نشریه مطالعات ایرانشناسی
پیاپی 1 (پاییز 1394)

The use of the term Iranology has become so common that it seems there is no need to explore it any more. However, the study of the roots of words in each scientific field and their history is among the main concerns regarding the nature of that field. Through posing some questions in this regard, this paper aims to investigate the meaning of Iranology and its history and propound some suggestions regarding the search for a correct method to employ in related studies. At the same time, the author emphasizes that, through considering the meaning and history of Iranology, Iranologist-researchers need to avoid the common partial views in some of the Iranological studies in the past and distinguish between valid and invalid related studies in order to attain the optimal result, that is, the correct concept of scientific Iranology.

The present paper is a concise but precise review of the field of Iranology in Iran and in other countries. Despite the several-decade background of studies on Iranology, there is still a greater need for paying more scientific and systematic attention to this field of knowledge as there are still numerous topics which have not been tackled previously. There are also some severe ambiguities regarding the definitions of Iranology-related terms. There are also some unsolved problems regarding, for example, the unity or separation of Orientalism and Iranology, the earlier and present purposes of Iranology out of Iran, the quality of exploiting the findings and achievement of Iranologists, the necessity of separating the study of Iranian studies in Iran from that in the West, etc. Here, the writer suggests the use of a critical approach in this regard and, at the same time, believes that we cannot blindly ignore all the studies conducted by European Iranologists. Rather, in the rewriting of the history of Iranology, one must consider different factors. She also emphasizes the necessity of Iranological studies in order to consolidate the foundations of the Iranian national and cultural identity.

The Silk Road was one of the most important routes connecting ancient civilizations. It was also the main road used for commercial exchanges between the East and the West. This very long route enjoyed great splendor and significance in the course of history and played a major role in the world’s economic relationships. Along the course of this commercial route, not only goods but also cultures, traditions, customs, and rituals were exchanged between China and the West. The importance and fundamental role of this road in the history of the economic, cultural, and social relationships in the world is known to everyone. Here, the important stations and stopping places held specific significance in the course of history. One of the important cities on the Silk Road was Kashghar which, due to its geographical location, attracted the attention of many writers and historians. Accordingly, it has been mentioned several times in ancient historical and geographical texts, and the process of its development has been clearly manifested therein. Iran is one of the oldest Asian countries which is located in the middle of the Silk Road. It played a mediating role in connecting China and Western countries, which is why Iranian writers, historian, literarymen, and geographers have always written about this commercial route and, particularly, about Kashghar and its stations and transferred their knowledge in this regard from generation to generation. The study of such sources and introducing them to others could greatly contribute to clarifying the quality of the economic and cultural exchanges through the Silk Road. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief explanation of the status of Kashghar on the Silk Road through a study of Islamic texts. Moreover, it mainly intends to introduce the writers of these works and provide a selection of known facts about this city. In doing so, the writer has tried to classify the related Persian texts and briefly introduce them. Therefore, the present paper explores and evaluates the status of Kashghar on the Silk Road as a historical problem in three categories: “Kashghar in the historical, geographical, and literary texts of the early centuries of the rise of Islam until the Safavid era”, “Kashghar in Persian prose texts”, and “status of Kashghar on the Silk Road according to a historical map from the Mongol Period”.

In Europe, philology was not considered to be a scientific field at the beginning. Moreover, “general grammar” had not achieved much and had resulted in academic passivity and was more Europe-oriented. As a result, the process of family relationships among languages was taken seriously by some Orientologists. After the realization of the theory of the “Indo-European language family” during the period of secular Orientalists and the presentation of “comparative grammar” by the German Franz Bopp and, as a result, introducing Orientology as a scientific field, linguistics also stepped into the domain of academic research as the greatest achievement of modern Orientology. Therefore, the author found it necessary to explore this process based on the historical development of Oriental studies in Europe, in general, and in France, in particular. At the same time, he has introduced the conducted studies in the field of Iranology and the place of Iranian culture and civilization within this field.

Shahnameh can be considered to be the main document introducing the Iranian identity and legacy. Relying on a number of oral and written narratives, Ferdowsi provides a definition of Iran and Iranians’ identity and their historical background in opposition to those who tried to invade this country. He gradually accomplishes this task following a developmental and logical process based on mythological narrations and reveals their truth in different stages. In this paper, the writer has initially tried to identify the specific features of the Iranian identity from Ferdowsi’s point of view and then provide a reconstructed image of this identity with reference to the acts and behaviors of some of the characters in Shahnameh and a study of the process of the development of some of the narrated stories.

During the Safavid Period, because of the great interest of Safavid statesmen in industry and their support of artists and industrialists, industry grew to a large extent. Here, the textile industry enjoyed a particular status. The extent of the growth of this industry can be inferred from the country’s complete self-sufficiency in the field of textiles and the vast export of textile products to other countries during the Safavid era. Moreover, during this period, Isfahan was considered to be one of the most important centers for weaving silk and gold-thread fabrics, which comprise a noticeable volume of the required fabrics for public use and export. Based on available evidence, the city of Isfahan greatly developed during this period, which owed a great debt to the growth of the textile industry. This study was conducted in order to explore the role of the textile industry in the development of Isfahan during the Safavid era. The role of industry in urban development is a new problem witnessed in recent centuries. In fact, there is no text or report focusing directly on the relationship between industry and urban development in the sources and documents left from the Safavid period. Accordingly, in this study, through the processing and analysis of historical data in library sources, such as travel accounts and historical books, the impact of the growth of the textile industry on the development of the city of Isfahan was explored. The results indicated that this industry played a significant role in this regard during the Safavid era.

It is not unjustified to claim that all the disciplines which have attained an academic status have been criticized and explored several times in relation to their historical background until they have been granted their scientific identity. In the course of this uneven process, human sciences have been exposed to more criticism and investigation in this regard than any other science. However, not enough studies have been carried out regarding the discipline, field, or sub-field of Iranology as a branch of human sciences, which is why it is in great need of such explorations and analyses in order to attain its true scientific status. Through posing certain questions and revealing some of the existing challenges regarding Iranology and the related issues, the author of this paper has tried to take a first step in the realm of consolidating the science of Iranology. Moreover, she hopes that, by finding some convenient solutions to the propounded problems, other researchers can define a specific scientific definition and place for Iranology.