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Mhatam Yuhana
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 Mandaean community of Iran. Biography Jabbar Choheili held the Mandaean clergical ranks of ''Ganzibra'' (head priest) and ''Rishama'' (patriarch), the highest Mandaean clergical rank. He was born in 1923 in the city of Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, Iran into the Kuhailia (Persian pronunciation: ''Choheili'') family. His ''malwasha'' (baptismal name) is Mhatam Yuhana (; full name: ''Rabbi Ganzibra Mhatam Yuhana bar Sharat''; also known as ''Mhatam Yuhana bar Yahya''; or in Arabic: ''Shaikh Jabar (= Šabur), the son of Ṭawoos'') (note: Mandaeans typically have both a birth name and a baptismal name). Jabbar Choheili's father died in 1924 due to an armory explosion in Ahvaz during the Sheikh Khazal rebellion, a conflict between Reza Shah and Khazʽa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rishama
A rishama (''rišama''; ''riš-ama''), rishamma, or rishema (; ; ; ) is a religious patriarch in Mandaeism. It is the highest rank out of all the Mandaean clergical ranks. The next ranks are the ''ganzibra'' and ''tarmida'' priests (see Mandaean priest). In Iraq, the current rishama is Sattar Jabbar Hilo. In Australia, there are two rishamas, namely Salah Choheili and Brikha Nasoraia. Etymology The Mandaic language, Mandaic term ''rišama'' is derived from the words ''riš'' 'head' and ''ama'' 'people'. Although the term for the Mandaean rishama (ablution), daily minor ablution is also spelled the same in written Classical Mandaic (''rišama''), the word for 'minor ablution' is pronounced in Modern Mandaic as , while 'head priest' is pronounced . Notable ''rishama'' or patriarchs Pre-20th century *Zazai d-Gawazta bar Hawa, patriarch datable to around the year 270 CE and earliest known copyist of Alma Rišaia Zuṭa, Qulasta, The Thousand and Twelve Questions, The Baptism of Hibi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khuzestan Province
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 Regions of Iran, Region 4. Etymology Once one of the most critical regions of the Ancient Near East, Khuzestan comprises much of what historians refer to as ancient Elam, whose capital was in Susa. The Old Persian term for Elam was when they conquered it from the Elamites. This element is present in the modern name. Khuzestan, meaning "the Land of the Khuz," refers to the original inhabitants of this province. In the Achaemenid Empire, this term is ''Huza'' or ''Huja'', as in the inscription on the tomb of Darius the Great at Naqsh-e Rostam. They are the "Shushan" of Hebrew sources, a borrowing from Elamite ''Šuša''. In Middle Persian, the term evolved into "Khuz" and "Kuzi." The pre-Islamic Partho-Sasanian inscriptions give the provi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carlos Gelbert
Carlos Gelbert (born 1948) is an Australian writer and translator. He is best known for publishing the first full-length English translations of the Ginza Rba (2011) and Mandaean Book of John (2017) together with Mark J. Lofts. Gelbert has also translated the Ginza Rba (2021) into Arabic, as well as ''Mandaean Prayers and Hymns'', a 2002 Arabic translation of the first 103 prayers of the Qulasta along with the original Mandaic text. In 2025, Gelbert published a full English translation of the Qulasta with Mark J. Lofts. Biography Gelbert was born in 1948 in Basra, Iraq. During the Saddam Hussein era, he moved to Germany, where he worked as a teacher and occupational therapist. Gelbert immigrated to Australia in the 1990s and currently resides in the Sydney metropolitan area. Books authored Below is a list of books authored by Gelbert. Mandaean texts *2002. '' Mandaean Prayers and Hymns''. . (Arabic; Mandaic in original script) *2011. '' Ginza Rba''. . (English; co-edited wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ginza Rabba
The Ginza Rabba (), Ginza Rba, or Sidra Rabba (), and formerly the Codex Nasaraeus, is the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The Ginza Rabba is composed of two parts: the Right Ginza (GR) and the Left Ginza (GL). The Right Ginza is composed of eighteen tractates and covers a variety of themes and topics, whereas the three tractates that make up the Left Ginza are unified in their focus on the fate of the soul after death. The Left Ginza is also occasionally referred to as the Book of Adam. Language and authorship The language used is Classical Mandaic language, Mandaic, a variety of Eastern Aramaic languages, Eastern Aramaic written in the Mandaic script (Parthian chancellory script), similar to the Syriac script. The authorship is unknown, and dating is a matter of debate, with estimates ranging from the first to third centuries.Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press, pg. 20. Determining date and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abdul Jabbar Abdullah
Abdul Jabbar Abdullah Sam (; 1911 – July 9, 1969) was an Iraqi physicist, dynamical meteorologist, and President Emeritus of the University of Baghdad. Abdullah obtained a doctorate in meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1946 before returning to Iraq to become an educator and researcher. After several years as the President of the University of Baghdad, Abdullah left Iraq amid a period of social unrest, and lived in the United States for the remainder of his life. Biography Abdul Jabbar was born in 1911 to a Mandaean priestly family in the town of Qal'at Saleh, Qal'at Saleh District, Maysan Province (formerly Al-Amaarah) in southeastern Iraq. His father was Ganzibra Abdullah, son of Ganzibra Sam ( in Baghdad; also known as Abdallah bar Sam; Mandaean baptismal name: Adam Zihrun bar Sam). Ganzibra Abdullah bar Sam was a Mandaean priest from the Manduia and ‛Kuma families who initiated Jabbar Choheili into the priesthood in 1948, and Salah Choheil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Symbolically, ganzibras are considered to be uthras on earth ( Tibil). Their responsibilities include performing masbuta, masiqta, wedding ceremonies, and other rituals, all of which can only be performed by priests. They must prepare their own food to maintain ritual purity. Ganzibra priests are also prohibited from consuming stimulants such as wine, tobacco, and coffee. Ordination The ganzibras go through an elaborate set of initiation rituals that are separate from those performed for the tarmidas. According Drower (1937), a ganzibra can only be initiated immediately before the death of a pious member of the Mandaean community. Two ganzibras and two shgandas are required to perform the initiation. Drower, E. S. