Takeshi AOKI
Abstract
This is a 392-page, extensive Persian book published in Tehran in November 2021. The biography, achievements, and ideologies of Azar Kayvan (1533–1618), who lived in Safavid Iran and Mughal India in the 16th and 17th centuries are covered, as the title of the book implies. First, I want to commend ...
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This is a 392-page, extensive Persian book published in Tehran in November 2021. The biography, achievements, and ideologies of Azar Kayvan (1533–1618), who lived in Safavid Iran and Mughal India in the 16th and 17th centuries are covered, as the title of the book implies. First, I want to commend the author for having the courage to write a book about a mystical philosopher who falls into a rather minor category in the intellectual history of the contemporary Persian world. I hope that this achievement will elevate a minor to a position where people in Iran and India will realize his significance. The author is Farzaneh Goshtasb (1973–), who is currently an Associate Professor at the Institute of Humanities and Culture in Iran. She is a Zoroastrian lady with only 0.03% of Iran's population. The author’s possible research motivation is the fact that Azar Kayvan was regarded as a Zoroastrian priest-thinker in the history of modern Zoroastrianism in the research stage of the 20th century, which is why the issue is important. Nevertheless, the more the author researched, the more she is forced to come to conclude that Azar Kayvan was not a Zoroastrian.
