Papers by Victoria Arakelova
“She Did Not Give Bread to a Dog with Puppies” The Idea of Retribution according to the Yezidi Text A’lī Šērē Xwadē Āxiratēdā
Iran and the Caucasus, 2025
There is no unified Yezidi source that would give a complete understanding of sins and retributio... more There is no unified Yezidi source that would give a complete understanding of sins and retribution in this tradition. The article is an attempt to identify a number of sins and the expected retributions for them, based on the analysis of the text A’lī Šērē Xwadē Āxiratēdā—“ ‘Ali, the Lion of God in the Hereafter”. The text, which can be attributed to the apologetic genre, tells about ‘Ali’s journey to the afterlife and the opportunity he was given to see the punishments of sinners, in order to pass on this information to people in the “world of light”, i.e. the material world.
Иран-Намэ: армянский востоковедческий журнал, 2000
Исторический очерк о ваххабизме - возникновении, основных идеях, историко- политическом развитии,... more Исторический очерк о ваххабизме - возникновении, основных идеях, историко- политическом развитии, постсоветском пространстве
Iran and the Caucasus 28.4-5, 2024
The article focuses on a court case of the Erivan Uezd of the mid-19th century, involving a Molo... more The article focuses on a court case of the Erivan Uezd of the mid-19th century, involving a Molokan woman Lukeriya Korsakova. The lawsuit “Case of Lukeriya Korsakova’s settlement among the Molokans of the Erivan Uezd, March 7, 1847–May 21, 1848” was initiated as a result of the woman’s transition from Orthodoxy to the Molokan sectarianism, what was punishable by exile. The trial lasted from 1844 to 1848, and the case passed through several instances. The authors try to reconstruct the details and specifics of the case of the defendant Lukeriya Korsakova on the basis of archival documents.
This paper examines the Talyshi people, an Iranian ethnic group divided by the Araxes River betwe... more This paper examines the Talyshi people, an Iranian ethnic group divided by the Araxes River between Azerbaijan and Iran. The division, a result of the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813), placed the Talyshis within two distinct political and cultural paradigms. The northern Talyshis, under the successive rule of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and Azerbaijan, were confronted with a Turkish political and cultural orientation that contrasted with their Iranian linguistic and cultural heritage. This orientation led to significant shifts in identity, with the Talyshis becoming minorities within a Turkic-speaking, Turkish-oriented Azerbaijan. Southern Talyshis who remained in Iran experienced a more consistent cultural development within the Iranian paradigm, despite political changes. This study examines the impact of these divisions on Talyshi identity, language preservation and socio-cultural adaptation. It discusses the challenges of assimilation and cultural preservation faced by the Talyshis, their linguistic characteristics, and the revival of Talysh self-awareness and nationalism in the face of external pressures. The paper uses a comprehensive analysis of historical, linguistic and ethnographic data to provide insights into the resilience of Talysh identity amidst political and cultural change.
On some sujets of miracle-working in the Heterodox Shi'a tradition
The article presents some historical evidence about the veneration of individual trees, primarily... more The article presents some historical evidence about the veneration of individual trees, primarily the juniper and the oak-trees, traditionally considered to be sacred in the Zaza culture, as well as generally groves and forests. Unfortunately, the once vast and rich forestal covering of the Zazas' main habitat in Dersim (Tunceli), which was a proverbial phenomenon still in the beginning of the 20th century, has been almost totally exterminated as a result of the mistreatment by the Turkish government. The folk beliefs related to tree worship have also been considerably erased from the people's memory, lingering on only among the elderly in the remote mountain villages as a dwindling echo of the past.
For the last decades, the Yezidi identity whose main marker was for centuries based on a unique r... more For the last decades, the Yezidi identity whose main marker was for centuries based on a unique religion, the Sharfadin, has undergone specific transformations. One of the most stable trends playing a crucial role in the mentioned process, is the spread of Orthodox Christianity, particularly among the Yezidis of Georgia and Russia. This phenomenon is especially interesting regarding the fact that, unlike neo-Protestant missions, Orthodox Church has never been active in proselytism particularly among the Yezidis; no Orthodox mission has ever focused its activities on this group. Yet, the number of the Yezidis converting to the Orthodox Christianity gradually grows. The paper is an interim result of a project on the modern transformations of the Yezidi identity. Compiled on the materials collected by the author through interviews and questionnaires among the converted Yezidis of Georgia and Russia, it focuses on several particular cases reflecting the shaping of a principally new identity, when Christian mentality replaces the Yezidi eclectic religious outlook.
The paper focuses on the analysis of the term Yezdistan (Ēzdīstān) attested in a Yezidi legend, h... more The paper focuses on the analysis of the term Yezdistan (Ēzdīstān) attested in a Yezidi legend, having obvious parallels with the Shahnameh's "Tale of Zahhak". It is particularly interesting that this plot does not occur in any of the Kurmanji versions of the Shahnameh ever recorded in Armenia and represents, in fact, a separate legend out of the epic context.