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. Etymology Charles G. Häberl, Häberl (2022) considers the Mandaic word ''tarmida'' to be a borrowing from Hebrew ''talmid'' (). Ordination Tarmida initiates or novices ( ) can come from any "pure" family. In other words, the families must be ritually pure, meaning that there are no family members who have committed grave sins. Ritually pure laymen are also known as ''hallali'' in Mandaic language, Mandaic. Typically, the novices have been trained as ritual assistants (''shganda, šganda'' or ''ašganda'') when they were children. Initiates may or may not be married, although typically they are not yet married. In order to be ordained as a tarmida, the initiate ( ) must go through a complex series of initiation rituals lasting 68 days. V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qal'at Saleh
The town of Qal'at Saleh () is the district centre of Qal'at Saleh District, Maysan Governorate, southern Iraq. It is located along the road that links Basra to Amarah, a mere 40 km away. Qalat Saleh’s nearest towns are the district centres of Al-Majar Al Kabeer (20 km north-west), Al Kahlaa (17 km north), and Al Azeer (29 km south). The town is surrounded by agricultural villages and rural communities: Sulaymaniyah village, Abu Samih village, and Beit Khaled village. History Qal'at Saleh, formerly known as "Shatra Al-Amarah", was named after "Saleh Suleiman Al-Najdi", an Arab officer from Najd, who was appointed by the Ottomans to collect tribute from the rebellious local tribes. In 1866, once the Ottoman troops managed to restrain the rebels, Saleh built a mud fortress () to maintain control of the region. The settlement attracted more and more residents and expanded over time around the fortress, which was later destroyed. By the 1920s, Qalat Saleh was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nasser Sobbi
Nasser Sobbi (; born March 13, 1924, Khorramshahr; died December 22, 2018, Flushing, Queens) was an Iranian-American Mandaean scribe, manuscript collector, and goldsmith who was known as one of the last remaining fully fluent native speakers of Neo-Mandaic in the United States. He was a ''yalufa'' (learned Mandaean layman), though not a formally ordained Mandaean priest. Biography Early life Nasser Sobbi was born in Muḥammara (now known as Khorramshahr), Iran on March 13, 1924. His Mandaean baptismal name is Adam bar Mahnuš (). During his childhood and adolescence, he lived in both Khorramshahr and Abadan. In 1932, he was present at a wedding ceremony in Khorramshahr that was attended by E. S. Drower and Abdullah Khaffagi, and led by Ganzibra Masboob, the last Mandaean priest of Khorramshahr (and also the grandfather of Sheikh Fawzi Masboob of Detroit, United States). Starting from 1938, he was an apprentice at his uncle Abdolkarim Moradi's jewellery shop in Abadan. Durin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haran Gawaita
The ''Haran Gawaita'' ( Mandaic: , meaning "Inner Harran" or "Inner Hauran"; Modern Mandaic: ''(Diwān) Harrān Gawāythā'') also known as the ''Scroll of Great Revelation'', is a Mandaean text which recounts the history of the Mandaeans as Nasoraeans from Jerusalem and their arrival in a region described as "Inner Harran (haran gauaita'') which is called the mountains of Madday" (Mandaic: ''ṭura ḏ-madai''), which some scholars have identified with Media.Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). Turning the Tables on Jesus: The Mandaean View. In (pp94-111). Minneapolis: Fortress Press The ''Haran Gawaita'' continues the historical narrative of the Mandaean '' Book of Kings'', adding a new eighth age to the seven described in that work. The text was published for the first time in 1953. Text, dating and authorship The text is in the Mandaic language and script. It is of unknown authorship. The recipients of the text are stated to be those disciples who must persevere in their fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khazʽal Ibn Jabir
Khazal bin Jabir bin Merdaw al-Kabi (، ) (18 August 1863 – 24 May 1936), ''Muaz us-Sultana'', and ''Sardar-e-Nishan-e-Aqdas, Aqdas'' (''Most Sacred Officer of the Imperial Order of the Aqdas''), was the Emirate of arabistan, Ruler of Arabistan, the Sheikh of Mohammerah, known as Sultan Khaz'al and Emirate of Muhammara, Sultan of Mohammerah, from the Kasebite clan of the Banu Ka'b, of which he was the Sheikh of Sheikhs, the Overlord of the Mehaisan tribal confederation and the Ruler of the Shatt al-Arab. Historical background On 2 June 1897, Khaz'al inherited the Emirate of Mohammerah. Although never a part of the British Empire, the Persian Gulf had been effectively incorporated into the British imperial system since the early 19th century. The conclusion of treaties and agreements with the region's various tribal rulers was one of the central means by which Britain enforced its hegemonic presence, and Khaz’al was no exception to this trend. Rise to power After J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reza Shah
Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war and Prime Minister of Iran, prime minister of Iran, and was elected shah following the deposition of the last monarch of the Qajar dynasty. Reza Shah's reign ended when he was forced to abdicate after the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Mohammad Reza Shah. A moderniser, Reza Shah clashed with the Shia clergy and introduced social, economic, and political reforms during his reign, ultimately laying the foundations of the History of Iran#Late modern period, modern Iranian state. Therefore, he is regarded by many as the founder of modern Iran, until his ouster by the Islamic Revolution. At the age of 14, Reza Khan joined the Persian Cossack Brigade. He rose through the ranks, becoming a brigadier gener ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
