Ganzibra A ganzibra (singular form in , plural form in , literally 'treasurer' in Mandaic; ) is a high priest in Mandaeism. Tarmidas, or junior priests, rank below the ganzibras.Drower, E. S. 1960. ''The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis''. Oxfor ...

Taleb Doraji (also spelled Taleb Doragi, Taleb Dorragi, or Talib Durašia (); born 1937 in

Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...

, Iran) is an Iranian

Mandaean priest A Mandaean priest or ''Tarmida'' () refers to an ordained religious leader in Mandaeism. Overview All priests must undergo lengthy ordination ceremonies, beginning with tarmida initiation. Mandaean religious leaders and copyists of religious text ...

and

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

from

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

. He became a

tarmida A tarmida (singular form in , plural form in ; ; ) is a junior Mandaean priest, priest in Mandaeism. Ganzibras, or head priests, rank above tarmidas.Drower, E. S. 1960. ''The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ...

in 1998 and later attained the rank of

ganzibra A ganzibra (singular form in , plural form in , literally 'treasurer' in Mandaic; ) is a high priest in Mandaeism. Tarmidas, or junior priests, rank below the ganzibras.Drower, E. S. 1960. ''The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis''. Oxfor ...

Biography

Taleb Doraji was born in

in 1937. He is the cousin of

Jabbar Choheili Sheikh (''Rabbi'') Ganzibra Jabbar Choheili (, also known as Sheikh Jabbar Ṭawūsī Al-Kuhaili, ; born 1923, died December 27, 2014) was an Iranian Mandaean priest, the head of the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz, which presides over the Mandaea ...

, since they both have the same grandfather, named Salim. Taleb Doraji is a member of the Durašia (also spelled Durakia in the colophons of

Mandaean texts This article contains a list of Mandaic manuscripts, which are almost entirely Mandaeism, Mandaean religious texts written in Classical Mandaic language, Mandaic. Well-known Mandaean texts include the ''Ginza Rabba'' (also known as the ''Sidra ...

; modern Persianized pronunciation: "Doraji") clan. On June 13, 1999, Taleb Doraji (who had just become a

a year earlier), together with Ganzibra

Salah Choheili Rishama Salah Choheili (; also known as Ganzibra Ṣalah Jabbar Ṭawus Choheili; Salah Al-Kuhaili; born 1952, Ahvaz, Iran) is an Iranian Mandaean priest in Australia. He is the head priest of Ganzibra Dakhil Mandi in Liverpool, New South Wales, ...

from Ahvaz, performed the first-ever

masbuta Maṣbuta (; pronounced ''maṣwottā'' in Neo-Mandaic) is the ritual of immersion in water in the Mandaean religion. Overview Mandaeans revere John the Baptist and practice frequent baptism (''masbuta'') as ritual purification, not of initia ...

on a university campus and at an academic conference, the ARAM 13th International Conference at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. The masbuta was performed in the

Charles River The Charles River (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ), sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles, is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Hopkinton to Boston along a highly me ...

, with

Salem Choheili Šganda Salem Choheili (; born 1935 in Ahvaz, Iran) is an Iranian Mandaean scribe, teacher, and author. He is also a shganda and ''yalufa'' (learned Mandaean layman) and is one of the leaders of the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz. Salem Choheili is ...

and his brother assisting as

shganda In Mandaeism, a shganda (''šganda''; ), shkanda (), or ashganda (''ʔšganda'')Drower, E. S. 1960. ''The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. is a ritual assistant who helps priests with ritual duties. In the Man ...

s. Taleb Doraji is a goldsmith who owns a jewellery shop in the Ahvaz bazaar. His shop is called the Sheikh Jabbar Tawusi jewellery shop (), which is named in honor of his cousin Ganzibra

References

External links

Mandaean Masbuta (13 June 1999)
performed by Taleb Doragi and Salah Choheili at the ARAM 13th International Conference, Harvard University (video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Doraji, Taleb Living people 1937 births Mandaean priests Religious leaders from Ahvaz Iranian Mandaeans Iranian goldsmiths Ganzibras