In Search of Zarathustra: Across Iran and Central Asia to Find the World's First Prophet
by Paul Kriwaczek
Book Summary Information
Author: Paul KriwaczekEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-03-09
ISBN: 1400031427
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of In Search of Zarathustra: Across Iran and Central Asia to Find the World's First Prophet
Book Review: A Forgotten Spiritual Ancestor
Summary: 4 Stars
With the eyes of the news media focused on Iran and its undeniable influence in the Middle East, few have questioned the essential differences between Shiah and Sunni Islam and the history that has led the Shiites to consider Iraq holy ground and Iran the center of a new Islamic civilization. When questions are finally asked, one answer rings clearly: Mesopotamia and Persia are the very cradles of western dynastic civilization, Islamic or otherwise. Few human memories or legends are as old as these places. One tradition in particular echoes throughout the works of scribes and cantors: the faith of Zarathustra, the first messenger of the dominion of one Eternal God.
The downfall of the Shah of Iran and rise of fundamentalist Islam was America's first national experience of Middle Eastern theocratic extremism. The taking of American hostages in 1979 not only placed Shiah Islam in the center of world attention, but also affected American internal politics as it doomed the Carter administration to electoral failure.
Many in the West received a crash course on divisions within Islam as journalists, policy makers, and academics struggled to make sense of this new wrinkle in the rich and varied history of Iran. The many cultures, peoples, languages, and belief systems that have crossed the landscape of ancient Persia and modern Iran have come under intensive scrutiny and careful study in the last quarter century. While travel has been restricted across Iran at various times and for various reasons, scholars, tourists, and pilgrims have had opportunities to explore the rich undercurrents of history and faith that lie beneath the thin, but firm veneer of fundamentalist Shiah Islam.
Paul Kriwaczek is one such explorer who has carefully and honestly nurtured a pointed curiosity about an aspect of our global religious heritage of which many are only periferally aware. In Search of Zarathustra: Across Iran and Central Asia to Find the World's First Prophet is Kriwaczek's candid and personal examination of the far-reaching influence of Zoroastrianism, the national and indigenous religion of Ancient Persia.
Kriwaczek, a dentist by trade who provided care in Afghanistan and Africa, has become an award-winning journalist, documentary film producer and director, and a recognized authority on Persian languages. As a naturalized British subject and member of the Royal Society of Arts, Kriwaczek explores many aspects of world culture, exploring faith, politics, and, of course, ancient and modern languages.
In this examination of Zoroastrianism and its global influence, Kriwaczek begins in France with the tragic history of the Cathars, a Christian heresy which declared, with many of its Gnostic predecessors, that all physical material is evil and that God is the only good. Kriwaczek sees links between this stark medieval "spirit-good/flesh-evil" belief system and the dualistic faith of Zarathustra.
The narrative continues through Zoroastrianism's homeland, the ruins of Sassanid Persia, and its imprint on Roman religion, reaching all the way onto the British frontier. The cult of Mithra, an agricultural deity with origins in Zoroastrianism, leaves only the barest artifacts of its popularity after Christianity nearly wipes it off the face of Europe. Kriwaczek digs even deeper than this into annual observances kept by Iranian Shiite Muslims. These rituals are far older than Islam, but the revolutionary government of the Ayatollahs deems their antiquity worthy of a tolerant attitude, or at least a blind eye. What are the endearing and enduring qualities of this faith that is more ancient than Jerusalem and yet nearly extinct except for pockets of adherents in Iran, India, Afghanistan, and the West?
As Kriwaczek cautiously seeks out the true believers in Iran's mountains, he finds the most ancient fire altars, perhaps the most ancient of all altars, as the setting for a serene and happy private wedding. In the footsteps of the world's first prophet, the author finds a dwindling, yet contented collection of the faithful. His compassionate narrative and thorough research breathe new life into a tradition that has fed so many creeds over so many centuries and brings the image of a forgotten spiritual ancestor into clear, bright relief.
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