Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms (55 page)

Nicene Creed, 127

Nietzsche, Friedrich, 77, 80

Nile River, 183, 184, 188, 189

Nimrod, 44, 45

Nineveh, 45, 56, 62

Noah, 3–4, 10, 149, 169

Nowruz, 90, 96, 105

Nuristan, 30, 229, 230, 231, 248, 251

described, 226–227

Nuristanis, 248, 251–252

village of, 252 (photo)

Odyssey
(Homer), 4

Old Testament, 13, 165, 170

Omar, Caliph, 7, 84

Orfalea, Paul, 263

Osiris, 191, 192

Ottoman Empire, 32, 54

Armenians and, xxiv

non-Muslim subjects and, xxiii

Ottomans, 41, 134, 196–197

oppression by, 261

Pagans, ix, xi, xii, 22, 44, 50, 78, 95, 99, 195, 227

monotheists and, 7

polytheist, 32

tolerance for, xxii

Pahlavi shahs, 82, 100, 101

Palestinian intifada, 156, 174, 176

Palestinian Telecommunications Company, 180

Palestinians, 163, 174, 262, 264

Druze and, 120

houses of, 164

Israelis and, 147, 160, 162, 176–177

Jews and, 161

racist exploitation and, 160

relations with, 162

restrictions on, 159, 177–178

Samaritans and, 174, 175, 176, 178

state for, 161, 162

Parsees, 77, 100, 103, 106, 107

identity of, 110

Iranians and, 110

Parthian Empire, 16, 46

Parthians, 16, 46

Pasha, Nubar, 197

Pashtuns, 237, 255

Passion of the Christ, The
(movie), 257

Passover

celebrating, 156, 157, 176–177

sacrifice of, 150, 165–166, 179, 180

Samaritan, 157, 158–159, 163–166, 170–174, 175, 176–177, 178 (photo), 179 (photo), 180

Paul, Father, 185, 218

Peacock Angel, 44, 60, 67

representation of, 60 (photo)

Peacocks, 275

image/feathers of, 277 (photo)

“Pek Ethronos” (chant), 183, 195

Pentateuch, 80, 165

People of the book, xxii, 8, 49–50

Mandaeans and, 32

Samaritans and, 152–153

Persepolis

Persian Empire and, 81

Zoroastrians and, 80–81, 82, 101

Persian Empire, 81, 89, 117

Byzantium and, 7

Hinduism/Buddhism in, 12

Roman hostilities with, 46

Persian language, 92, 232–233

Persians, 45, 84, 85, 88, 194

Greeks and, 80

Pharaoh
(journal), 198

Pharaohs, 190–191, 194, 196

Pinkham, Amaru Mark, 275

Plato, 52, 80, 117, 124, 127, 140, 141

Academy of, 95, 116

Aristotle and, 123

Khomeini and, 95

philosophy of, 94, 95

St. Augustine and, 116

vision of, 95

Plotinus, 117, 123, 125

Plutarch, 64, 104

Polo, Marco, 56, 220, 221, 225

Polytheism, 27, 32, 50, 182, 191, 197

Prayer, 43, 54, 171–173, 237

communal, 66

kaddish, 257

Priesthood

Jewish, 165

Mandaean, 22, 23, 24

Samaritan, 165

Prometheus, 229

Ptolemy, 14, 95, 214

Purim, 166

Pythagoras, 50, 124, 127, 128, 131, 140, 143–144

Druze and, 114, 115, 117, 122, 143, 145–146

Harranians and, 117

Ibn Taymiyyah and, 117

pentagram and, 119

Socrates and, 116

theory of, 117, 119

Pythagorean Brotherhood, 114, 115

Pythagoreans, 115, 119–120, 122, 129

Qahtaniyah, 40, 41, 70

Qassem, Abdul-Karim, 32

Qom, 92–93, 95–96

Rabba, Baba, 152

Rabi’a of Basra, 62

Ramadan, xxvii, 3, 96, 128, 131, 186

Ramses, 184, 185, 196

Raphael, painting by, 123

Rashid, Haroun al-, 6

Rassam, Suha, xxvi

Red Cross, bombing of, 36

Red Kafirs, 248

Reincarnation, 44, 49

Druze and, 123, 140, 141–142, 142–143

Religions, xxix

Celtic, xx

cultures and, 7

Egyptian, 194

as magnet, 266

in Middle East, xvi–xvii (map)

