SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies and

Department of Religions and Philosophies, SOAS, University of London

in collaboration with the World Zoroastrian Organisation

Kutar Memorial Lecture Series

Khalili Lecture Theatre

Thursday, 7^th March 2024, 6pm

Dr Mehrbod Khanizadeh

SOAS University of London

Understanding the Avesta: Zoroastrian scholastic activities in the 9th-11th centuries and the creation of Avestan-Pahlavi bilingual manuscripts

The 9^th–11^th centuries mark one of the most important periods in the history of Zoroastrianism. During this time, Zoroastrians made a special effort to preserve their ancient heritage. Texts in Middle Persian (Pahlavi), usually based on Zoroastrian pre-Islamic traditions, were compiled and in response to their altered conditions, new texts in the same language were created. Furthermore, reforms of the calendar and in the performance of Avestan rituals were introduced. In the early 11^th century, the first historically traceable Avestan exegetical manuscript, now lost, was produced. This manuscript combined the Avestan text of the Yasna ceremony with its ritual directions and corresponding Pahlavi translation and commentary. In this illustrated lecture Mehrbod Khanizadeh explores these scholarly endeavours in their historical context. Based on his recent research, he draws a picture of priestly scholastic activities during this period and discusses the history of the creation of the first known exegetical Avestan-Pahlavi Yasna manuscript, and possible reasons for its creation.

All Welcome

The lecture is followed by a reception and refreshments

Dr Mehrbod Khanizadeh holds a PhD in Religious Studies from SOAS where he wrote his dissertation under the supervision of Professor Almut Hintze. Between 2018 and 2022, he was a postdoctoral researcher on the Multimedia Yasna (MUYA) project (https://muya.soas.ac.uk/). His research resulted in an article on the genesis of the Pahlavi Yasna manuscripts, published at the Bulletin of SOAS in 2021, and a new edition of the Avestan text of chapters 9-11 of the Yasna, which will be published by Brill in 2024. He is currently a research fellow at SOAS, working on his project on a new edition of Pahlavi Yasna 9-11, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).