The Zoroastrian World

Although Zoroastrians in the contemporary world are numerically few – estimated recently at less than 150,000 across the globe – their ancient Iranian ancestors ruled vast areas of the Near East for over a millennium. From the mid‑sixth century BCE to the mid‑seventh century CE, the historical contribution of the ‘Mazda-worshipping’ religion to the intellectual, cultural, and political development of the region was momentous. The migration of some Zoroastrians to north-western India also had a significant social and economic impact on early modern and modern India. From the mid-seventeenth century until the present, Zoroastrianism has also played an important role in European discourse.

Written by a distinguished team of international contributors, including many Zoroastrians, The Zoroastrian World presents a global guide to Zoroastrianism from the earliest period to the modern day, offering original perspectives through substantial thematic contributions on the lived experience of Zoroastrian communities across the world. This volume is organised into five distinct sections:

• Imagining Zoroastrianism
• The Developing Zoroastrian World
• Living Realities: Zoroastrian Narrative and Symbol in the Modern World
• Contemporary Challenges in the Zoroastrian World
• Creative Contributions from the Zoroastrian World

The Zoroastrian World provides an authoritative and accessible source of information on topics relating to the Zoroastrian religion, with a particular focus on interdisciplinary connections. The volume is essential reading for students engaged in studies of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics; Ancient and Modern Iran; the Near and Middle East; Central Asia; South Asian Religions; and Cultural History. The Zoroastrian World is intended for all curious readers, who seek to know more about this ancient, enduring religion.

The editors are excited to showcase the original artwork 'The Garden of the Universe' by Hormazd Narielwalla as the cover of this book.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license

Jenny Rose is a Research Fellow at Claremont Graduate University, where she taught classes in Zoroastrian Studies before relocating to the UK in 2023. Her books relating to the Zoroastrian world include Zoroastrianism: An Introduction (2011), Zoroastrianism: A Guide for the Perplexed (2011), and Between Boston and Bombay: Cultural and Commercial Connections of Yankees and Parsis, 1771–1865 (2019).

Albert de Jong is Professor of the Study of Religion at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. He mainly works on Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, the Mandaeans, and the Roman cult of Mithras.

Sarah Stewart is a Reader Emeritus at SOAS, University of London. She studied at ANU and SOAS before going on to teach in the Department of History, Religions and Philosophies at SOAS. She was a Curator of the exhibition The Everlasting Flame, Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination (Brunei Gallery, London 2013; National Museum, Delhi 2016) and Co-Founder of the SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute for Zoroastrian Studies (SSPIZS) in 2017. Her publications include Voices from Zoroastrian Iran, Vols. 1 and 2 (2018, 2020).