In the United Kingdom, the British Library has an unrivalled collection of Zoroastrian manuscripts and therefore welcomed the opportunity to display three of its Zoroastrian treasures in the current exhibition “Epic Iran” organised by the V&A with the Iran Heritage Foundation in association with The Sarikhani Collection.
The exhibition covers approximately five millennia of Iranian history and is the first of its kind since the Royal Academy’s International Exhibition of Persian Art of 1931. Arranged in nine sections it explores and brings together the whole range of Iranian material cultures from the earliest known writing to the 1979 Revolution and beyond. Out of around 300 exhibits, the British Library contributed fifteen manuscripts which will be the subject of two blogs. In this first post, I will focus on the three Zoroastrian items.
Zoroastrianism, the religion of the ancient Iranians, owes its name to Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) whose hymns (Gathas) are thought to have been composed 1500 BC-1000 BC. It teaches the importance of good thoughts, words, and actions, in a dualistic cosmos where the forces of the All-knowing Lord, Ahura Mazda, are constantly opposed by those of the Evil Spirit, Angra Mainyu.
Originating in Central Asia, Zoroastrianism spread east to China and south to Iran where it became the main religion from the 6th century BC until the mid-7th century AD. After the arrival of Islam, Zoroastrian refugees from Iran established settlements in Gujarat, where they were called Parsis (“Persians”). Zoroastrian diaspora communities have since become established worldwide.
‘Ashem vohu’ prayer
Zoroastrianism is essentially an oral religion. The oldest scriptures, referred to as the Avesta or Zend, are in an Old Iranian language, Avestan. They were not written down, however, until around the 6th century AD during the Sasanian period, many centuries after their composition. Even after that, the main liturgical texts were transmitted orally. This is partly the reason that, apart from the Ashem vohu fragment mentioned below, there are no manuscripts surviving from before the end of the 13th century.
Read More at https://scroll.in/article/1004209/the-oldest-surviving-zoroastrian-scriptures-were-found-not-in-iran-or-india-but-in-china