''Two Centuries of Silence'' (, ) is a book written in
Persian by
Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub, a prominent
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ian scholar of Iran's culture, history and literature. The work is a historical account of the events and circumstances of the first two centuries of the Iranian history following the
Arab conquest of Iran
As part of the early Muslim conquests, which were initiated by Muhammad in 622, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Sasanian Empire between 632 and 654. This event led to the decline of Zoroastrianism, which had been the official religion of ...
in the 7th century AD until the rise of the
Tahirid dynasty, a Muslim dynasty of native Iranian origin.
Zarrinkoub presents a lengthy discussion on the large flux and influence of the Arabs on the literature, language, culture and society of Persia during the two centuries following the Islamic conquest of Iran. Zarrinkoub discusses how the Arab/Islamic conquest was followed by almost "two centuries of silence" socially, culturally, and politically of native
Persians
Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...
.
In the preface to the second edition of his book, in 1957, Zarinkoob writes, “I picked up my pen and crossed out what was dubious, dark, and incorrect in the first edition. Many such instances were occasions that in the past―either due to immaturity or by prejudice―I had been unable to rightly acknowledge the faults, iniquities, and defeats of Iran." "Now, did I do my duty properly in this revision? I do not know, and I am still of the opinion that the moment a history writer chooses a topic, he has strayed from neutrality."
According to Touraj Daryaee, ''Two Centuries of Silence'' "has been the standard book for the Persian audience for the past half a century. It is only recently that new works are being accepted as an alternative to Zarrinkub’s view."
English translation
''Two Centuries of Silence'' has been translated into English by
Paul Sprachman (Oct. 5, 2017). In his extensive introductory essay, Sprachman offers an analysis as how Zarrinkub was compelled to change his historical view of Iranian history after the 1979 Revolution The book was earlier translated by Avid Kamgar (Aug. 19, 2016) and published by Oughten House Publications.
See also
*
Step by Step Up to Union With God
References
{{Reflist
Iranian books
Books about Iran
Works by Abdolhossein Zarrinkoob