minority, xxi, xxiii

Norse, xxi

origins/evolution of, ix

pervasiveness of, 186

pre-Christian, xxi

state-backed, xxvii

understanding of, 217

Republic
(Plato), 95

Revolutionary Command Council, 201

Reza Shah, 101

Rihanna, 241

Riley, Naomi Schaefer, 261

Rituals, 2, 52, 94, 99, 101

Babylonian, 27, 49

doctrines and, xii

Druze, 269

Jewish, 257

Kalasha, 243

Mandaean, 27

Zoroastrian, 109

River Tigris, photo of, 2

Robertson, George Scott, 223, 230, 233–234, 250, 252

Gish and, 225

Kafirs and, 225, 236, 251

Kam and, 224, 225, 242, 248

on Merak, 224

Roman Empire, xix, 194, 195

Romans, 40, 45, 148, 194

defeat of, 46

Jewish revolt and, 151

Rothschild, Baron Edmond de: Samaritans and, 175

Royal Geographical Society, Schomberg and, 234

Ruha, 1, 21, 69

Rumbur valley, 235, 243, 244, 247, 250

photo of, 252

Russian Orthodox, 265

Rustam, 89

Sabbath, 191

Jewish, 26

Mandaean, 34

Passover and, 176–177

Samaritan, 166, 167, 169, 175

Sabians, 8, 32, 50, 196, 197

Sacrifice

animal, 40, 165

bull, 40, 42–43

Sadat, Anwar, 184, 201, 217

Copts and, 202, 203

sectarianism and, 202

Sa’eed, 205, 213

Sahak, Sultan, 57

St. Augustine, 2, 15, 17, 116

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 145

St. George, 102, 207

St. Mark the Evangelist, 207, 209

St. Mark’s Church, 181, 182, 183, 195, 202

St. Pachomius, 208

St. Paul’s Cathedral, 5

St. Simeon Stylites, 265

Sainte Thérèse of Liseux, 184, 185, 187, 218

Salafis, 194, 203, 216–217

Salisbury, Lord, 106–107

Samanids, 92

Samaritan priests, 169, 179

photo of, 165, 173, 179

Samaritans, xxiv, xxix, 158, 161, 163, 164

accusations against, 129

Arabs and, 155

conversion of, 153

documentary on, 168

endurance of, 179–180

flourishing of, 151–152

genealogy and, 167–168

Greek islands and, 166

history of, 170

Israelis and, 177–178

Jews and, 149–150, 151, 153, 154, 165, 175, 178 (photo), 176

memento of, 156

Muslims and, 174, 175

Palestinians and, 174, 175, 176, 177

predictions about, 179–180

rebellions by, 152

traditions/customs of, 165, 168–169, 170–171, 172–173, 176–177, 177, 180

visiting, 154, 156–157

Sanjak
s, 59, 64, 67

Sanliurfa, 44–45, 47, 54

Sanoo’a, Yacoub, 198

Sargious, Father: on Copts, 199

Sarton, George: on Biruni, 8–9

Satan, 60, 62.
See also
Devil, Sheitan.

Angra Mainyu and, 79–80

cursing, 60

Sheitan, Arabic word for, 60

Sattar, Sheikh, 9–10, 22, 37

Mandaeans and, 10–11

Scaliger, Joseph, 153, 166

Scher, Mar Addai, 259

Schomberg, Reginald, 234, 237, 248

Kalasha and, 238–239

Schoolbook, Hebrew, 33 (photo)

Schur, Nathan, 153, 156