Arash Zeini

Vor etwa zehn Tagen habe ich beim Stöbern in der VUB “Die Schiiten” von Professor Heinz Halm entdeckt. Das Buch ist im Jahre 2005 in der Reihe WISSEN bei C. H. Beck erschienen. Bereits beim ersten Durchblättern fiel mir die klare Gliederung des Buches auf. Und das Inhaltsverzeichnis lockte mit Kapitelüberschriften wie: “Die Basis der Macht der Mollas” oder “Monarchie und Klerus als Rivalen”. Obwohl die Zeit nicht günstig war, konnte ich der Versuchung nicht widerstehen und mußte es kaufen.

Das Buch hält, was das Inhaltsverzeichnis indirekt verspricht. Das Thema wird sehr klar und wissenschaftlich angegangen. Die wichtigsten Themenbereiche werden angesprochen, und der Autor vermittelt eine sehr klare Übersicht über die geschichtliche Entwicklung der Schia. Neben der religionsgeschichtlichen Darstellung werden die Beziehungen zwischen den ethnisch verschiedenen Schiiten der Region dargestellt. Dabei wird die Bedeutung des Schiitentums für die iranische Revolution von 1979 und umgekehrt sehr deutlich. “Theologische” Grundsätze der Schia werden klar und verständlich beschrieben. Der Stil ist ansprechend und macht die Lektüre des Buches zum reinen wissenschaftlichen Genuß.

Eine komplexe religiöse Strömung auf 128 Seiten so klar und deutlich darzustellen, ist eine wahre Kunst.

Wie vorhin steht dort die Sichel des drei Tage alten Mondes. Wenn man kurz vor dem Morgengrauen in der Stadt dort hinaufschaut, erscheint es einem seltsam, dass so ein großes Objekt völlig kostenlos da am Himmel steht.

H. Murakami, Afterdark

I predict that Hourmazd will become something of a gastronome. Since his introduction to solid foods, he has sampled two main types of baked good: a pleasingly-shaped cookie produced by Nestle, tasting vaguely milky and sugary, and, per the box, designed to introduce the young palate to ‘taste.’ On his own insistence, he has also partaken of the basic breakfast Brötchen, which he finds far superior, both in texture and taste. Unlike the Nestle biscuit, or ‘kek,’ it doesn’t immediately crumble. Instead, it softens slowly, as his three little teeth work the crust. Only when the piece in hand is sopping wet does he fling it away, with regal impatience. If he were a Persian monarch, perhaps he would be called Garampa Shah.

According to Press TV Takht-e Soleyman, in West Azerbaijan, will become a museum, which should result in many benefits for the site. Takht-e Soleyman is believed to be one of the holiest shrines of Zoroastrianism.

I am terribly fond of souffles. I like their poofiness, the anticipation involved when one orders them half an hour ahead, everything that sets them apart from pedestrian desserts like tarts or tiramisu. Eating souffle is an experience, as one first punctures the poof, decides whether or not to add cream. And maybe there is something of the tahdig to a souffle. In particular how one scrapes the sides, to get the crusty bits.

In the four weeks of German interlude, Hourmazd has demonstrated a special affection for trains. When whimpering on the platform — a sound he reserves for moments when the stroller is irritating him, but has not yet driven him into full-blown despair — the sight of the swift red locomotive instantly brings a smile to his face, and he begins pumping his arm up and down in a cheery wave. Once on board, he typically likes to crawl up the arm rails, pinch the sleeves of passerby, and wriggle about in hopes of being placed on the floor (unlikely). Hourmazd considers the train a far superior mode of transportation than the car, which he dislikes on par with having his diaper changed, and eating pureed chicken. Because of his irresistible looks and charming smiles, Hourmazd inevitably captures the attention of German commuters, who make googly eyes and various other silly expressions in hopes of eliciting a grin. Sometimes he beams. Other times, he sighs and looks away, as if to say, another day, another commute.

The new version of <amitis.org /> is online. I don’t use XOOPS anymore to run the site, but static HTML with very little scripting. The site is far from being complete and I will work on it as time goes by. The new site is less ambitious compared to the old version. I use it as a hosting place. As always it features the online version of Professor MacKenzie’s ‘A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary’ (CPD). Hopefully I will be able to continue the work on the Lexicon of Iranian Languages (LIL).