends the concept of late antiquity further east than is usually done
Surveys the history of Iran and Central Asia between 200 and 800 bc and contextualises the rise of Islam in both regions
Persian translation, with historical commentary and introduction.
A short survey of the presence of Iranian speaking political and cultural entities in Central Asian
Special festschrift volume focusing on Mochael Morony's contributions to Sasanian History
A Companion to the Global Early Middle Ages, 2020
This companion introduces the connections between early medieval societies that have previously b... more This companion introduces the connections between early medieval societies that have previously been studied in isolation. By bringing together nineteen experts on different regions across the globe, from Oceania to Europe and beyond, it transcends conventional disciplinary boundaries and synthesizes parallel historiographical narratives.
The period 600-900 CE witnessed important historical developments, such as the establishment of a Southeast Asian thalassocracy by the Shailendra dynasty and the expansion of the Frankish polity under Charlemagne on the far ends of Eurasia and the consolidation of the Abbasid and Tang empires in between. A Companion to the Global Early Middle Ages integrates these contemporaneous processes and presents new insights into a neglected phase of world history
A note, part of a continuing series, on the geography of the Pahlavi Documents from Qom and Tabar... more A note, part of a continuing series, on the geography of the Pahlavi Documents from Qom and Tabarestan