Built on the Islamic, primarily Sufi substrate, the religious beliefs of the Yezidis incorporate ... more Built on the Islamic, primarily Sufi substrate, the religious beliefs of the Yezidis incorporate Gnostic, Christian, local pagan elements, and primitive beliefs. If certain parallels between Yezidism and the heterodox Shi'ism are mainly part of common shibboleths typical of Near Eastern non-dogmatic milieu, the existence of key Shi'a figures as objects of veneration and respect in the Yezidi religious lore seems to be a really enigmatic phenomenon. Proper Shi'a elements in Yezidism have never been particularly discussed. This paper focuses on the analysis of Shi'a characters in the Yezidi religious folklore.
Preface to the Iran and the Caucasus issue on Ethno-Religious Identity
An Unknown Source on Proselytism among the Udis
Iran and the Caucasus, Nov 28, 2023
On Some Peculiarities of the Talishi Identity in Iran and Azerbaijan Republic
Kavkaz-forum, Sep 20, 2022
Заза-иранский народ, населяющий преимущественно регион Дерсима (нынешний Тунджели в Восточной Ана... more Заза-иранский народ, населяющий преимущественно регион Дерсима (нынешний Тунджели в Восточной Анатолии). Часть заза-сунниты, остальные исповедуют синкретическую религию, формально относимую к алевизму, однако отмеченную рядом специфических черт, характерных исключительно для религиозной традиции заза-алевитов. Среди последних-внушительный пласт христианских элементов, заимствованных в период многовековых тесных контактов с соседями-армянами. Предки заза, переселившиеся из прикаспийского Дейлама на крайний запад исторической Высокой Армении в результате нескольких волн миграции в X-XII вв., почти целое тысячелетие, вплоть до начала XX века, то есть до Геноцида армян и полной деарменизации региона, жили в тесном контакте с армянами, что в значительное мере повлияло на культуру заза, их религиозную традицию и язык. Данная статья-краткий обзор некоторых аспектов, иллюстрирующих указанное влияние, а именно: поклонение армянским христианским святыням в среде заза, черты христианских святых в образах народного пантеона заза, армянская христианская терминология в языке заза. Религия заза-алевитов есть не столько сложнейшее явление, сколько процесс, который, по сути, не завершен и продолжается. Его уникальность во многом определяется селективностью заимствованных народным сознанием элементов, а также особенностями их вплетенности в ее системные компоненты (в культ, комплекс верований, мировоззренческую парадигму). Помимо черт, сохранившихся от времен глубокой архаики, в ее культовой практике переплетаются элементы целого ряда религий.
Ahl al-Bayt in the Yezidi Religious Lore
An Unknown Source on Proselytism among the Udis
Iran and the Caucasus, Nov 28, 2023
On Some Peculiarities of the Talishi Identity in Iran and Azerbaijan Republic
Kavkaz-forum, Sep 20, 2022
Заза-иранский народ, населяющий преимущественно регион Дерсима (нынешний Тунджели в Восточной Ана... more Заза-иранский народ, населяющий преимущественно регион Дерсима (нынешний Тунджели в Восточной Анатолии). Часть заза-сунниты, остальные исповедуют синкретическую религию, формально относимую к алевизму, однако отмеченную рядом специфических черт, характерных исключительно для религиозной традиции заза-алевитов. Среди последних-внушительный пласт христианских элементов, заимствованных в период многовековых тесных контактов с соседями-армянами. Предки заза, переселившиеся из прикаспийского Дейлама на крайний запад исторической Высокой Армении в результате нескольких волн миграции в X-XII вв., почти целое тысячелетие, вплоть до начала XX века, то есть до Геноцида армян и полной деарменизации региона, жили в тесном контакте с армянами, что в значительное мере повлияло на культуру заза, их религиозную традицию и язык. Данная статья-краткий обзор некоторых аспектов, иллюстрирующих указанное влияние, а именно: поклонение армянским христианским святыням в среде заза, черты христианских святых в образах народного пантеона заза, армянская христианская терминология в языке заза. Религия заза-алевитов есть не столько сложнейшее явление, сколько процесс, который, по сути, не завершен и продолжается. Его уникальность во многом определяется селективностью заимствованных народным сознанием элементов, а также особенностями их вплетенности в ее системные компоненты (в культ, комплекс верований, мировоззренческую парадигму). Помимо черт, сохранившихся от времен глубокой архаики, в ее культовой практике переплетаются элементы целого ряда религий.
Ahl al-Bayt in the Yezidi Religious Lore
The Talishis on Opposite Banks of the Araxes River: Identity Issues
Iran and the Caucasus
The Talishis are the fourth largest ethnic group in the South Caucasus and the largest nonstate p... more The Talishis are the fourth largest ethnic group in the South Caucasus and the largest nonstate people in the Caucasian-Iranian region. The problems of their ethnic history, culture, and identity are among the topical issues of Caucaso-Caspica. The Talishis are a divided people living on opposite banks of the Araxes River, in the current Azerbaijan Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran. This historical division occurred in the 19th century as a result of the Russian-Persian wars and seriously affected the cultural, linguistic, religious and other markers of the Talishi identity. Up to the 19th c., the whole land inhabited by the Talishis had been part of Iran. Since 1813, northern Talysh has successively been ruled by the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and finally, since 1991, by the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan Republic). These historical peripeteia have resulted in the actualisation of different identity markers on opposite banks of the Araxes River; the...
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Papers by Victoria Arakelova