Coffeehouse-Communism to Daaraa:
The Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VI, Fascicles 1-6
Stephen F. Dale, Ohio State University

READERS NORMALLY assume that encyclopedias will be, well, encyclopedic, but they probably do not usually expect that a particular encyclopedia will function as a forum for advancing the state of knowledge in a field. Those who are familiar with Volumes I-V of the Encyclopaedia Iranica already know that its editor, Professor Ehsan Yarshater, has not only insisted that this encyclopedia would be exceptionally comprehensive, but that he has also encouraged many of his contributors to submit essays that represent innovative and original scholarship in Iranian studies. In fascicles 1-6 of Volume VI Professor Yarshater and his distinguished board of editors have maintained the exceptionally high standards of the first five volumes. Occasionally–but just occasionally–they have commissioned articles that seem to have marginal importance for the field, but ultimately scholars will appreciate and even delight in such entries which, in a sense, are a distinguishing trait of the editors ambitions and success.

It is impossible to appreciate or acknowledge the precise scholarship and insight of dozens of individual contributors, but certain articles often stand out in individual fascicles for their originality and/or comprehensiveness. In fascicle 1, which for the casual reader might seem to contain an extended essay on urban intellectuals, as its coverage title reads “Coffeehouse-Communism,” two articles, on “Coinage” and “Commerce” are happily if fortuitously bound together to offer a remarkably comprehensive yet concise economic history of Iran. Stephen Album, Michael L. Bates and Willem Floor have jointly written an essay on Iranian numismatics which, while illustrated only with coins of the Islamic period, is by far the best single study now available. This essay is nicely complemented by that on “Commerce” by Oscar White Muscarella, Muhammad A. Dandamayev, Richard Frye, Berthold Spuler, Willem Floor and Vahid Nowshirvani. Henceforth, students of Iranian economic history ought to consult this article before reading separate entries in the Cambridge History of Iran or separate articles and monographs.

If fascicle 1 is dominated by economic history, fascicle 2 is particularly distinguished by a series of seven essays on the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-11: Abbas Amanat on “Intellectual Background,” Vanessa Martin on the “Events of the Revolution,” Sair Amir Arjomand on “The Constitution,” Mansoureh Ettehadieh on “The Aftermath” and “Political Parties,” `Ali-Akbar Sa`idi Sirjani on “The Press” and Sorour Soroudi on “Movements in Literature.” Having overlapping articles written by different authors provides a treatment of this subject which is too complex and sophisticated to be called an introduction. Sa`idi Sirjani's article on the press and Soroudi’s essay on literature are especially welcome for the insight they provide into little known cultural and intellectual developments in the period. Perhaps an additional article might have been added on foreign relations, for while this contentious issue is alluded to in a number of separate essays the British and Russian governments especially played such important roles in the Revolution that the subject probably deserves separate treatment.

Fascicles 3, 4 and 5 also have inadvertent themes, because of the concentration of major articles. Fascicle 3 contains important essays on religion: “Conversion,” “Coptic Manichean Texts” and a major eight-part essay on “Cosmogony and Cosmology.” The latter essay, like that on numismatics, is likely to stand as the preferred introduction to this complex, fascinating subject as it draws from such a range of difficult sources. An original seven-part essay on “Courts and Courtiers,” a subject of major comparative importance in both European and Asian history, and a marvelously illustrated essay on the “Crown” impart a distinctively royalist tinge to fascicle 4, while entries on “Cuneiform Script,” “Cylinder Seals,” splendidly illustrated, and “Cyrus” make fascicle 5 especially valuable for students of pre-Islamic Iran. Yet as is true of every fascicle, however much dominated by one or two major entries, these fascicles contain an encyclopedic range of fine scholarly essays, such as Mary Boyce’s fascinating article of the disposal of the “Corpse” in Zoroastrianism and Hushang Alam’s compelling discussion of the “Crow.” Fascicle 3 also includes an entry on “Cookies,” which in the future may be seen as a deliciously eccentric consequence of the editors search for comprehensiveness, although it may also provoke nostalgia for those who admired, even if they could not afford, the pastisserie shops of pre-revolutionary Tehran.

Singling out particular essays in this admirable work really becomes a function of individual interest, and the range of entries means that it is unlikely that there are any scholars who are interested in Iran, Central Asia and India who will not use the Encyclopaedia Iranica often and with gratitude. Thus students of Sufism will be grateful for Hamid Algar’s entries, “Dahabiya” and “Dahbidiya,” to name just two of his contributions, while archaeologists and prehistorians will find stimulating entries in every fascicle. Notable throughout is that the editors have succeeded in attracting entries from the widest possible range of scholars–in Europe and North America, Iran, Afghanistan and India and countries of the former Soviet Union, especially Central Asians whose works were previously known only to those who read Russian. Indeed, Iranian and Soviet scholarship is a prominent feature of this Encyclopaedia, as it has long been central and critical to the broad field of Iranian studies.