RuhaIn Mandaeism, Rūha (ࡓࡅࡄࡀ; also known as Namrūs or Hiwat (Ewath; ࡏࡅࡀࡕ)) is the queen of the World of Darkness (alma ḏ-hšuka) or underworld. She rules the underworld together with her son Ur, the king of the World of Darkness, and her entourage of the seven planets and twelve constellations, who are also her offspring with Ur. Ruha is the daughter of Qin, the Mistress of Darkness in the first underworld. She is the ruler of the third maṭarta (watch-house or purgatory). She is associated with lust, uncleanness (i.
Christianity in IranChristianity in Iran dates back to the early years of the religion during the time of Jesus, predating Islam. The Christian faith has always comprised a minority in Iran under its previous state religions; initially Zoroastrianism in historical Persia, followed by Sunni Islam in the Middle Ages after the Arab conquest, and Shia Islam since the Safavid conversion of the 15th century; although it had a much larger representation in the past than it does today.
World of LightIn Mandaeism, the World of Light or Lightworld (ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡖࡍࡄࡅࡓࡀ) is the primeval, transcendental world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged. The Great Life (Hayyi Rabbi or Supreme God/Monad) is the ruler of the World of Light. Countless uthras dwell in škintas in the World of Light. (A škinta is a celestial dwelling where uthras, or benevolent celestial beings, live in the World of Light.) The World of Light is the source of the Great Yardna (Jordan River) of Life, also known as Piriawis.
Mandi (Mandaeism)A mandi, mashkhanna (ࡌࡀࡔࡊࡍࡀ maškna), or beth manda (beit manda, ࡁࡉࡕ ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀ bit manda, 'house of knowledge'; also bimanda) is a Mandaean building that serves as a community center and place of worship. A mandi is traditionally built on the banks of a yardna, or flowing river. Although mandis are traditionally "cult-huts" made of straw, bamboo, and mud that are built by the river, nowadays mandis can also be modern buildings that serve as community houses and local administrative centers.
QolastaThe Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta (ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; Qōlutā) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word qolastā means "collection". The prayerbook is a collection of Mandaic prayers regarding baptisms (masbuta) and other sacred rituals involved in the ascension of the soul (masiqta). The Qolasta, and two other key texts to Mandaic literature, the Mandaean Book of John and the Ginza Rabba, were compiled together.
HanifIn Islam, a ḥanīf (ḥanīf; plural: حنفاء, DIN), meaning "renunciate", is someone who maintains the pure monotheism of the patriarch Abraham. More specifically, in Islamic thought, renunciates were the people who, during the pre-Islamic period or Jahiliyyah, were seen to have renounced idolatry and retained some or all of the tenets of the religion of Abraham (إبراهيم, Ibrāhīm), which was submission to God in its purest form.
Jordan ValleyThe Jordan Valley (غور الأردن, Ghor al-Urdun, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, Emek HaYarden) forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to the lower course of the Jordan River, from the spot where it exits the Sea of Galilee in the north, to the end of its course where it flows into the Dead Sea in the south. In a wider sense, the term may also cover the Dead Sea basin and the Arabah valley, which is the rift valley segment beyond the Dead Sea and ending at Aqaba/Eilat, farther south.
Incantation bowlAn incantation bowl, also known as a demon bowl, devil-trap bowl, or magic bowl, is a form of early protective magic found in what is now Iraq and Iran. Produced in the Middle East during late antiquity from the sixth to eighth centuries, particularly in Upper Mesopotamia and Syria, the bowls were usually inscribed in a spiral, beginning from the rim and moving toward the center. Most are inscribed in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. The bowls were buried face down and were meant to capture demons.
KrunKrun (ˈkrun; ࡊࡓࡅࡍ) or Akrun (æˈkrun) is a Mandaean lord of the underworld. According to Mandaean cosmology, he dwells in the lowest depths of creation, supporting the entirety of the physical world. Krun is the greatest of the five Mandaean lords of the underworld, the others being Shdum, Hag, Gaf, and Zartai-Zartanai, according to the 5th book of the right half of the Great Treasure (Ginza Rabba) of the Mandaeans, their most sacred text. He is represented by the image of a lion on the skandola talisman, which is used to seal the graves of the newly dead.
ShushtarShushtar (شوشتر; also Romanized as Shūshtar and Shūstar and Shooshtar) is a city in the Central District of Shushtar County, Khuzestan province, Iran, and serves as both capital of the county and of the district. At the 2006 National Census, its population was 94,124 in 21,511 households. The following census in 2011 counted 106,815 people in 26,639 households. The latest census in 2016 showed a population of 101,878 people in 28,373 households. Shushtar is an ancient fortress city, approximately from Ahvaz, the centre of the province.
